Top 5 WWE Male Performers of 2018

WWE is a global phenomenon, which is why it is only fair to rank these risk-taking global male superstars on the basis of their overall performance this year. For a WWE wrestler, moves in the ring are as important as those outside. In addition, their oratory skills on the mic, expressions, mannerisms, etc., are what makes the WWE Universe fall in love with them. It is the connection with the audience that matters more than everything else.

Every time a wrestler steps into the ring, the audience is hoping for something unique and exciting to happen. With such high expectations every week, these WWE wrestlers must bring their A game. Coming back to 2018, fans have been served a mix of average and good storylines with a handful of remarkable matches which are unforgettable.

Plus, WWE superstars did their best to keep viewers engaged, guessing, mesmerized, and awe-struck with their mind-blowing performances throughout the year. Let’s cut to the chase and ring the bell to start the countdown of these 5 male WWE superstars who were an asset for WWE this 2018. These 5 WWE performers have raised the bar of putting on an excellent show, be it the main event or a RAW or SmackDown Live matchup.

#5 Seth Rollins

If there existed an emotional roller-coaster, Seth Rollins would have ridden it like a pro. The Architect has overcome every unexpected turn of events this year to end up as a crowd favourite who has a never give up attitude. Seth had a mega opening to 2018 with the Intercontinental Championship title win which was lost to Dolph Ziggler only to be regained at Summerslam.

The best performance for Seth has to be the one where the Shield is reunited against Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, and Dolph Ziggler. However, this joy was short lived as Roman Reigns left WWE temporarily to fight his battle against leukaemia. On the same night of Roman's exit, Dean Ambrose betrayed Seth moments after winning the Raw Tag Team Championship title.

Seth, however, didn't let that hold him down even though he lost his IC title to Dean. He is rumored to win the Royal Rumble and face Lesnar at WrestleMania 35.

#4 Braun Strowman

Strowman enjoyed toppling, throwing, and smashing heavy objects throughout 2018. His biggest match of the year was a triple threat match with the Beast Brock Lesnar and Kane as his opponents. After losing that match, he teamed up with a mystery partner Nicholas to win the RAW Tag Team Championship. The battle cry of "ROAR!" at the start of his entrance theme song is sufficient to scare the hell out of his opponents.

What followed at the Royal Rumble match was pure carnage as he eliminated a record 13 men to win the match. His victory run continued as he went on to win the Money in the Bank ladder match too. Unfortunately, Brock Lesnar played spoilsport when Strowman cashed in his money in the bank contract against Reigns for the Universal Championship. His year ended with a disappointing loss against Lesnar for the Universal Championship.

#3 AJ Styles

At the end of 2018, he unleashed the animal within by slapping the instigating WWE CEO Vince McMahon. With WWE universe backing AJ Styles, the face that runs the place is destined for greater things at the WWE. Come 2019, be prepared for a new AJ Styles.

The most hard working WWE performer of the year, AJ Styles, managed to defend his WWE Championship title in his 371 days reign before controversially losing to the new and evolved version of Daniel Bryan. By resorting to dirty tactic of kicking Styles in the groin, Daniel stole the Championship title away from the Phenomenal AJ Styles.

During his title reign, he was involved in many jaw-dropping storylines with opponents including Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, John Cena, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the most intriguing one was with Daniel Bryan.

#2 Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe came into the spotlight when he got personal with AJ Styles by taunting his family and kids week after week.

The sheer audacity of Samoa Joe to take on the likes of Brock Lesnar, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, and many others is what makes him special. The audience is starting to like Samoa Joe whenever he enters the WWE arena as they go "Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe!" in unison.

In 2019, nobody knows what can be expected from Samoa Joe. Will he shift his focus onto the current WWE Champion Daniel Bryan or will AJ Styles continue to get personally attacked? KeIn contrast to the Coquina Clutch that puts his opponents to sleep, his presence in the ring, outside the ring, and even on the big screen brings the audience alive each time. His initial days at WWE comprised of putting any random WWE superstar to sleep during an ongoing match.

#1 Daniel Bryan

The YES! movement helped WWE gain some much-needed momentum this year as Daniel Bryan revived his classic feud with The Miz. What followed was Daniel-Brie losing controversially to The Miz-Maryse at the Hell in a Cell match.

Apart from this, Daniel managed to surprise the audience by reuniting with his former tag team partner the Monster Kane. Unfortunately, victory escaped him yet again when Team Hell No lost against the Bludgeon Brothers in a Smackdown Tag Team title match.

Daniel was desperate to win and it came at the WWE Championship match versus AJ Styles, where a kick to the groin and a running kick did the job for him. As the new WWE Champion, the heel turn of Daniel Bryan has shocked the WWE Universe. With AJ Styles eager to regain his title and get revenge, wonder Daniel Bryan has in store for us in 2019!

Edited by Israel Lutete