Top Ten WWE Superstars of 2018: Part One

As we approach the last few weeks of “end of the year” season here on my blog it’s time to look at some of the overall standout stars of twenty eighteen. Throughout the month we have counted down the best NXT and women’s division stars but over the next couple of weeks I’m going to be listing ten of the overall standout talents of the entire year; this includes names from all division, 205LIVE, and NXT. Now, I did find it extremely difficult to keep this list to a minimum of ten names and so I do want to mention a few special talents that didn’t quite make the list but came very very close. Dean Ambrose, Cedric Alexander, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, and Charlotte Flair are amongst those who I massively considered including in the top ten. Okay, so with one long ass intro done let’s dive into today’s blog post!

Buddy Murphy

Kick-starting my top ten WWE superstars of the year is the current Cruiserweight champion, Buddy Murphy. Making the jump from NXT to the cruiserweight division was a journey fans got to witness in a unique and special way as the Kiwi star was forced to drop a few pounds to be able to compete for the division. The story of him dropping down to two hundred and five pounds and the backstage segments and promos that went along with it made for a special storyline over on 205LIVE. Very quickly Murphy and his character became an important part of the show and on a near weekly basis was competing in standout matches not only from the division but of the entire year in the world of pro wrestling. Later in the year, Buddy went on to score the biggest victory of his career winning the Cruiserweight championship in another epic matchup in his hometown. The quality of his consistently strong bouts, his story and journey have all added to why Buddy Murphy has been one of the biggest and best WWE stars of twenty eighteen.

Pete Dunne

I promise we will jump into main roster stars very soon but for now, we are focusing on WWE network special stars as current WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne is up next. Throughout twenty eighteen Dunne has been a standout star yet again. From his singles championship match against Zack Gibson at the Royal Albert Hall to several other title defenses including one of the greatest matches of the year against Ricochet in the fall. He’s also partaken in an epic must triple threat again involving Ricochet and year-long rival Adam Cole. His character has remained equally as strong and with a babyface role now something he works over on NXT Dunne has made an easy transition. He’s the leading face of NXT UK, competed for Takeover events, and has become a regular and important figure for weekly episodes of both UK shows and NXT.

AJ Styles

Up next we move over to Smackdown LIVE where there is simply one man who has been stealing the show, the face that runs the place, AJ Styles. A historic WWE championship reign, an array of must-see matches, and a standout rivalry with Samoa Joe, Styles has remained one of the most consistent stars on the blue brand and in the WWE as a whole. Now, I will admit that I have at times failed to remain as interested in Styles reign but overall, he has been the most important figure over on Tuesday nights. The likes of Rusev, Daniel Bryan, Soma Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura have made for excellent opponents for Styles throughout the year and with momentum and popularity not shifting he, of course, had to feature in today’s blog post.

Mustafa Ali

Originally when I was writing this list Mustafa Ali wasn't a name I was going to include but looking back at the past year properly its clear that the 205LIVE star has been one of the most consistent, exciting and entertaining superstars to watch. Regularly competing in standout matches on weekly episodes of 205LIVE he has become a standout of the cruiserweight division. Whether it be tag team action or singles bouts against the likes of Buddy Murphy or Cedric Alexander to name a few Ali has nailed it and stood out massively! A call-up to a permenant spot on Smackdown LIVE shows massively how far Mustafa has come and with already standout performances against Daniel Bryan and collisions with Andrade Cien Almas as well as a pinfal victory over the WWE Champion Mustafa Ali is turning heads and has a very exciting year ahead!

Adam Cole

And finally, finishing off part one of my top five WWE superstars of the year yet another NXT star in Adam Cole. In a year he has taken The Undisputed Era to new heights, become the first-ever North American Champion, competed in an array of standout matches, and taken part in some truly epic storylines. Cole is one of the biggest, most popular, must see, and important figures on the NXT roster and with his momentum only growing the next year is sure to be even stronger especially with a main roster call-up in his horizon.

And that is part one of my top ten WWE superstars of the year. There were of course so many other names I wanted to include as I mentioned in the intro of this post but you can see who made the top five next week so make sure to join me back here!

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