20 Best WWE Segments of 2018 so far (20-11)

WWE is nowhere close to its prime and the recent Raw ratings are a testament to it. Blame it on the three-hour long format or the disinteresting storylines, WWE isn't doing their job perfectly.

However, there were some shining lights in the dark 2018. From Ronda Rousey's contract signing to Braun Strowman's destructions, WWE proved that they could bounce back with these segments.

And, then there was Daniel Bryan's announcement. Daniel Bryan told a wonderful comeback story and teased a wonderful match.

We don't know if WWE will continue with these segments in the latter half of 2018, or simply wash them off.

Without any further ado, here is the first installment of the 20 best segments of 2018 so far.

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#20 AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and Shane McMahon kick off first SmackDown of 2018 (SmackDown- 2 January)

On the last SmackDown of 2017, Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles thanks to Sami Zayn and Shane McMahon's interference. Furthermore, AJ Styles was set to face Sami Zayn in the night's main event. The 'Phenomenal One' kicked-off the show acknowledging the audience that last week's loss wouldn't affect his performance tonight. He would call out Daniel Bryan and demand why he had even allowed Sami Zayn to be at ringside in the first place.

Daniel Bryan would make his way to the ring and answer AJ Styles' question only for Shane McMahon to interfere. He alleged that Daniel Bryan is favoring Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn recently and isn't doing his job as a General Manager well enough. Shane McMahon would further announce that he would be in the ringside to so as to nullify Kevin Owens' effect. Daniel Bryan would wrap it up by saying that if Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon both would be at ringside, it only makes sense for him to be also at ringside.

AJ Styles isn't Stone Cold when it comes to mic-work, but he showed that he isn't Roman Reigns either. Meanwhile, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan did a decent work to make the segment a worthwhile watch. The story was made clear in this segment. The rising dissension between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon would only help Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and push back AJ Styles.

#19 Braun Strowman takes out Elias with a guitar double bass (Raw- February 12)

A week earlier on Raw, Elias defeated John Cena and Braun Strowman to ensure that he would be locked up in the pod for the most amount of time. Having the advantage to be the final entrant, he planned to pick up the bones of the fellow competitors and walk home with the opportunity to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. He would address the same to the crowd and even took a dig on each of the opponents. Things were going fine for Elias until ring announcer Jojo announced Braun Strowman's name.

The 'Monster among Men' showed up with a double bass and broke the strings while trying to play it. After completing his song, he went after Elias and took him out with a Running Powerslam. Braun Strowman hadn't finished yet as he thumped him with the mammoth instrument.

The segment was a brilliant one considering that the WWE creative didn't have any other idea than putting two main-event stars on a comedy element. Braun Strowman was spot on with his comic timings, and Elias acted terrifically to make a fool out of himself. The segment was so successful that the company sold the broken double bass on eBay at $1425 and conducted a Symphony of Destruction match on the 5th March episode of Raw between the two superstars.

#18 Paige takes over as the new SmackDown GM (SmackDown- April 10)

A night before on Raw, Paige announced her retirement from in-ring action after she suffered a career-threatening injury on a WWE live event in December. The WWE fans were already speculating that her career might be over, but nothing had been made official. The fans guessed that she would continue her managerial role and guide the Absolution to new heights.

However, none of them thought that she would have bigger stakes in the company. Shane McMahon kicked-off the night with the announcement that he has graciously accepted Daniel Bryan's resignation as the General Manager. The elder son of Vince McMahon would further introduce Paige as the new General Manager amidst the huge pop. Paige would waste no time and announce the dream match between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan as the main event of the show.

The crowd chant, 'This is your House' made the segment an even better one. Furthermore, Paige's brief pause after announcing Daniel Bryan's name ensured that we were going to have a better GM than Kurt Angle as far as announcing matches were concerned. Paige is one of the best female speakers of all time in the WWE, and she proved us why.

#17 Braun Strowman annihilates Kane and Brock Lesnar (Raw- 8 January)

After a dismal Raw to kick-off 2018, WWE hit the right notes and booked Braun Strowman, Kane, and Brock Lesnar fittingly. Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar opened the segment with the former advertising the Universal Champion's dominance and even bragged how the Beast Incarnate laughed off Kane's best shot. Kane would initiate the brawl with an assault on the champion and take the fight backstage.

Braun Strowman pounced on them at the right time and hurled sound equipment at both of them. He didn't stop there as he grabbed hold of a grappling hook and brought down the stage set on both of them. Paul Heyman seldom shows any sign of worry, but Braun Strowman's wreckage made him do so.

Braun Strowman is fantastic when he is on a path of destruction, and this segment is the utmost testament to it. Furthermore, Paul Heyman's facial expression on seeing his client in a gruesome state put the cherry on the cake. While the 'Monster among Men' is not bad at comedy segments, it will only hold him down considering his abilities.

#16 Shinsuke Nakamura reveals the Last Man Standing Match stipulation (SmackDown- 22 May)

Shinsuke Nakamura used his roguish tactics to pick up a win over AJ Styles a week prior on SmackDown and earned the opportunity to choose the stipulation for their title match at Money in the Bank. Nakamura got on the nerves of the champion by refusing to state the stipulation and mention a 'Pillow fight' contest instead.

