Here is a list of the best WWE matches of 2018 according to Dave Meltzer’s ratings. Meltzer rates matches on a 5-star scale in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscribe here). These matches have received a 4.25-star rating or above in 2018. It is important to remember that this is only Meltzer’s opinion. If a match was rated higher for you, there is nothing wrong with that!
Best WWE Matches Of 2018 According To Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings
Honorable Mentions. These matches all received 4.00 stars:
- Tyler Bate vs Roderick Strong – NXT (January 31st, 2018)
- Cedric Alexander vs Roderick Strong – 205 Live (March 13th, 2018)
- Buddy Murphy vs Kalisto – 205 Live (April 3rd, 2018)
- Charlotte Flair vs Asuka – Wrestlemania 34
- Buddy Murphy vs Mustafa Ali – 205 Live (May 8th, 2018)
- Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – WWE Money in the Bank 2018
- AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Money in the Bank 2018
- AJ Styles vs Rusev – WWE Extreme Rules 2018
- The New Day vs The Bar – Smackdown Live (August 7th, 2018)
- Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik vs. Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese – 205 Live (August 21st, 2018)
- Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens – Monday Night RAW (August 27th, 2018)
- AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe – WWE Hell In A Cell 2018
- AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan – Smackdown Live (November 13th, 2018)
- Buddy Murphy vs Mustafa Ali – WWE Survivor Series 2018
Aleister Black vs Adam Cole – NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Aleister Black and Adam Cole faced off in an Extreme Rules match at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia. This match was a lot of fun to watch but must have been brutal on their bodies. Both guys took a lot of big bumps. I thought that it was a great example of a what an Extreme Rules match can be in the current ‘PG’ environment.
This is a match that got overshadowed by what happened in the main event (Johnny Gargano vs Andrade Almas). Still though, a really enjoyable match.
AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs John Cena – WWE Fastlane 2018
Rating: 4.25 Stars
The main event of Fastlane was the 6-pack challenge for the WWE Championship. Fastlane is typically viewed as a throwaway PPV before Wrestlemania but this match turned out to be pretty fun. There were some fun moments and some good storytelling involved. This included Shane McMahon constantly interrupting Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to continue their feud. It also told the story of John Cena trying to get on the Wrestlemania card and if we were going to get the Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura dream match.
Overall a solid match that Meltzer gave 4.25 stars to.
Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor – Monday Night RAW (April 2nd, 2018)
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Meltzer doesn’t often rate matches from RAW or Smackdown Live. Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor on the April 2nd edition of RAW is an exception. This was a really fun match between two guys who have a lot of chemistry in the ring. It is not easy to put on a great match on weekly television since there are commercial breaks and time restrictions. Both guys deserve a lot of credit for keeping fans invested and putting on a show.
One of the best WWE television matches of the past few years.
Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas vs Aleister Black – NXT Takeover: New Orleans
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Andrade Almas and Aleister Black faced off for the NXT Championship in New Orleans. This was a really good match. There was some nice storytelling with Zelina Vega constantly getting involved and ultimately costing Almas the Title.
This match ended up getting overshadowed by TWO other matches on the card. Still, a really fun match in its own right.
Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs Stephanie McMahon and Triple H – Wrestlemania 34
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Ronda Rousey had a ton of pressure on her in her pro-wrestling debut and she delivered. This was arguably the best match of the entire Wrestlemania 34 card. Tons of great storytelling involved between all four participants. I don’t think that it could have gone any better for Ronda in her first match.
This was Meltzer’s highest-rated match of Wrestlemania 34. Charlotte vs Asuka received a 4-star rating.
Seth Rollins vs. The Miz – WWE Backlash 2018
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Seth Rollins and the Miz faced off at Backlash for the Intercontinental Championship. Backlash was an event that didn’t have a lot of great moments but this match was the exception. Rollins and the Miz put on a really fun match.
This was Meltzer’s highest-rated match of Backlash (see his full ratings from the event here).
Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT Takeover: Chicago
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Ricochet faced off against Velveteen Dream at NXT Takeover: Chicago. This was the second match of the night and had the tough task of following the excellent Tag Team Title match that kicked off the show. Dream and Ricochet were able to put on a solid match and kept the show rolling.
Ricochet picked up the win in what ended up being a fun match.
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor vs Bobby Roode vs Kevin Owens vs the Miz vs Samoa Joe vs Kofi Kingston vs Rusev) – WWE Money In The Bank 2018
Rating: 4.25 Stars
The Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match took place in the main event of the Money in the Bank PPV. The event saw Braun Strowman outlast everyone to win the briefcase.
