Credit: WWE.com
Whether it was Mustafa Ali or Bianca Belair, WWE had a number of superstars either become fan favorites or excellent foils in 2018. Narrowing the list down to 10 was difficult, but here are this year’s biggest breakout candidates in wrestling’s most-viewed promotion.
With Raw, SmackDown Live, NXT UK, 205 Live, and NXT, WWE has five shows consistently pumping out excellent content on a weekly basis. With a talent roster exceeding 100 competitors, WWE certainly didn’t have a shortage of breakout candidates to choose from when creating this list of the top 10 breakout stars of 2018.
Baron Corbin, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, Drake Maverick, Lio Rush, and Zelina Vega all deserve shoutouts as a handful of honorable mentions who just missed the cut. But thanks to input from my friends on Twitter (shoutout to Corey Brewer for suggesting Elias and tj_siren for telling me to put on Bianca Belair), this list of 10 is tough to beat.
There is also a representative from each brand. 205 Live has two superstars, NXT has three, NXT UK has one, SmackDown has two, and Raw has two wrestlers on this list. That goes to show you just how well-rounded WWE’s talent roster is, and there will surely be even more breakout candidates in 2019. (My eyes are on Jinny, Dakota Kai, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, Travis Banks, Ligero, and Jordan Devlin on the NXT and NXT UK brands.)
10. Rhea Ripley, NXT UK
After a strong showing in the Mae Young Classic 2, in which she marched to the semifinals before losing to Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley became the first United Kingdom Women’s Champion after faring out better in the UK Women’s Championship tournament.
Ripley defeated Toni Storm, who won the Mae Young Classic 2 by defeating Shirai in the finals at Evolution, in the finals to join Pete Dunne as NXT UK’s singles champions.
Though Ripley first emerged on the scene in WWE at the inaugural Mae Young Classic, she saved her best work for Fall 2018. Ripley ripped through MJ Jenkins, future star Kacy Catanzaro, fan favorite Tegan Nox, the upstart Xia Brookside, the “Kingslayer” Dakota Kai, and the formidable Storm in both tournaments.
Impossibly tough and among the strongest wrestlers on the United Kingdom brand, Ripley is ushering in a new era of pain in women’s wrestling in WWE. With a Divyded song as her theme and a desire to spit on her opponents after tossing them aside with a “Riptide”, Ripley breaks the mold and looks poised for an exciting run as the first UK Women’s Champion in WWE.
Ripley’s heel work in the aftermath of Nox’s injury has been a textbook example of how to actually generate heat from an incident without crossing the line, which is something Sami Callihan and Nia Jax could probably learn from.
9. The Riott Squad, Raw
While Ruby Riott has been the main standout as the leader of Raw’s best faction (now that The Shield has disbanded), the entire squad needs to be on this list. Sarah Logan has immediately established herself as an above-average wrestler on the Raw brand and has room to grow as a character. Meanwhile, Liv Morgan is tough as hell, capable of making minute details worthy of a hearty laugh, and quietly becoming a force in the ring with her dramatic selling.
In short, as a collective, the Riott Squad are the total package, and WWE seems to trust them, Ruby specifically, a great deal.
Riott, of course, was always good, and anyone familiar with her work in NXT – or outside WWE has Heidi Lovelace – can attest to her in-ring prowess. She has the strikes, she has the submissions, and her matches just flow. Go watch her work with Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville, and Charlotte Flair at Fastlane for textbook examples of her ability.
But above all else, Riott, Morgan, and Logan are captivating characters who cut deep with their promos. They have been in some tough spots this year, given that they’ve had to repeatedly feud with Sasha Banks and Bayley, insult the memory of Jim Neidhart in Ruby’s rivalry with Natalya, and serve as Ronda Rousey’s prey.
These three women have shined with whatever’s asked of them, and while Ruby is the one with the spotlight on her in the bigger matches, Liv has gained momentum as a future champion.
8. Carmella, SmackDown Live
Thanks to the IIconics, Carmella became the first woman to successfully cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase, despite rumors that she’d be unable to pry the title away from Charlotte Flair. Her ensuing feuds with Charlotte and Asuka were forgettable inside of the ring, but her reign as a whole was memorable due to her work outside of the squared circle.
Carmella, who cut her teeth in the Performance Center before making her SmackDown Live debut as the very last pick in the 2016 WWE Draft, has always been “extra”. Her me-first attitude became quite clear during her under-appreciated feud with Nikki Bella, and she did a great job of keeping herself on television during her segments with valet [redacted].
As a champion, Carmella was almost universally despised, showing poise beyond her years in the wrestling business. Few have acquitted themselves as well as a heel champion, and Carmella could get fans riled up with basically anything she said or tweeted. Heck, she even got Jim Ross to make a comment about how Carmella went into business for herself, just based on some self-congratulating she did on a PPV post-show.
