Looking at WWE’s Unsung MVP Of 2018

Backstory

Who is WWE’s Unsung MVP Of 2018?: With the year ending, you will soon be attacked with many 2018 In Review columns and pointless 2019 bold predictions. All the usual junk come every December. Hey, I plead guilty to it all. Just saying. I wanted to take a look at one talent in WWE that I fear has been overlooked for the past 12 months. Somebody that has been under rated for a long time now and deserves some recognition. Somebody who will probably not win many awards in a week or two but absolutely should.

Any guesses?

Not Finn Balor. Not The Miz. Not Jeff Hardy. Not Randy Orton. Not Jinder Mahal. Not John Cena. Not Becky Lynch. Not Lashley. Not Bobby Roode. Not Elias. Not Kevin Owens. Not Sami Zayn. Not any tag team. Not anybody from NXT. Not anybody from NXT UK. Not anybody from 205 LIVE. Not Rusev. Not Dean Ambrose. Not Drew McIntyre. Not Asuka. Not Dolph Ziggler. Not Ronda Rousey. Not AJ Styles. Not Daniel Bryan. Not Braun Strowman. Not Brock Lesnar. Not Asuka. Not Seth Rollins. Not Samoa Joe. Not Shinsuke Nakamura.

No, not even Roman Reigns.

This is about somebody on the full-time roster that is constantly bashed unfairly and is always taken for granted. It is time for all of us to open our eyes and bow down to The Queen…

Charlotte Is The Unsung MVP Of 2018

Beginning the year as WWE Womens Champion, she was basically thrust into the role of ‘saving’ the blue brand. Just like AJ Styles had to be called in to take the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal in November 2017, all eyes were on Ms. Flair. When it came time for January’s Royal Rumble main event match, it was Charlotte and Alexa Bliss who were front and center as 30 women competed for a WrestleMania 34 title match. Not the men. This was just the beginning because by the end of the night, many of us assumed Charlotte was heading towards a historic showdown with NOT the Royal Rumble winner Asuka but with the debuting Ronda Rousey. Needless to say, the Woo Girl was going to be in the spotlight.

While predictable, Charlotte did end up retaining her Smackdown LIVE Womens Title through March, besting Ruby Riott at WWE Fastlane. It was at this event where the WM34 picture would take shape. Asuka came out and immediately confronted Charlotte after the bout and made her Rumble plans clear. I remember tweeting out a million different memes and pictures five seconds after this legendary moment It was ON! I was so jacked up over this matchup. Charlotte was credible. Asuka was credible. It was a real dream match and one where the result was difficult to predict. I loved it.

Come WrestleMania 34, my oh my did these two deliver! Even as I watched with two casual (non) fans who had not tuned in for quite a bit, their favorite match was Charlotte vs. Asuka. It was THAT good. Quickly the sexist comments stopped as did all the questions about why the women were so important suddenly. As usual, Ms, Flair proved exactly why she has been given so many opportunities. Each and every time, she delivers. If you were WWE, you would go to her as well. Stealing the show at yet another Mania is a huge legacy building moment for Charlotte. Retaining her championship and ending the undefeated streak of Asuka’s was just the icing on the cake.

Losing thanks to a Money in the Bank cash in may not always be ideal, but it is headline grabbing and creates controversy. Charlotte lost the Smackdown LIVE Womens Championship in a two part attack. First by the debuting IIconics and then by the Fabulous Carmella. Just like that, it was over. She no longer held the championship and was then placed with a near impossible task of legitimizing a still learning Carmella. I think Charlotte did an admirable job and helped make the new champ seem like more than just all talk.

For the second year in a row, Charlotte Flair was my MITB pick to grab the briefcase and spend a year’s long mission to get back to the top. It made sense. She was still the star on Smackdown LIVE and was going to get the title belt back at some point. Why not do it via the way she just lost the strap? It wasn’t meant to be, but that does not take away from the match quality one bit. Yet another show stealing performance from The Queen even in defeat. After this, she took some time off but not before appearing in the Body Issue of ESPN. A major publication and a major photo shoot.

Upon returning, it was right back to the spotlight for Charlotte. Despite Becky Lynch picking up momentum and Carmella holding onto the blue brand’s Womens Championship with a firm grasp, it was none other than Charlotte Flair who left Summerslam with their hand raised…and new title holder. She had done it yet again. While myself and others lamented the fact that she stole Becky’s moment, it was justified and rightfully so. As noted before, she had ALWAYS delivered and was on fire in 2018. Why not add her to the mix? Why not better the division? Adding Charlotte in the thick of things not only got rid of Carmella as champ but did wonders for the ‘rage against the machine’ story Becky was going for. It worked not just because of Lynch but because of her opponent too.

From here, everybody knows what happened. Becky Lynch and Charlotte had one heck of a story line and more than stole the show at the first ever all women’s pay-per-view Evolution. Their clash was epic. Their battles were fierce, and the entire thing was so give and take that it amazes me that Becky Lynch got all the credit. You are only as good as your dance partner. It is a shame that Charlotte Flair was not praised more throughout the Fall season and the rise of Becky Lynch. This was made even more apparent when Becky got hurt, and WWE needed a Survivor Series replacement to take on Raw’s Ronda Rousey. Who do you go to? Of course, Charlotte Flair. Duh.

The Ronda/Charlotte fight more than lived up to expectations set 10 months earlier at the close of Royal Rumble 2018. They beat the crap out of each other and showed why they were so prominent (again). Charlotte lost the match via disqualification but stood tall. She absolutely unleashed a beating on the previously unstoppable Ronda Rousey and left as THE talk of the event. Suddenly, it wasn’t all about Rousey or Nia Jax or Becky Lynch. Nope, Charlotte Flair was THE Queen again.

WWE ended the year in pay-per-views just as it had begun. Charlotte Flair in the closing moments and staring down Ronda Rousey. This time, Becky Lynch was there with Asuka, rather than Alexa Bliss. It was like 2018 had come full circle with a historic first ever TLC Womens Championship triple threat match. As mentioned, it not only main evented the PPV but is in the discussion for match of the year. Charlotte Flair stole multiple PPVs in 2018 and did not disappoint when it mattered most. That is the definition of a main event level Superstar, one who keeps delivering against any and all comers. Face, heel, winner, loser – it didn’t matter. Charlotte Flair is primed for yet another women’s first for WWE come 2019, and that is the main event of WrestleMania 35. I said it before and will again. It’ll happen folks, and now I feel more strongly than ever. It’s happening.

Woo!!!

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