WWE: Ranking The Top Five 205 Live Matches Of 2018

2. Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy, WWE Super Show-Down

Undoubtedly one of the feel-good moments of 2018 in WWE, Buddy Murphy’s Cruiserweight Title victory in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia was also one of the best main roster matches of the year. He and Cedric Alexander more than stole the show in one of WWE’s three overseas Pay Per Views in 2018 (and the only not-horrible one of those), taking full advantage of the crowd’s intense emotional investment in the drama unfolding before their eyes.

Alexander never lost a match in 2018, defeating challenger after challenger, whether it was Mustafa Ali, Drew Gulak, or the aforementioned Roderick Strong. He also successfully defeated Murphy in a feud earlier this year, as Murphy was his first opponent for the Cruiserweight Championship back in the spring/summer.

But Murphy got his revenge in Melbourne, and the moment when he kicked out of the Lumbar Check should go down as one of the single greatest moments of 2018. Nobody had ever kicked out of the Lumbar Check before, so when Murphy did so, a deflated Melbourne crowd quickly changed its tune from despondence to bewilderment and finally to jubilation. They immediately understood the significance of Murphy’s resiliency, fueled by his desire to win a prestigious title in front of his family.

And Murphy did the damn thing, hitting Alexander with his equally deadly Murphy’s Law finisher to grab his first singles title in WWE. It was an awesome moment, made all the better by Alexander acknowledging his shock at the crowd being in Murphy’s favor for a change. This match showed the WWE Universe that the Cruiserweight Championship is one of the most important titles in the company, and the title has been on every Pay Per View since, including main card matches involving Murphy at Survivor Series and TLC.