The WWE Half-Year Awards 2018

3. Best Match: Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle Vs. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H (WrestleMania 34)

WWE 2018 HALF YEAR
WWE.com

The success of Ronda Rousey's maiden voyage into the world of pro-wrestling stands as almost direct counterpoint to the WWE title contest offered later in the same evening.

Whilst AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura's fuse was proverbially moist, Rousey and her carefully selected cohorts served up a slice of sports entertainment which surpassed even the expectations of the most starry-eyed optimist.

This was no technical masterpiece, but it was a stunningly choreographed piece of performance art, succeeding at every aspect the industry espouses. The wrestling itself was nothing beyond fine, but the story, the characters, and the pin-point control of the crowd was as good as anything you're likely to see, helped along by veterans Triple H and Kurt Angle, and a masterful heel performance by usual bugbear Stephan McMahon.

But Ronda Rousey was the star. The match was designed to make her so - and it succeeded emphatically.

Runner-up: Men's Royal Rumble match (Royal Rumble 2018)

The men's Rumble earned plaudits just by virtue of avoiding another near riot in Philadelphia, but aside from a crowd-pleasing winner, it was a blast from start to finish. A lesson in the art of booking, peppered with high-points and telling a handful of miniature stories throughout its hour-long run.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.