7: Dolph Ziggler
After a ridiculous end to 2017, Dolph Ziggler has had one of the best years of his career in 2018, putting on exceptional matches week in, week out, and re-establishing himself as one of the most dependable guys on the entire WWE roster.
His work with Seth Rollins throughout 2018 has been excellent, and his tag-team work with McIntyre against Ambrose and Rollins provided some of the best tag-team action of 2018.
Ziggler’s recent face turn and the fact that he is now split up with Drew McIntyre will probably mean that he will sink back into obscurity into 2019, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that these last 12 months have been awesome for him.
6: Becky Lynch
To say Becky Lynch has had an exceptional end to 2018 would be an understatement. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion has ripped up the rule book in recent months, and firmly established herself as not only the top female in the WWE, but the top WWE superstar in general.
After a forgettable first eight months to the year, Lynch has gone on to prove herself as one of the hottest performers in the entire wrestling industry in the last four months, putting on exceptional matches week in, week out and presumably booking herself a spot in the main event of WrestleMania 35.
In short, if Becky Lynch isn’t number one on this list next year, then something has gone seriously wrong.
5: Charlotte Flair
While putting Charlotte Flair above Becky Lynch may seem like a controversial choice, it’s important to remember that Lynch didn’t really begin to take off until the final third of 2018, while Charlotte has been sat at the top for the majority of the year.
Every PPV Charlotte has performed on she has shone, including her earlier matches against the likes of Ruby Riott and Asuka.
While a fan backlash was inevitable at some point, she has continued to prove herself in the ring, putting on a series of exceptional matches on the last few PPVs of the year, with her work with Becky Lynch always being a stand-out.
4: Buddy Murphy
12 months ago, Buddy Murphy was considered to be nothing more than a tag-team jobber down in NXT. Since making his debut on 205 Live though, he has gone on to become one of the most consistent performers in all of the WWE.
His matches with the likes of Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander have been nothing short of exceptional, and he continues to shine whenever he is given the opportunity on a PPV. Hopefully, he can continue to help 205 Live and the Cruiserweight division, in general, grow throughout 2019 as well.
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Originally published December 18, 2018. Updated December 19, 2018.