Money in the Bank ladder matches are usually entertaining and this match was no different. Meltzer gave it 4.25 stars. For those wondering, the Women’s ladder match received 4 stars.
Pete Dunne vs. Zack Gibson – WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament 2018 (DAY 2)
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Zack Gibson won the 2018 WWE UK Championship Tournament on day 1. On day 2, he faced off against Pete Dunne for the WWE United Kingdom Championship in the main event.
Dunne would retain the Title but this was a fun match
Undisputed Era vs Mustache Mountain and Ricochet – NXT (June 26th, 2018)
Rating: 4.25 Stars
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly) faced off against Ricochet and Mustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven). This happened on the June 26th, 2018 episode of NXT.
The Undisputed Era would pick up the win in a fun match.
AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe – WWE Summerslam 2018
Rating: 4.25 Stars
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe faced off for the WWE Championship at Summerslam. The match saw Joe make things very personal between the two, including saying “who’s your daddy” to Styles’ wife and daughter in the crowd.
Styles would end up getting himself disqualified after using a chair on Joe. As a result, he retained the Title.
Buddy Murphy vs Kalisto – 205 Live (August 28th, 2018)
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Buddy Murphy and Kalisto faced off on the August 28th episode of 205 Live. This turned out to be a fun match, with Murphy winning.
AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe – WWE Super Show-Down
Rating: 4.25 Stars
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe faced off at the WWE Super Show-Down event in Australia. This was for Styles’ WWE Championship. Styles ended up retaining via submission.
This match went for just over 23 minutes.
Buddy Murphy vs Cedric Alexander – WWE Super Show-Down
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Buddy Murphy challenged Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship at WWE Super Show-Down. The match received only 10 minutes but they made the most of it.
Murphy won the Title in his home country of Australia.
Toni Storm vs Meiko Satomura – WWE Mae Young Classic (Episode 8)
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Toni Storm and Meiko Satomura faced off in the semi-finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic. This was arguably the best match of the entire tournament.
Storm won the match to advance to the finals. She would go on to win the entire tournament.
Pete Dunne, Ricochet, and War Raiders (Hanson and Ray Rowe) vs The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong) – NXT Takeover: War Games II
Rating: 4.25 Stars
NXT Takeover: War Games II featured a massive 8-man War Games match. The match went for over 45 minutes with plenty of big moments and moves throughout.
Dunne, Ricochet, and the War Raiders went on to win.
Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair – WWE Survivor Series 2018
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey faced off at Survivor Series. This was a late change after Becky Lynch had to be pulled from the card due to injury.
The match saw Charlotte Flair turn heel and put a vicious beat down on Ronda.
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT Takeover: Chicago
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan made quite the name for themselves at NXT Takeover: Chicago. They didn’t win the NXT Tag Team Titles but put on an impressive showing on the biggest stage of their careers.
This was a fun match and opened the Takeover: Chicago event with a bang.
Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano – NXT Takeover: Chicago
Rating: 4.5 Stars
The main event of Takeover: Chicago was the street fight between Ciampa and Gargano. These two put on a brutal match against one another which ended with Ciampa coming out on top.
This rating may come as a surprise since some fans thought it was on par with their previous clash in New Orleans. Still a really awesome match.
British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate) vs. The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong) – WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament 2018 (DAY 1)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
On day 1 of the WWE United Kingdom Championship, fans got to see a pretty great 6-man tag team match. British Strong Style took on the Undisputed Era. This turned out to be a lot of fun and the most memorable match of day 1 (and arguably both days).
A great example of how good 6-man tag team matches can be.
Buddy Murphy vs Mustafa Ali – 205 Live (July 3rd, 2018)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali faced off on the July 3rd, 2018 episode of 205 Live in a no disqualification match. If you are someone who skips 205 Live, this is one match that you should give a chance.
Mustafa Ali picked up the win after a really fun match.
Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) faced off against the Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong) in the opening match of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4. These two teams delivered with another fun match between them.
The Undisputed Era retained the Titles. It was a great match to kick off the show.
Adam Cole vs Ricochet – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Adam Cole and Ricochet faced off at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4 for the North American Championship. The match included some fun moments, including Cole superkicking Ricochet while he was in the middle of a moonsault.
Ricochet picked up the win to become the new North American Champion.
Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Rating: 4.5 Stars
The main event of Takeover: Brooklyn 4 was the Last Man Standing match between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. This was for the NXT Championship. As expected, these two put on another great match.
Ciampa ended up winning the match to retain the Title.
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre – WWE Hell In A Cell
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Seth and Dean challenged Dolph and Drew for the RAW Tag Team Championships at Hell in a Cell. This turned out to be a fun tag team match between all four men. Ziggler and McIntyre ended up retaining the Titles.
Meltzer liked it enough to give it 4.5 stars.
Pete Dunne vs Ricochet – NXT (September 19th, 2018)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pete Dunne and Ricochet faced off in a Champion vs Champion match on the September 19th, 2018 episode of NXT. Dunne was the WWE UK Champion, while Ricochet was the NXT North American Champion.
The match ended in a no contest after interference from the Undisputed Era.
Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan – WWE Survivor Series 2018
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar faced off at Survivor Series in a Champion vs Champion match. The match saw Lesnar dominate the opening several minutes, hitting multiple suplexes.
Bryan eventually came back and made it into a competitive match. Brock went on to hit the F5 for the win.
Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair vs Asuka – WWE TLC 2018
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka faced off in the first-ever Women’s TLC match. This was for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
Asuka won the Title after Ronda Rousey interfered and pushed both Charlotte and Becky off the ladder.
Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch – WWE Evolution
Rating: 4.75 Stars
Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch faced off in a Last Woman Standing match at WWE Evolution. This was for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
The match had a lot of hype and delivered. Becky went on to win in a really fun match.
Johnny Gargano vs Aleister Black – NXT Takeover: War Games II
Rating: 4.75 Stars
Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black faced off at NXT Takeover: War Games II. This match was made after it was revealed that Gargano was Black’s mystery attacker from months prior.
Black and Gargano put on a really fun match. Black ended up winning after about 18 minutes.
Tommaso Ciampa vs Velveteen Dream – NXT Takeover: War Games II
Rating: 4.75 Stars
The NXT Championship match at NXT Takeover: War Games II was between Tommaso Ciampa and Velveteen Dream.
This ended up being a really great match with Ciampa retaining in the end.
Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles – WWE TLC 2018
Rating: 4.75 Stars
Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles faced off for the WWE Championship at the 2018 edition of TLC.
This turned out to be a really good match. Bryan was able to roll-up Styles to retain the Title.
Johnny Gargano vs Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas – NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Rating: 5 Stars
Johnny Gargano and Andrade Almas wrestled for the NXT Championship in Philadelphia. They put on one heck of a match against one another. The storytelling was fantastic and the wrestling was top-notch. Easily one of the best matches in NXT history.
This was the first WWE match to receive 5-stars from Meltzer since CM Punk vs John Cena in 2011.
Adam Cole vs EC3 vs Killian Dain vs Lars Sullivan vs Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream – NXT Takeover New Orleans
Rating: 5 Stars
A 6-way ladder match happened in New Orleans to determine the inaugural NXT North American Champion. The match was wild from start to finish. It featured plenty of fun and high-risk moments. A very enjoyable ladder match from start to finish.
It received a 5-star rating from Meltzer and I think many fans would agree that it was one of the best of the year.
Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa – NXT Takeover New Orleans (Unsanctioned Match)
Rating: 5 Stars
Johnny Gargano followed up his 5-star match at Takeover: Philadelphia with another classic against Tommaso Ciampa. This was a grudge match that had been building for over a year and boy did it ever deliver. The wrestling was great and the storytelling was even better. An emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
Pretty incredible that two matches received 5-stars on the same show. This one will likely be involved in the conversation of best NXT matches ever.
Tyler Bate and Trent Seven vs Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly – NXT (July 11, 2018)
Rating: 5 Stars
Moustache Mountain vs the Undisputed Era took place on the July 11th, 2018 episode and it was a lot of fun. The match ended after Tyler Bate had to throw in the towel for his partner.
This becomes the first and only 5 star match that came from a weekly episode of NXT. It is also the first WWE tag team match to ever receive the rating.
We will be updating this page throughout the year so make sure to check back!
READ NEXT: THE 10 WORST MATCHES IN WWE HISTORY ACCORDING TO DAVE MELTZER
More Meltzer Star Ratings:
- List Of All The 5 Star Matches In WWE History
- Hell in a Cell 2018 Ratings
- NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4 Ratings
- Summerslam 2018 Ratings
What do you think of the best WWE Matches Of 2018 list according to Meltzer? Do you disagree with him on some?