WWE Tribute to the Troops 2018 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights

WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops show is a special event meant to serve as a thank you to the men and women of the U.S. armed forces.

This year's event was filmed in Fort Hood, Texas, on December 4, so certain storyline developments from TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs hadn't happened when it took place, but the commentary team did acknowledge a few things in vague ways.

This once-a-year special focuses more on giving thanks than anything else, so we didn't have to sit through endless promos and arguments.

We were treated to four matches featuring some of the biggest names in the company, including a tag team match with stars from Raw and SmackDown teaming up to take on their respective rivals.

Let's take a look at everything that happened on this year's Tribute to the Troops. 

The Riott Squad vs. Ronda Rousey and Natalya vs. Nia Jax and Tamina

The New Day came to the ring throwing out shirts and boxes of Booty O's to the crowd. They were dressed like Santa, an elf and a reindeer. They talked about the holidays and got the crowd hyped for the rest of the show.

The first match of the night combined two storylines. Natalya's feud with Ruby Riott and Ronda Rousey's feud with Nia Jax came together in a Triple Threat tag team contest.

Surprisingly, Riott sat out so Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan could have their moment. Tamina and Jax dominated whenever they were in the ring, but the other four women did a good job keeping them on the sidelines when necessary.

The crowd seemed to be enjoying itself, but everyone got a lot louder whenever Rousey was tagged into the ring. She scored the win with a double armbar to Morgan and Logan. 

Nobody will call this a Match of the Year candidate, but it was a lot of fun. Rousey gave a nice speech saying it was an honor to perform for the military for her first TTTT event.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• The woman who opened the show singing "America the Beautiful" did an amazing job. Selecting someone from the military to sing was a nice touch. 
• They brought in JBL to work with Byron Saxton and Michael Cole on commentary. 
• JBL called Jax and Tamina the female version of The APA. It would be awesome if that is actually how they were portrayed. 
• Morgan sold a double suplex a little too much. The scream she let out was loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

Elias and Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre

This was another example of WWE combining two feuds into a tag team match to save time and feature as many people as possible.

Unsurprisingly, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley used their significant strength advantage to dominate the first half of the match before the break. 

This was a standard tag bout. The heels controlled most of the action while the babyfaces kept trying to make a comeback until there was an eventual hot tag. 

After Finn Balor took out McIntyre and Lio Rush, Elias scored the pin with a sunset flip to Lashley.

Other than the idea of Lashley losing to something like a sunset flip, this was a decent way to fill some time.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• There was a nice video of TV presenter Jon Stewart meeting with soldiers before Morgan Wallen played a song for the crowd. 
• Elias also came out and performed a little tune for the crowd. 
• It was a little surprising Lashley didn't get a babyface reaction since he spent time in the Army. 
• The announcers said it was freezing where they were performing. Cole was wearing a full suit and complaining about being cold when three of the four men in the ring were working in trunks no bigger than a pair of underwear. 
• Balor, an Irishman, was the only one to wear red, white and blue attire. 
• JBL might be annoying sometimes, but he always does a great job acknowledging the past. He brought up how Lashley beat him for the U.S. title in 2006. 

Miz TV and Charlotte and Becky Lynch vs. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville

The crowd gave The Miz a warm welcome with "Miz is awesome" chants before he introduced Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch for an episode of Miz TV.

It didn't take long for Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to interrupt the segment and initiate a tag team match. The crowd loved this whole segment.

The actual contest kicked off after a commercial break. Flair singlehandedly took out both opponents while ignoring Lynch's request for a tag.

The Man spent most of the match on the apron. In fact, the only thing she did was put Deville in the Disarmher to get the submission victory.

Considering how popular Lynch was with the crowd, it was a little shocking that she didn't put in more time in the ring. 

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• The Miz could legitimately host his own show after he decides to retire. He is a natural with a mic in front of a crowd. 
• The A-Lister apologizing for overshadowing Lynch in The Marine 6: Close Quarters and her response were hilarious. 
• Deville has so much untapped potential. WWE should be building her into an unstoppable fighter so she can eventually have a match with Rousey.

Seth Rollins and AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan

Jon Stewart came out and joked about the oddly cold weather in Texas before talking about how his parents were stationed at Fort Bliss when he was a kid. The crowd enjoyed his brief standup set.

The crowd was hot for the main event as Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan tried to get an early advantage with a sneak attack on Seth Rollins and AJ Styles.

With the talent of all four competitors in this bout, it wasn't surprising to see them put on a good show for the men and women in attendance. 

It was fun watching this match because it's the kind of thing we wouldn't be able to see on any other show. As with every other bout, the good guys picked up the win when Styles hit Bryan with the Phenomenal Forearm. 

Grade: A

Notes and Highlights

• Ambrose appears to have adopted Renee Young's habit of wearing a different jacket at every show. 
• The Lunatic Fringe is also lucky he got to wear a jacket if it was as cold as the show made it seem. 
• Rollins and Styles closed the show with a nice speech to the troops.