5 Pro wrestlers who had a great 2018 and 5 who didn't
It's the end of the year. Who were the winners and losers in pro wrestling 2018?
The dawn of a new year approaches. It's a time to reflect upon the many changes that 2018 has wrought, both good and bad.
In many ways, 2018 has been one of the wildest in pro wrestling history. Not since the fall of WCW and the end of the Monday Night Wars has so much happened in so little time. The WWE continued its global expansion and dominance, even as a slew of new--and some old--challengers appeared to cut a piece of its market share. Some wrestlers returned from injury or semi-retirement to thrill the fans, and some were sadly put on the shelf.
Then there are the tabloid-worthy tales of some wrestlers and former wrestlers that really make social media buzz. Fans are following along and connecting with their favorite pro wrestling superstars at an ever-increasing rate. Some stars have risen, and meteorically at that, while others have fallen just as fast.
Here are five wrestlers who had a great 2018, and five who probably are glad the year is finally over!
Had a good 2018: Ricochet
The artist formerly known as Prince Puma finally arrived in the WWE, something that fans had been anticipating for years.
As often happens when an indie darling makes their arrival in the world's largest pro wrestling organization, his advent was treated with trepidation and eagerness in equal measure. Fans were excited to see him perform in a WWE ring for the first time, but also worried that--like so many others before him--he would fail to resonate with the WWE audience.
Those fears are surely put to rest by now. Ricochet was catapulted into a feud with NXT's fastest rising homegrown talent, the Velveteen Dream, and their match at Takeover was considered an instant classic.
Then there's the fact that Ricochet defeated Adam Cole--who had a ton of momentum--and took his NXT North American championship. With several five star title defenses to his credit, Ricochet definitely had a winning 2018.
Will 2019 be good to him as well?: Signs point to 'yes.' Ricochet is currently the North American champion, and will likely finish out the year wearing the belt, giving him huge momentum in the coming year.