Ranking WWE's Top 10 Worst Booking Decisions in 2018

In terms of raw technical prowess and in-ring ability, WWE has never been better. The NXT developmental program has borne fruit in the most wonderful way, and we now have waves of new Superstars who have been trained under the watchful eyes of capable coaches.

Add to that the high-profile signings of phenomenal independent talent, and WWE has something quite special on its hands.

So it's frustrating when all this potential feels squandered on ill-advised storylines and bad booking. The advantage of planning things out in advance is that the writers get to concoct the most compelling narratives possible.

This year, however—particularly in the men's division—it largely felt the opposite. The narrative turns of 2018 seemed reactive and last-minute. There was no larger arc at play; even the company's successes, such as Becky Lynch's heel turn, seemed more the performer's doing than that of WWE Creative.

10. Meet Bobby Lashley's 'Sisters'

In September 1999, right in the middle of the Attitude Era, Mankind and The Rock performed an in-ring "This is Your Life" segment that was funny, well-timed and played off both wrestlers' personalities. Ever since, WWE has tried (and failed) to replicate that energy on numerous occasions.

The two most recent attempts have been awful. In 2017, Alexa Bliss interviewed Bayley's "childhood friends" in a segment that was described as "cringe-inducing" by Mike Mooneyham for the Charleston Post and Courier.

However, that doesn't even hold a candle to the train wreck of a segment in which Sami Zayn interviewed Bobby Lashley's three "sisters," who were portrayed by men in drag. It was unfunny, tedious and—worst of all—dreadfully boring. 

9. The Bayley vs. Sasha Banks 'Feud'

Ever since Bayley arrived on the main roster, WWE fans have wanted to see her feud with Sasha Banks to continue their phenomenal NXT rivalry.

Their match at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is still the greatest WWE women's match of all time (the Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch match at Evolution is a close second).

Instead, though, the company danced around a potential feud for months and finally ended it with a verbal non-confrontation in the locker room, during which they professed their love and sisterhood for each other. And since then? Nothing. No tension, no stakes and no heel turn from either.

Banks should have turned heel. When she plays a villain, she's one of the best performers on the roster. But even a Bayley heel turn would have been far better than this.

8. The Lucha House Party Schtick

"Lucha House Rules" is a euphemism for a handicap match. Can you think of a more low-key diss to lucha style than this gimmick? It's essentially conceding that in order for these guys to have a chance of winning, the Lucha House Party needs to outnumber its opponents.

Each individual is booked to be so weak that, according to WWE, they count as two-thirds of a fighter. 

It's corny and a waste of time. And listening to commentator Renee Young bend over backwards to defend it as "innovative" is just the icing on the cake.

7. Ronda Rousey Squashes Alexa Bliss

There is one rare time that a squash title match is a good idea: When the victim is a babyface who's going to take time off. So when Ronda Rousey squashed Alexa Bliss at this year's SummerSlam, it was embarrassing for both performers.

Obviously, the squash made Bliss look pathetic, but it also made Rousey seem like WWE's handpicked, undeserving champion. She won the title in a near-cartoonish manner that inspires audience backlash.

Bliss should have cheated to remain competitive. She could have raked Rousey's eyes or used a weapon when the referee wasn't looking. That would have at least made her look crafty.

Instead, both women came out of this match less over than when they began it.

6. The Recycled Authority Storyline

When Vince McMahon was the evil Mr. McMahon, facing down rebel "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in the late 1990s, it was classic, visceral television.

Two decades on, though, the gimmick is long in the tooth.

Baron Corbin, the new "constable" and interim general manager of Raw, was the latest corrupt "Authority" figure to take on the mantle. Under this narrative direction, Raw achieved its lowest viewership ratings in the history of the show.

Things got so bad that the WWE chairman, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon and Triple H will be the authority figures moving forward, which is sort of like fixing a gaping wound with a band-aid.

Corbin is the scapegoat for a much larger problem: The Authority angle itself is stale, regardless of who is fronting it. 

5. The Short-Lived Braun Strowman Heel Turn

This fall, Braun Strowman turned heel for one simple reason: to give Roman Reigns more people to fight.

However, The Monster Among Men had got over as a babyface on his own. The fans loved his "destroy everything, take-no-prisoners" direct approach, and he was a fantastic, blunt contrast to smirking, smug heels such as Kevin Owens.

To throw away this goodwill on a show that was already overpopulated by heels was ill-advised. But the worst part was that he formed an alliance with Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler.

Strowman works best alone as an indomitable monster. Giving him two backup guys is missing the point entirely, and it made him look weak in the one area where he should look unquestionably strong.

4. Asuka Becomes Ordinary

At WrestleMania 34, Charlotte Flair beat Asuka and snapped her 914-day win streak. That wasn't a bad decision by itself. No streak lasts forever, and this could have been an opportunity to give The Empress of Tomorrow a more human side.

Instead, WWE decided to give her a pay-per-view losing streak, during which time she lost to Carmella twice in a row via pinfall at Money in the Bank and Extreme Rules.

WWE decided to give Asuka her first SmackDown women's title at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in December 2018. Consider it a paltry consolation after throwing three years of solid booking into the garbage.

Hopefully, this reign will be long and decorated, and WWE can start the long path to building Asuka back into the monster with the creepy smile she's meant to be.

3. The Styles/Nakamura Double Low Blow

After their excellent match in New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were expected to put on another classic at WrestleMania 34.

As it turned out, the bout was pedestrian but did at least have an incredible Nakamura heel turn after it was over, hinting that better things were yet to come.

However, their match at the Greatest Royal Rumble ended with a double count-out; and at Backlash, the two fought to a no-contest after a simultaneous double low blow.

Was this a joke? By this point, the entire feud felt like a figurative low blow to the audience.

2. The Entire Raw 25th Anniversary Show

This whole Raw 25th anniversary show was a failure from start to finish.

WWE made a terrible move by booking the live show in two different locations, which meant that if one venue was getting a match, the other could take a nap. For fans who paid thousands to be at the smaller, more exclusive Manhattan Center, this was a travesty.

The alumni cameos were rushed: MVP got to show his face during the Acolytes' poker game and then never again. The Undertaker gave a weird, rambling speech that made it sound like he wasn't retiring but gave no clue as to when he might return. 

The only good part was the beginning, when Austin gave Vince McMahon a stunner one more time. The DX-Kliq reunion that closed the show, and the subsequent burial of The Revival by Gallows and Anderson, was the worst part of the evening.

Simply put, DX had gone back to the well one too many times. Triple H looked embarrassed to be there; he knew this reunion was a bad idea from the moment he stepped out from behind the curtain. And all of them, particularly Scott Hall, looked way too old to be engaging in frat-boy shenanigans, even ironically.

1. Putting the Universal Title on Brock Lesnar Again

Roman Reigns announced he had leukemia in October, leaving the universal title vacant. And so WWE booked Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel to determine a new champion.

Did they give the belt to the up-and-coming young gun, the monster who had been Reigns' greatest opponent? Nope. WWE hit the panic button and put the title back on Brock Lesnar, a part-time champion who hasn't had a memorable match since Survivor Series in 2017.

Again, scripting a match has its advantages and allows the company to handpick its face of the company.

An entire year's worth of Raw storylines had been premised on the idea the show is worse without a full-time champion. Why WWE is running back to Lesnar after making this known is mind-boggling.

By its own repeated admission, the company is willfully making their flagship show worse.