Ranking the Top Contenders for 2018 WWE Superstar of the Year Right Now
Over half of 2018 is in the bag and many wrestlers have already carved their names in the history books.
Some have achieved this through incredible performances, others through championship records or overall quality of work over the past seven months.
These men and women have fought hard to make a name for themselves. In doing so, they are firmly in the running to be called potential picks for Superstar of the Year when 2018 is all said and done.
As we reflect back on some of the standout talent who have reached this level of success, let's discuss the special feats they've accomplished and why they were chosen for this shortlist.
Honorable Mentions
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Before getting into the top few, it's important to acknowledge those who are scratching the surface to make the cut, because they have the possibility to step up their games and overtake one of the spots.
Given a run of good luck and great performances, several other names could be in the running, as they've also had an impressive year in their own right.
One of those is AJ Styles, who has been WWE champion since last year, cementing his status as a bona fide top guy in the company.
The downside to his title reign, though, has been the elongated feud with Shinsuke Nakamura, which overstayed its welcome and sucked up valuable months that could have been utilized having better matches with more interesting people.
Still, Nakamura is on the cusp for having won the Royal Rumble, improving since his heel turn and winning the United States Championship. What he does with that title over the next few months should determine whether he has a shot for consideration on this list.
In terms of popularity, Ronda Rousey and Daniel Bryan are obviously among the highest ranked and have been pushed accordingly with featured roles at WrestleMania and onward.
However, Rousey has only had two matches. It's hard to call her the best Superstar of the year with such little information to go on, as her promos haven't been stupendous and her other segments have been decent, but not awe-inspiring.
Her clout will assuredly improve over the next few weeks when she adds two more matches to her career and wins the Raw Women's Championship from Alexa Bliss.
Bryan has shown that he hasn't lost his edge, nor have his skills diminished, but he's yet to really accomplish anything noteworthy beyond his return.
WWE has shown a reasonable hesitance to put a championship on him due to his contract status and the unknowns of his injuries resurfacing, so he simply hasn't been the absolute primary focal point.
He'll be in a better position for this list by the end of the year after his feud with The Miz, who is also someone worth talking about for an honorable mention.
The Miz consistently proves how valuable he is to WWE not just as a performer both in the ring and on the mic, but because of his outside endeavors.
This year, he added the Miz & Mrs show to his repertoire, which massively boosts his stock.
His help in making the Intercontinental Championship credible again do not go unnoticed, nor do his efforts to sell every feud he's involved in like it's the most must-see storyline currently going on.
Keep your eyes on these names, as the next few months could make or break their status as contenders for Superstar of the year.
5. Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali (tie)
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For some reason, there aren't as many viewers for 205 Live as there should be, as those who skip the program are missing out on perhaps the most bankable in-ring action every week.
Nearly everybody on the brand is consistently putting on a great show each and every episode, but there are two men who have managed to even surpass their fellow roster members: Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali.
In a way, this should be no surprise, as the two were chosen to fight for the Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania 34, having gone through a tournament to obtain that title shot.
WWE typically goes with a babyface against a heel, but went with two faces in this case likely due to the assurance that they would put on the best match to showcase the division's talent.
They did that and more, as both have been having absolutely stellar matches no matter who they're up against, so much so that it has started to feel like a true attraction to be able to watch them perform.
Both make the fifth spot on this list in a tie because it's almost impossible to pick between the champion of the brand who doesn't show up as often, or the runner-up who has proven himself worthy of being the next in line for that title, considering their skills are so evenly matched.
Has Buddy Murphy ever looked as good as when he's standing in the ring opposite Ali or Alexander? These two even managed to get the best out of Hideo Itami, who has failed to live up to expectations for the entirety of his WWE career.
While they aren't the most glamorous on this list, nor the most popular, Ali and Alexander absolutely should be given more credit and be in contention for the best Superstar of the year due to their constant attempts to improve not only their own games, but their division and program as well.
If they keep up the job, they'll do just that.
4. Alexa Bliss
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While Ronda Rousey has been WWE's primary focal point from the marketing side of things, the actual storylines and week-to-week programming has revolved more around Alexa Bliss than any other woman in WWE.
