5 Most WWE memorable moments of 2018

With TLC in the history books, another calendar year in WWE is drawing to a close as 2018 gradually comes to an end.

2018 gave us some memorable moments that hyped fans up. 2018 was a good year for WWE and its wide fan base. Fans were treated to the first ever Women's Royal Rumble as 30 women battled it out at the Royal Rumble for a world title shot at WrestleMania. The first ever all-women's pay-per-view also took place in October this year as the inaugural edition of WWE Evolution took center stage.

We also the return of many stars from the past as Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley returned home to the WWE as full-time competitors. We also saw numerous dream matches like AJ Styles Vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Daniel Bryan Vs The Miz.

Needless to say, 2018 gave us some great moments that are still fresh in our memories and will remain there for the foreseeable future. However, there were a few moments that stood out.

New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE

With that said, let's look at the top 5 moments of 2018 that every fan in WWE probably enjoyed.

#5 Evolution re-union at SmackDown 1000 goes awry as Batista takes a verbal shot at Triple H

On October 16, 2018, WWE celebrated 1000 episodes of the blue brand, SmackDown Live. As a part of the celebration was the much anticipated re-union of Evolution, a stable consisting of four legends and all-time greats that made a huge impact on WWE.

During the re-union, each of the four members (Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Triple H and Batista) had a few words to say individually. This appearance marked Batista's first appearance in WWE since 2014 and he made a massive impact on his one-night only return. When Batista grabbed the microphone, he took the time to acknowledge each member's achievements. After appreciating all that Triple H has down, The Animal took at shot at the fact that Triple H had never beaten Batista in the ring.

This led to an intense stare-down between the two icons as the WWE Universe was on the edge of their seats. Ric Flair eventually managed to get things back in control and calmed both men down.

#4 The Undertaker makes an unannounced appearance at WrestleMania and makes quick work of John Cena

In the lead up to WrestleMania 34, WWE ran a story-line in which John Cena was without a match at WrestleMania. When Cena failed to win the Elimination Chamber match and his WWE Championship match at Fastlane, the chances of Cena competing at WrestleMania looked very bleak and slim.

Cena decided to challenge The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania. However, 'The Champ' never received a response from the Deadman. Cena battled with Kane too, but The Undertaker was nowhere to be seen. The sixteen-time world champion announced that he would go to WrestleMania as a fan and would watch all of the action from the crowd.

About an hour into the main show at WrestleMania, Cena ran backstage after the referee communicated with him. He came out later in the show in his ring attire, ready for a fight. However, Cena didn't get what he wanted when Elias came out and did his usual shtick. The Champ took out Elias and walked up the ramp.

Just as it looked as if 'Taker wasn't going to show up, the sound of the gong went off and The Phenom made his awe-inspiring entrance. Cena was stunned as Taker made his entrance and stared holes through him. As the bell rang, Undertaker took the fight to Cena. Cena mounted barely any offense as The Undertaker Tombstone Piledrivered him to the depths of hell in under 3 minutes.

#3 The Shield reunites on the night after SummerSlam to thwart a Money in the bank cash-in from Braun Strowman

The Shield put Strowman through a table to thwart his cash-in

At SummerSlam, Roman Reigns finally vanquish arch-nemises,Brock Lesnar, to win his first ever Universal title and end Lesnar's 500 day long tyrannical reign. The WWE Universe was ecstatic and couldn't thank Reigns enough for ending Lesnar's reign.

Next night on Raw, being a fighting champion, Reigns put his newly won title on the line against Finn Balor. As Reigns was setting up for the Spear, Braun Strowman's music hit and he ran down the ramp with his MITB briefcase. Balor looked to capitalize off the distraction, but Reigns eventually nailed him with a Spear and pinned him.

Strowman attacked Reigns mere seconds after the match and just as the ring announcer announced that Strowman was cashing in, The Shield's music hit and Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins came to the aid of their brother.

The trio took out Strowman with a Triple Powerbomb to thwart his MITB cash-in. The WWE Universe was elated at the re-union of the Shield which was cut short last year due to Ambrose's untimely injury.

#2 Daniel Bryan is cleared to return to in-ring competition three weeks before Wrestlemania 34

Bryan returned to in-ring competition at Wrestlemania 34.

Three weeks before WrestleMania, on a special episode of SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan announced that WWE's medical staff had finally cleared him to return to in-ring competition after a two-year hiatus. Fans were elated and they couldn't wait to see Bryan back in the ring.

During that time period, Bryan was the General Manager of SmackDown Live and had to deal with the issue regarding Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn's vicious attack on Shane McMahon a week before his return to in-ring competition. Bryan confronted Owens and Zayn and ended up firing them, in spite of their close friendship and mutual understanding. Owens and Zayn mercilessly attacked Bryan and Owens powerbombed Bryan into the ring apron.

Bryan issued a challenge to Owens and Zayn and announced Shane McMahon as his partner. The match was scheduled for WrestleMania in the same arena where Bryan miraculously overcame the odds to become WWE World Champion.

Bryan's in-ring performance showed the fans that Bryan hadn't lost a step. Bryan and McMahon defeated Owens and Zayn at WrestleMania to put an end to their emotional and personal rivalry.

#1 Johnny Gargano finally defeats Tomasso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver:New Orleans

In May 2017,at NXT TakeOver:Chicago, fans saw the end of DIY as Tomasso Ciampa betrayed Johnny Gargano in one of the most shocking betrayal. Ciampa, however, was injured which put this rivalry on hold.

Ciampa returned at NXT Takeover:Philadelphia and attacked Gargano with a crutch moments after Gargano lost a brutal championship bout to Andrade 'Cien' Almas. Over the weeks, Ciampa continued to torture and torment Gargano physically and mentally. He even cost Gargano his job after he interfered in Gargano's match with Almas, which forced Gargano to leave NXT. However, Gargano had enough of Ciampa's tactics and attacked Ciampa as a fan in disguise a few weeks before NXT TakeOver:New Orleans. This led to an unsactioned match between the two foes at NXT TakeOver where Gargano would get his job back if he could defeat Ciampa.

Ciampa and Gargano tore the house down in a thrilling contest, which saw both performers at their best. The emotion and pain was palpable as the two rivals went back and forth. At the end, Gargano made Ciampa tap out to finally exact revenge on his nemisis and get his job match. This match was rated a 5 stars by Dave Meltzer and the fans couldn't agree more.

Edited by Sundaresh Kumar