The top 10 WWE matches of 2018

#3 Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas (NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia)

NXT started an amazing year off with a bang

It was always going to be hard for them to beat their sleeper classic at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, but they did all of that and more this time around. Immediately after the final bell rang, it was being hailed as one of the best matches in WWE history. In terms of sheer work rate, it was the best match in WWE this year, if not in history.

For Gargano, the title shot came at a time when he was just emerging out of a period of heartbreaking losses, which saw him come all the way back to be #1 contender. For Almas, he came in needing to prove his legitimacy as NXT Champion, after he shocked the world by unseating Drew McIntyre in shady fashion.

After wowing us with a few minutes displaying how technically proficient they were, Almas and Gargano upped the ante outside, showing off their agility until the latter was roughly thrown to the ground while attempting a flip.

Afterwards, the two continued to go back and forth. However, despite the amazing offense dished out by both, neither man was able to finish the other off. The selling of these two was unbelievable!

That's when Zelina Vega came in. She would be a frequent source of interference in the match, interrupting the Gargano Escape where it looked like Gargano finally had the champion beat. Finally, Candice LeRae had enough and jumped the barricade to tackle Vega, to one of the biggest pops of the night.

Gargano would go on to hit a slingshot DDT and lock in the Gargano Escape from there, only for Almas to get his foot on the rope. The heartbroken look on Gargano's face won't soon be forgotten.

Almas followed this up with double running knees on Gargano into the turnbuckle and then a Hammerlock DDT from the top rope, securing victory.

But heartbreak wouldn't stop for Gargano there. As he and Candice LeRae walked up the ramp to the adulation of the crowd, Tommaso Ciampa returned, smacking the battered Gargano in the back with a crutch, and thus, we were on the road to another classic.