Roundtable: Best Of 2018 (Part 1)

Who was the best tag team of 2018?

Chad Gelfand: If we’re basing this off of overall impact on the industry to go along with wrestling ability, then it has to be the Young Bucks. The Bucks along with Cody Rhodes put on the most ambitious independent event in history with “All In” and it was a success, so for that, the Young Bucks are my tag team of the year.

Sam Gladen: I don’t think there is anyone in the world that have had a more impressive year as a team than the Young Bucks, from throwing the only non-WWE event in the U.S. to cross 10,000 seats to their wildly successful YouTube channel. Not to mention the year they’ve had in the ring, from Ladder War VII at Final Battle to battling the Golden Lovers at Strong Style Evolved. They are hit-making machines.

Jenna Leigh: I was tempted to say the Young Bucks, and while yes, they absolutely had a great year, I truly feel like this title belongs to The Bar. For all intents and purposes, this appeared to be a team thrown together just to give them something to do, and both Cesaro and Sheamus really embraced it, ran with it, coordinated their ring gear and really made The Bar an important team.

David Gibb: The New Hart Foundation.

John Corrigan: LAX. Led by the legendary Konnan, Santana and Ortiz carried Impact Wrestling’s tag team division for 365 days. Every time they enter the squared circle, fans are guaranteed a thrilling performance no matter who their opponents are.

Juan Bautista: The Elite. Whether it was winning titles inside the ring or putting on All In, they dominated headlines and could have something even bigger in store for 2019.

Steven Jackson: LAX. An incredible feud with the OGz, as well as awesome matches against tons of teams on the independent scene, LAX are the team of 2018.

Anthony Mahalis: The New Day. They consistently are in the Tag Team Title picture and are still beloved by the fans. That is hard to do after being together for so long.

Jack Goodwillie: I had a long answer typed out for Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, then thought, “No, it’s the Undisputed Era.” It’s not as if Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly were completely unfamiliar with one another, but it’s almost as if when Bobby Fish got hurt, Adam Cole was like, “luckily I keep a spare,” ala Goldmember and it was like nothing changed. Wicked matches with Mustache Mountain. WICKED match with Burch and Lorcan. And then you have War Games and the stuff they did with The War Raiders at year’s end and it’s really no debate. And as for the Young Bucks, it was just another status quo year, which is great for them! They made a ton of money, but at this point, they’ve really done all they can do and the years are starting to run together. Maybe their involvement in All Elite Wrestling in 2019 OR a run in WWE will shake things up?

Who was the best commentator of 2018?

Gelfand: Mauro Ranallo. It’s hard to match the unbridled passion and energy that he brings to any NXT TV or PPV. An announcer’s job should be to enhance a match and convey the story that is being told in the ring and Mauro has been excellent at that.

Gladen: Mauro Ranallo bar none. The honest enthusiasm he has for the business of professional wrestling as well as his understanding of the technical side leaves everyone who listens on the edge of their seats.

Leigh: Without a doubt, this is all Corey Graves! The former Sterling James Keenan accepted his injury with grace and class, and went on to make himself indispensable. With a fluidity and comfort on the mic that has to come naturally – his level of ease simply cannot be taught – and a dry wit that routinely earns comparisons to Bobby “ the Brain” Heenan, Graves has carved out a niche for himself that should be his and his alone for the foreseeable future.

Gibb: Don Callis.

Corrigan: Matt Striker. He’s a big reason I enjoy MLW: Fusion and his chemistry with Tony Schiavone – a fellow play-by-play guy – probably shouldn’t be surprising considering Striker’s deep knowledge of the history of, well, everything. Striker can tell multiple stories in an ice cold, thrown together match between two guys you’ve never heard of.

Bautista: Mauro Ranallo. Is it really even really a discussion? The man across the board has out classed even the likes of Kevin Kelly. He has made NXT TakeOvers worth watching for the commentary alone.

Jackson: Mauro Ranallo. He is just one of his own, a pleasure to listen to and a true professional sportscaster.

Mahalis: Corey Graves. He is pulling double duty for a reason.

Goodwillie: Mauro Ranallo. When you put in the effort that guy does to every single call, how can he not come out the other side as the best commentator of the year? He knows his shit, knows the moves, knows the characters and his interactions with Tommaso Ciampa as of late have only added another wrinkle to his game. He’s like that Gordon Solie or Lance Russell type where they just HATE the heel so much that you can’t help but take their side. That said, Vic Joseph came out of nowhere to really impress me with his stuff in the UK Tournament and filling in for Ranallo in a pinch. I’ll tell you who the worst commentator of the year was, though! Rhymes with Rae Nae Lung. Oh wait, nvm, Jonathan Coachman really set the bar low for that the first nine months of the year.

What was the best feud of 2018?

Gelfand: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair. These two have torn the house down with fantastic matches at WWE Evolution and TLC (also including Asuka). Their feud also seemed to ignite the SmackDown women’s division and revamped both Charlotte’s and Becky Lynch’s characters.

Gladen: Gargano/Ciampa started last year, but I certainly believe they hit their stride this year. Each meeting becoming more brutal than the last, culminating in their Last Man Standing match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV.

Leigh: This one was tricky because we don’t really get compelling storylines or feuds anymore in WWE. As far as the best feud, Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho put on an absolutely tremendous show, with Jericho somehow reinventing himself yet AGAIN.

Gibb: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa.