The Phenomenal One took a dig on the Japanese Rockstar and called him the King of Soft Style. Furthermore, he told him that this wasn't the Shinsuke Nakamura people wanted on SmackDown. They both finished their verbal spat with that and took the brawl to the crowd. Nakamura would attack him with a steel chair and take the champion out with a Kinshasha on the floor. He would count to ten and announce the match as a 'Last Man Standing' one.

Nakamura's heel turn had brought up an energized version of himself, and this segment was the pinnacle of his heel run as of now. Nakamura's reluctance in declaring the stipulation was worthy enough to cringe anyone let alone AJ Styles and the audience. Styles, too, donned his role brilliantly and made Nakamura look stronger than before.

#15 SAnitY ruin The New Day's pancake eating competition (SmackDown- 3 July)

The New Day didn't have any clear direction on the build-up to Extreme Rules, and so the creative team decided to have a 3rd of July pancake eating competition amongst them. Byron Saxton explained the rules to the audience and the participants, and Kofi, Xavier, and Big E looked set to entertain the crowd with another pancake engrossed segment

The competition was going on in good spirits until the lights went off and SAnity's name was highlighted on the titantron. The New Day expected them to walk down the arena, but chaos always comes from behind. The trio of Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe, and Eric Young decimated Kofi Kingston and Big E on the outside before Eric Young hit an elbow drop on Xavier Woods through a table.

With the segment executed so wonderfully, we wonder if this had been Triple H's original plan to debut the trio before someone in the upper strata brushed it off. SAnitY did a commendable job to show the WWE Universe what they are capable of doing. The New Day again showed why they are the very best in pulling comedy skits even if they have very less material in hand.

#14 The Big Red Monster returns (SmackDown- June 26)

After his elimination through the hands of Baron Corbin at Andre the Giant Battle Royale, the Big Red Machine didn't return to the squared circle again. The fans had assumed that they witnessed the last appearance of Kane as he continued his run to be the mayor. But, all of them had been proved wrong as Kane not only returned but also reunited with Daniel Bryan.

Harper was about to tap out to Daniel Bryan's 'Yes lock' before Rowan attacked the latter and brought the match to an abrupt end. It was turning out to be a two-on-one assault until an explosion occurred and Kane's music hit. The field was leveled and Team Hell No took out the Bludgeon Brothers before hugging it out. General Manager Paige put the icing on the cake after announcing that they would face the Bludgeon Brothers for the tag team championships at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

Everyone involved in the segment donned their role perfectly. The Bludgeon Brothers showed no mercy while taking out Daniel Bryan. Kane's return unleashed a whole new level of confidence within Daniel Bryan that helped him in taking out the Bludgeon Brothers. The 'hug it out' component was also terrific as it reminisced us of their first run as the tag team champions. And, Paige didn't falter either as her announcement made the return a much more memorable one.

#13 The Miz invites The New Day to the Miz TV (SmackDown- May 22)

Miz TV is one of the best talk show, if not the best, WWE has come up with in the recent years. The 22nd May edition was one of the best edition as the A-Lister had invited the New Day to know which member would participate in the Money in the Bank ladder match.

The New Day, as usual, exhibited their terrific comic timing in showing their reluctance to announce the individual. The Miz was infuriated with it and tried to break their unity by mentioning each member's weakness which was holding the other two down. Sadly for the Miz, the New Day didn't fall for it and instead challenged the A-lister to a one-on-one match with Big E. The Miz declined the challenge, and the New Day threw pancakes at him with a little touch of 'Game of Thrones.' The Miz couldn't run far away as Paige made the match official.

Again, all five members in the segment lived up to their roles. The New Day never disappoints us while doing comedy, and the Miz made an absolute fool of himself when pancakes had been hurled at him. Paige put the salt perfectly in the Miz's wounds by making the match official.

#12 Daniel Bryan announces his comeback (SmackDown- March 20)

This segment would have been ranked higher on the list if Daniel Bryan had waited a little longer and announced his return at the same night than announcing it beforehand in Twitter. It took out the surprise element from the promo. Nonetheless, Daniel Bryan's formal announcement in the show was necessary to evoke the emotion in a WWE ring.

The G.O.A.T told the fans how his wife helped him in overcoming the depression and anger from the fact that he had not been medically cleared to compete in a WWE ring. He would make the formal announcement and would even tease his return at the same Mercedes-Benz Superdome where he main-evented WrestleMania four years earlier.

The segment was a subtle yet brilliant one. Daniel Bryan didn't have to do something out-of-the-box in it. A simple announcement that he had been medically cleared to compete did the trick. The crowd reaction was cherry on the cake as they had resonated perfectly.

#11 Ronda Rousey's contract signing (Elimination Chamber- February 25)

Ronda Rousey had been advertised as the 'Baddest Woman on Earth' by Triple H when he invited her to sign the contract. Little did he know that Kurt Angle would spill the beans and reveal his real motives to get retribution from the WrestleMania 31 humiliation. This would only be possible if Ronda Rousey had been a WWE superstar and she, supposedly, fell for it.

After Ronda Rousey had learned about the initial plan, she got incensed and looked eye-to-eye with the Raw Commissioner. Triple H intervened to calm her but instead got smacked in the table. Stephanie would slap her before the Arm Collector signed the contract.

This was a good performance by Ronda Rousey considering that it was her first segment with the microphone. But, if anyone had to take the credit for the segment, it has got to be Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. They transitioned perfectly from someone who is generous to their employees to badass authority figures within a matter of seconds.