I mean, that’s an accomplishment even entrenched heels like The Miz haven’t been able to achieve.
And sure, it helped that fans didn’t like the way Carmella wrestled or that they were upset with how creative handled Asuka, but plenty of credit should go to ‘Mella for soaking up every minute of it.
As a babyface, she’s been fantastic, too, creating memorable segments on SmackDown Live and in the Mixed Match Challenge with R-Truth. Carmella is up there with the most versatile entertainers in wrestling.
7. Elias, Raw
Elias had built up so much momentum for himself prior to his segment with John Cena on Raw 25, but when he informed the 16-time champion that WWE stands for “Walk With Elias”, he truly put himself on the map as a star in WWE.
After spending months disparaging hometowns with his endearingly awful music and drawing the ire of heel announcer Corey Graves, Elias is everyone’s favorite traveling musician. He has his own album, some classic disses of Lio Rush, a few “L’s” at the hands of Braun Strowman, and a couple of busted guitars that I think he stole from John Mayer.
Few wrestlers on this list have captured the audience’s attention quite like Elias, who essentially forced himself into a babyface run despite basing his character almost entirely off of cheap heat. Only the visionaries – and I am not a member of this distinguished list of wrestling fans – foresaw Elias’s meteoric rise when he was in NXT, but the Pittsburgh native has locked himself in as a future Intercontinental Champion in 2019.
In the ring, Elias still needs work, but he’s visibly improved, as evidenced by a fantastic Pay Per View match with 2018 men’s MVP Seth Rollins.
6. Bianca Belair, NXT
It took long enough for the first NXT superstar to appear on this list, but it isn’t a surprise to hardcore wrestling fans that two representatives of the “Third Brand” will find themselves inside the top five later.
Bianca Belair has more main roster potential than anyone on the NXT roster – with the possible exceptions of Matt Riddle, Velveteen Dream, and EC3 – because her gimmick is foolproof. Despite only starting in WWE at the Mae Young Classic in 2017, Belair already has a character with more layers than The Miz’s baby shower cake (sorry, I have to reference the best reality TV show in history whenever possible…it may or may not be a contractual obligation).
When Belair cuts a promo backstage or confronts another NXT superstar, you can feel the animosity radiate from your screen. Belair holds her head high and looks at others with pure disdain, simply because they aren’t anywhere near her level. It is an insult, in fact, for them to even attempt to breath in her air or stand in the space where her aura glows.
Whether she’s power-cleaning a hapless superstar, running circles around wrestlers with more experience than her, or telling off William Regal for his ineptitude (like how do you not book an Un-De-Feat-Ed superstar in a title match?), Belair is putting herself one step closer to placing NXT in the palm of her hand.
5. Buddy Murphy, 205 Live
Buddy Murphy’s Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line at TLC when he faces Cedric Alexander in a rematch, as Murphy defeated Alexander in a memorable, show-stealing contest at Super Show-Down in Murphy’s hometown of Melbourne, Australia.
Regardless of the outcome at TLC, Murphy clearly earns a spot on this list and has been neck-and-neck with Alexander and Mustafa Ali has the MVP of 205 Live. The argument can be made that only Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins have been better than Murphy in 2018 among main roster superstars.
Able to adjust to any style on the fly, Murphy has indeed been “The Juggernaut” on 205 Live and a menace to defeat in one-on-one competition. He carries himself with the confidence of a man who knows he’s more powerful and explosive than everyone else. Murphy has beaten the best of the best on 205, and while it seems like Ali’s had his number, Murphy is the one walking around as the champion and did vanquish “The Heart’s” challenge at Survivor Series.
Murphy has done yeoman’s work in trying to get 205 on the map, and it’s remarkable that NXT failed to take advantage of a man with his talent. An underrated promo whose in-ring skills are simply off-the-charts, any of Murphy’s matches with Kalisto, Alexander, and Ali are worth watching over and over again.
4. Shayna Baszler, NXT
The NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler has become the force to be reckoned with on WWE’s “Black and Yellow” brand. Baszler first caught the eyes of WWE fans in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, but she didn’t blossom into a true star in NXT until her underrated feud with Ember Moon.
By the time she passed out Moon in the center of the ring, Baszler had established herself as a standout character, doing her best to rule NXT with an iron fist, inspiring fear in the hearts of the other women of the roster. She bullied Dakota Kai, attempted to the same to Candice LeRae, and eventually ran into her equal in Kairi Sane.
Baszler’s rivalry with Sane will go down in history as one of the best women’s feuds in WWE history, even if some fans were critical of the TakeOver: WarGames 2 match. Everything else these two did was splendid, specifically the story-telling leading up to TakeOver: Brooklyn IV and the phenomenal match itself.
With Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir by her side, Baszler’s terrifying reign as NXT Women’s Champion will continue, and her ceiling as a character is impossible to spot, given the potential this heel faction has. The Undisputed Era has been a boon to NXT since their debut, but there’s something special about Baszler/Duke/Shafir that could push them over the top.
In the ring, Baszler is painfully slick, and her attitude outside of the ropes is just as cutthroat. Baszler is a future Raw Women’s Champion and everything the WWE hopes Ronda Rousey (the comparisons are inevitable, as is their feud) eventually becomes as a character and story-teller.
3. Mustafa Ali, 205 Live
Though Mustafa Ali showed his talent in 2017 and has always looked like a future star, including in his rivalry with Drew Gulak, 2018 was truly his year. Ali has done everything possible to promote both his character and 205 Live, and he’s become WWE’s most easy-to-root-for pure babyface.
In the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, Ali wrestled standout matches with Buddy Murphy, Drew Gulak, and Cedric Alexander from the quarterfinals to the finals, showing WWE fans that he is among the best 10 wrestlers in this company. Each of his match had a unique flavor, and while he does tend to overuse 10-counts, that’s a minor quibble in the face of his creative matches that feature agonizing babyface story-telling.
Ali gets you to pin your hopes and dreams on him, and he’s one of the most legitimately inspiring wrestlers as a former Chicago police officer who is living out his dreams in pro wrestling. And as a Persian who looks like Ali, who is of Pakistani descent, it means a lot to see Ali as a babyface who has the full support of the WWE Universe.
Even Mojo Rawley can’t touch Ali’s social media promos, which focus on topics like “fear” and “dead ends”. Ali’s messages of unity, perseverance, and love are a binding force, and we need more of this meaningful positivity in a sport where vapid entertainment often replaces purposeful content. In every possible way, Ali is a man who is here to revolutionize pro wrestling.
(Oh, and his No DQ match with Murphy and Falls Count Anywhere match with Hideo Itami might be 205’s best matches this year.)
2. Velveteen Dream, NXT
The Velveteen Dream first exploded on the scene at NXT TakeOver: WarGames in 2017, earning the respect of Aleister Black after receiving those poetic words: “Enjoy infamy, Velveteen Dream.”
Of course, The Dream has become more than infamous in 2018, as he’s supplanted Johnny Gargano as NXT’s top babyface. When he took on Tommaso Ciampa for the prestigious NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver WarGames 2 a year after his “Feud of the Year” match with Black, the entire NXT Universe vociferously backed Dream against WWE’s most odious heel.
Every nail-biting nearfall left fans breathless and pissed, baffled at how Dream was unable to put down Ciampa – or simply relieved that the beloved superstar had managed to keep the dream alive with a desperate kick-out.
In the end, a DDT on the steel grates in between the two rings spelled doom for The Velveteen Dream, but it was another gutsy performance from one of NXT’s most accomplished in-ring performers.
Just 23, The Dream already has more talent than most wrestlers on the planet could only hope to achieve. He’s just naturally engaging, confident, and aware of what works in the ring. Dream knows his strengths, he knows his limitations (noting that there are very few of those), and he’s quite clearly WWE’s next big star. John Cena, Kurt Angle, and pretty much every established name in the industry understands his talent. He has an almost innate understanding of the fine details that others needed decades to even identify.
1. Becky Lynch, SmackDown Live
Was there ever any doubt?
For as impressive as all of the wrestlers on this list have been, especially the likes of the Velveteen Dream, nobody can hold a candle to the impact Becky Lynch has had over the past four months. Becky, of course, has been fantastic throughout 2018, including as a standout at the Royal Rumble and as a consistent top-tier performer on SmackDown Live.
Lynch has long been a superstar capable of carrying a championship, but 2018 was her year to emerge as the top star in WWE. Prior to betraying Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam, Becky was busy cutting her usual heartfelt promos that captured the spirit of athletic competition better than anyone else in the company, but, of course, we all knew she was capable of so much more.
Though Lynch could lose the SmackDown Women’s Championship at TLC in order to set up a Royal Rumble win and a WrestleMania 35 match against Ronda Rousey, she has undoubtedly made that championship the most important in WWE.
Becky understands how to create genuine interest in a program through snappy social media disses, GIF-able facial expressions, and unfiltered bad-assery. Unlike other wrestlers, Becky understands that you actually have to be interesting instead of whining in interviews or on Twitter about how “hard” you work. Everyone works hard (especially Becky), but those soundbites don’t sell out Royal Rumble Axxess.
An excellent wrestler when the bell rings and “The Man” after the match is over, Becky is WWE’s biggest breakout star since Daniel Bryan. Hell, she’s on her way to transcending Bryan in cultural impact, and it’s up to every single fan in WWE to make sure she carries the momentum into creating lasting change in WWE.
Because as we all know, she is more than capable of being “The Man” on the front of every PPV poster in 2019.