5 Worst Wrestling Matches Of 2018
DISCLAIMER: These are the opinions of the writer and do not reflect those of Sportskeeda
2018 has come and gone, and needless to say, it has been an underwhelming year for WWE. For some strange reason, no single main roster wrestler was able to have a truly outstanding match at any point this year. In fact, the best matches in WWE were in NXT, and those weren’t the absolute best of the year. No, the honor of putting on the best matches on average went to New Japan Pro-Wrestling once again.
But why is this? Why is it that so many outside critics argue that WWE’s in-ring product is so inferior to those seen elsewhere? Well, if you look at their big matches, everything feels slower and less risky. Pundits have long groaned over the dreaded ‘main-event-style’ that WWE makes all its performers work in, which leads to an awful homogeneity in the matches showcased. Meanwhile, in other companies you’re more likely to get so much more variety for more or less the same price.
But homogeneity in the structure isn’t the only problem that plagued WWE in 2018. Once again, their creativity hit a low point, which came through in the matches they decided to showcase. These main-event matches were all so disappointing that they definitely earned the dubious distinction of being the worst matches of 2018.
#5 Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe - Backlash 2018
Even though a lot has happened since April, the winner of the ‘worst PPV of the year’ award will definitely be Backlash 2018. That show featured some of the most inexplicable booking seen this entire year and concluded with a main-event that was so poorly-received that people left in droves as soon as it ended.
Simply put, that match was poorly structured and went far longer than it needed to. On a show that was already going way longer than anticipated, the last thing people needed to see on a Sunday night was 'chin lock city' courtesy of Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe.
Worse, the fans were already tired and exasperated by the time it started, which made them more anxious to see the match end. To add further insult to injury, it was another main event match featuring Roman Reigns, so it was obvious to most people watching who was going to win.
These elements all made this a stinker of a main event, which isn’t entirely the fault of the wrestler. They were told what they had to do, so blame here should fall on the bookers and agents for putting this contest together in the way they did.