Equipped with the best mic skills out of any woman in the company today, her ability to captivate the audience with her promos allows her to push feuds along and keep the Raw Women's Championship in focus better than any other.
When the belt was on Nia Jax for her short stint, the championship felt stagnant and the solution was to have Bliss swoop in, win the title back and restore the status quo as the top of the food chain and primary focal point.
Without her pulling the strings, that feud with Jax at WrestleMania would have been a dud. Like everything else that she's involved in, it was entirely up to Bliss to sell the feud and do the heavy lifting for building the story by coming across mean enough to believably draw heat.
Since she's proven herself so much more capable at this job than most of her contemporaries, she's almost become the default option for champion whether WWE has a goal in mind to execute or not.
Currently, she was chosen as the go-to woman to likely put over Rousey at SummerSlam, entrusted with taking charge of the promos and actions which make up this feud, just as always.
Even when she does drop the title, it's safe to bet she'll remain a focal point and have the responsibility and reward of a high-profile role at Evolution in October, as well as on Team Raw for Survivor Series, possibly as the captain of the squad.
For nearly her entire main roster run, she has rarely been forced to step aside as others take priority, and that is due to how valuable of a performer she always is, with this year clearly being no different.
3. Braun Strowman
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Is there anybody on the roster right now who elicits the same response as Braun Strowman?
Every time he comes out, the audience—no matter where WWE is—busts out with joy and anticipation of what he's going to do.
When he's being funny, the crowd eats it up and laughs, instead of there being a sea of people rolling their eyes.
When he's being brutal, he takes out his competition like no other, really projecting his massive strength to unbelievable levels.
His popularity continues to grow, and with those advancements, WWE gives him more and more accolades to add to his list of accomplishments.
This year, he eliminated all but one person in the Elimination Chamber, won the Greatest Royal Rumble, single-handedly captured the Raw Tag Team Championship alongside a 10-year-old and managed to win the Money in the Bank contract, which could earn him the Universal Championship at any time.
That is quite the impressive year for anybody, and there's a chance the Monster Among Men is only just getting started.
2. Seth Rollins
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If the biggest factor in determining the Superstar of the year was in-ring performance, nobody on the main roster has been able to put on a show like Seth Rollins.
The beginning of the year was a rough start for him as his tag team with Jason Jordan floundered and failed, but on February 19, Rollins broke the record for the longest performance by a wrestler in Monday Night Raw history.
Since then, Rollins has been granted multiple opportunities to showcase how great he is between the ropes and was given a run with the Intercontinental Championship as a reward for his efforts.
This also led to a rather historic feat where he and Dolph Ziggler main-evented Extreme Rules with that title on the line, which is the first time the Intercontinental Championship has headlined a pay-per-view since SummerSlam 1992.
Because of this track record of being one of the most reliable performers today, Rollins has reaffirmed his status as one of the most popular Superstars on the roster, as evidenced by the massive reactions he gets from every crowd.
He's one of the few people who is always cheered, sometimes even more than Strowman or anybody else on the card.
It's hard to top being one of the most popular and best wrestlers in the company who managed to help rebuild a title's legacy, but there's still one person who can be ranked higher than Rollins on this list.
1. Johnny Gargano
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Much like Alexander and Ali have dominated the discussion for 205 Live and Bliss has remained the top of the women's division, Johnny Gargano has firmly become the face of NXT this year.
Not only has he been the most popular person on the brand, he's also matched or even eclipsed Rollins in terms of in-ring quality, putting on multiple match of the year candidates against Andrade "Cien" Almas and Tommaso Ciampa.
That feud with Ciampa is easily one of the top choices for the best feud of the year not just in NXT, but WWE in its entirety.
It's interesting to look back over the past few months and notice just how much Gargano's stellar performances have overshadowed Aleister Black's title reign from start to finish.
Despite being champion, Black didn't main event a single TakeOver, while Gargano has been in the headline match for all three shows.
Gargano has managed to become the next incarnation of Daniel Bryan's status as the underdog with immense fan support, popularity, trustworthiness for amazing ring work, reliability as the figurehead of a brand and someone to look forward to seeing the future of.
This year, Gargano went from being someone on the bubble to the guy who popped it.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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