Predicting WWE's best matches for the rest of 2018
Well, that didn't take long.
NXT concluded its July run by serving up yet another match of the year candidate. The title match between Aleister Black and Tommaso Ciampa was well fought, had many callback elements to advance the arc of the Ciampa character, and, after an extremely rare spot of well-placed interference, delivered a shocking moment by crowning a new champion, all the while Black was kept protected.
For NXT, it's the second match of the year candidate this month, following the tag team match between The Undisputed Era and Moustache Mountain, which got rewarded 5 stars by Dave Meltzer.
Already lagging, the main roster served up none in July, unless next week's Raw or SmackDown delivers a miracle.
Can we expect better from the main roster in the remainder of the year? The SummerSlam card already looks lackluster.
Predictions are a hard game, but that's what makes them fun. We don't yet know what's on the cards or where feuds will evolve, but we can guess. By looking at performers and where they might go, it's possible to predict potential match of the year contenders, if they live up to the hype.
#1 Ricochet vs. Adam Cole (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV)
Ricochet and Adam Cole are on a collision course and will crash into each other in Brooklyn, much as the latter might not want to be on that path. They have a storied history together. Believe it or not, both have two Meltzer-rated five-star matches to their name, and both came in contests where the other was a participant. The first of these was in a 2016 match on the independent circuit. The second came in the legendary ladder match in New Orleans.
Now they'll take each other on one on one on NXT's biggest stage.
Expectations will certainly be high, but they're more than capable of delivering, especially in a year where Cole and Ricochet have both been fantastic.