'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With July almost on the horizon, it’s time to take a look at how WWE’s Superstars have been performing in the first six months of 2018.
There are currently 25 women competing on the main roster – 13 on Raw and 12 on SmackDown Live – and fans have witnessed over 70 matches from the women’s divisions across the two brands so far this year, but who stands out as the Best Female Superstar?
Charlotte Flair, for example, was seen as the biggest female star on SmackDown Live throughout 2017, but has she maintained enough of her momentum into 2018 or have the likes of Carmella and Asuka overtaken “The Queen”?
Trending
On Raw, Sasha Banks and Bayley have featured regularly on a weekly basis but neither of them has been involved in a meaningful title storyline recently, so where do they rank compared to the likes of Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey?
In this article, we’ve trawled through the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters to decide on our Top 10 female WWE Superstars of the year so far. Let us know in the comment section if you agree or disagree!
#10 Bayley
If somebody said a couple of years ago that Bayley would ever be ranked as low as 10th on a list of WWE’s top female Superstars, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t have believed them. But, due to questionable booking and a lack of major storylines in 2018, it’s difficult to rank the former Raw Women’s champion any higher than this position.
Her long-term frenemy storyline with Sasha Banks has been told quite well but, because it was constantly the second (or third, at times) most important women’s storyline on Raw, it never really felt like a priority to WWE or the fans. Hopefully, following Bayley’s vicious attack on Sasha on this week’s Raw, that will soon change!
#9 Naomi
Compared to her two SmackDown Women’s Championship victories in 2017, this year has been relatively quiet for Naomi. While she continues to be a regular presence on the blue brand, her weekly segments and matches seem less about her and more about other people (e.g. The Usos, Charlotte Flair, the GLOW cast) most of the time.
Still, some of her matches this year have been very impressive, especially her victory over Sonya Deville in May, and she produced some of the most memorable moments from the recent women’s Money In The Bank ladder match. She also outlasted 20+ other women to win the Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34, so 2018 hasn’t been too bad!
#8 Becky Lynch
Once again, 2018 has been a year of frustration for fans of Becky Lynch. One week “The Irish Lass Kicker” is losing in underwhelming fashion against the likes of Mandy Rose and Peyton Royce, and the next she is defeating more established female Superstars like Carmella and Charlotte Flair.
While there continue to be inconsistencies in the way the former SmackDown Women’s champion is booked, the one major positive is that she is producing some of the best matches in either women’s division right now. If she can keep that up, it’ll only be a matter of time before she’s champion again.
#7 Carmella
After waiting almost two years to be featured as the top Superstar in SmackDown Live's women’s division, Carmella cashed in her Money In The Bank contract on Charlotte Flair in April 2018, with help from Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, to become a champion for the first time in NXT or WWE.
Since then, “The Princess of Staten Island” has cut some excellent heel promos on Tuesday nights to show exactly why WWE trusted her with the briefcase and title in the first place, and it cannot be denied that she has significantly improved over the last year as an in-ring competitor.
#6 Sasha Banks
This year hasn’t been terrible for Sasha Banks but, like Bayley, she hasn’t featured in a prominent storyline on Raw in the first six months of 2018, with Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Natalya and Ronda Rousey occupying most of the television time in the women’s division on Monday nights.
Still, “The Boss” was arguably the standout performer in the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches, adding further accomplishments to her history-making résumé, and the future looks bright after her on-off rivalry with Bayley stepped up a gear on this week’s episode of Raw.
#5 Nia Jax
Nia Jax competed in one of her best WWE matches to date when she lost against Asuka at Elimination Chamber in February. One month later, she turned babyface for the first time in her career and became bitter enemies with best friend Alexa Bliss, culminating in her winning the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34.
“The Irresistible Force” has improved massively as an in-ring competitor from when she debuted on the main roster in 2016, as proven in her recent match against Ronda Rousey at Money In The Bank, and it looks like WWE will continue to give her more television time and opportunities in the months to come.
#4 Ronda Rousey
Considering she’s only had two matches so far in WWE, it’s difficult to compare Ronda Rousey to the rest of the women on Raw and SmackDown Live, but it’s fair to say that her two matches – against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34 and against Nia Jax at Money In The Bank – far exceeded everybody’s initial expectations of her.
“The Baddest Woman On The Planet” has adjusted to the pro wrestling world quicker than anybody since Kurt Angle, her WrestleMania tag partner, and if she continues in this way there’s every chance that she’ll top our end-of-year awards list in six months. Granted, her promos still need to improve, but her performances so far have been very good.
#3 Asuka
There have been plenty of suggestions recently that WWE has ruined Asuka's character by having her lose clean against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34 and against Carmella, albeit via interference from James Ellsworth, at the recent Money In The Bank PPV.
However, from an in-ring perspective, “The Empress of Tomorrow” continues to be involved in the best matches in either women’s division, and when you take into account that she won the first-ever female Royal Rumble and featured in one of the best matches at ‘Mania, it’s still been a very successful year for the former NXT Women’s champion.
#2 Charlotte Flair
If 2016 and 2017 were about building Charlotte Flair up as the top female Superstar on the WWE roster, then the first half of 2018 was all about cementing her legacy as one of the best competitors, either male or female, of this generation.
Yes, the last couple of months haven’t been great, especially the manner of her defeat against Carmella at Backlash, but her victory over Asuka at WrestleMania 34 was a massive show of faith by WWE and a moment that will still be talked about by wrestling fans in 20+ years from now.
#1 Alexa Bliss
When Alexa Bliss was drafted #47 in the 2016 WWE draft, below six other women including Summer Rae, nobody would have imagined that she would be the top female Superstar in the company just two years later.
“Little Miss Bliss” has had the greatest moments out of all of the women in WWE this year, winning the first-ever female Elimination Chamber in February before claiming victory in two matches at Money In The Bank in June. With a huge encounter against Ronda Rousey seemingly on the horizon, expect Alexa to be near the top of this list again by the end of 2018.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