Corrigan: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe. Joe stalking Styles’ family added another layer to both he and Styles’ characters, in addition to spicing up the family-friendly, blah atmosphere of WWE TV. Plus, they delivered in the ring and the good guy ultimately prevailed.

Bautista: WWE vs. NJPW/ROH. Although it was brief, it showed WWE no longer has the strangle hold it once had. As quickly as Vince McMahon tried to shut down the Madison Square Garden show, the historic event sold out just as quickly.

Jackson: LAX vs. OGz from Impact Wrestling. Many times on Twitter I praised just how deep, revolutionary and entertaining this story was, and if you didn’t get chance to see it pan out this year, go out of your way to re-watch it heading into 2019. You will not be disappointed!

Mahalis: The New Day and The Usos. They just kept finding new ways to impress show after show and it never got stale.

Goodwillie: John Corrigan vs Devonte. No, actually despite Raw’s ineptitude, there are a lot of excellent candidates for this one. Of course, Ciampa vs Gargano has been masterful, being the old-school wrestling feud that has played out over several years and counting. That said, you have to give props to Charlotte and Becky Lynch for everything they’ve done since August, overcoming bad creative, making the fans believe in their issue and ultimately raising both of their stocks tremendously after that hellacious match at Evolution.

Who cut the best promos of 2018?

Gelfand: It’s a toss-up between Becky Lynch and Daniel Bryan, but I have to go with Daniel Bryan. At the beginning of the year, he had the incredible “fight for your dreams, and your dreams will fight for you” promo when he officially unretired. Since turning heel a month or so ago, he has been incredible on the mic, finishing out the year strong.

Gladen: Jay Lethal’s promo work this year has been phenomenal. Between calling out some of the most impressive wrestlers in the world and his seamless return to past gimmicks, it’s always entertaining to hear what he has to say.

Gibb: Becky Lynch.

Corrigan: MJF. The 22-year-old is the personification of entitled millennial, dressing like a preppy douchebag, espousing his misinformed opinions, shitting all over everybody on social media and somehow, always getting the girl. MJF is not the cool heel – he draws heat. Old-school, slash his tires, throw a cup of piss, tune-in-to-watch-his-ass-get-kicked heat. He doesn’t care who he rubs the wrong way, as a matter of fact, he enjoys it. Whether he’s a sexist pig to Alicia Atout, a racist prick to luchadors in MLW or a cocky, disrespectful guest to Stone Cold Steve Austin, MJF is never at a loss for words.

Bautista: Zack Sabre Jr. If you haven’t gotten to see his post-match press conferences, they’re great.

Jackson: King from Impact Wrestling. The passion, adrenaline and intensity of his promos were above everyone else in the industry.

Mahalis: Samoa Joe. While his feud with AJ ultimately didn’t end in a title reign, he did have very memorable moments on the mic.

Goodwillie: Call it recency bias if you want, but while 10 years ago I’d have been stunned to say it, it’s the NEW Daniel Bryan. There is not a smarter wrestler in the game right now who understands his character the way Daniel does. It’s a given that he’ll go into the clubhouse as the favorite for next year’s wrestler of the year, just because of how slick these new promos of his are. And he can beat bad creative! Remember when he turned heel the week before Survivor Series, had to work babyface against Brock Lesnar, then go back to being a heel the following week? He had a reason for it! Provided he can stay healthy, I’m really going to be keeping a close eye on the New Daniel Bryan in 2019.

What was the biggest story of 2018?

Gelfand: All In, the biggest independent show in history selling out a 10,000-seat arena and being a success was an incredible development, especially for the health of the independents going forward. Also, with the news of a possible promotion headed up by The Elite happening in the near future, All In’s success is definitely a catalyst.

Gladen: The biggest story of the year was who attacked Aleister Black. The sheer amount of suspects and the way NXT handled what was released and when meant that it never got old.

Leigh: The heartbreaking news that Roman Reigns has not only been battling leukemia for six years behind the scenes, but that he has to step away and fight through yet another round of treatment. With that one devastating promo, the single most polarizing man in modern pro wrestling suddenly had the entire world unified behind him. We’re all continuing to pray for him to come back to us healthy and better than ever.

Gibb: Roman Reigns’ leukemia revelation.

Corrigan: Roman Reigns’ revelation. My phone blew up as soon as he uttered the words, and my brain froze trying to process how this guy we’ve been hating for years is one of the bravest human beings we’ll probably ever come across.

Bautista: The state of the independent scene. Whether it’s the developments in the WWE-UK deal, which may have far worse implications than anyone could have anticipated or the success of ALL IN weekend, this has probably been the most important year.

Jackson: The WWE Crown Jewel controversy and the divide it created for talent and fans. Wrestling and politics have never been so hostile and it was very intriguing to see what would happen.

Mahalis: Roman Reigns’ battle with leukemia. It was a total blindside in the worst way. Hopefully, Roman is progressing well and he can beat this again and get back in the ring.

Goodwillie: Becky Lynch’s improbable rise to superstardom. For a while, I didn’t think she’d ever really make it, but a combination of factors brought something out of her we had never seen before and gave women’s wrestling something it has not seen before in a bonafide breakout superstar who has not even reached her ceiling yet. I’ll give you another story to consider, however: The Jericho Cruise. Who woulda thunk it? We got a CRUISE dedicated to professional wrestling and now it’s gonna be annual! Who’s coming with me in 2019?

You can find part 2 here.