If you were watching wrestling back in 2018, you probably remember that things felt... chaotic. It was a weird, transitional year. Basically, the WWE pay per view schedule 2018 started with one set of rules and ended with a completely different philosophy that still dictates how Triple H runs things today.
Look at the beginning of that year. We were still stuck in the "brand extension" era where Raw and SmackDown had their own separate shows. It was exhausting. You’d have a mediocre Raw-only show one month, then a SmackDown one two weeks later. Fans were getting burned out. Honestly, the quality was all over the map. Then, everything shifted after WrestleMania 34. WWE decided to scrap the brand-exclusive PPVs and go back to dual-branded shows across the board.
That change is the single most important part of the WWE pay per view schedule 2018. It changed the length of the shows, the depth of the rosters, and how feuds were paced. It was a massive pivot.
The Early Months: Brand Loyalty and the Royal Rumble
The year kicked off with the Royal Rumble on January 28. It was historic. Shinsuke Nakamura won the men's Rumble, which felt like a massive "new era" moment at the time, even if the follow-through later in the year was a bit of a letdown. But the real story was the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble. Asuka won, but the headlines were stolen by Ronda Rousey making her debut immediately after. It was loud. It was flashy. It set the tone for a year where the women's division would frequently outshine the men.
Then we hit the brand-exclusive wall.
In February, we had Elimination Chamber, which was a Raw show. Roman Reigns won—to the surprise of absolutely nobody—to set up his match with Brock Lesnar. It felt formulaic. Two weeks later, SmackDown gave us Fastlane in March. AJ Styles defended his title in a frantic six-pack challenge. These shows weren't "bad," but they felt like filler. You could feel the company stretching its roster thin just to fill a three-hour broadcast window for a single brand.
WrestleMania 34 and the Great Reset
WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans was a marathon. It was nearly seven hours long if you count the kickoff. Most people remember it for two things: Nicholas (a literal child) winning the Tag Team titles with Braun Strowman, and Charlotte Flair ending Asuka's legendary undefeated streak. It was a polarizing night.
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But the real legacy of WrestleMania 34 was what happened to the WWE pay per view schedule 2018 immediately after. WWE executives realized that the WWE Network subscribers weren't more likely to stay subscribed because of more shows; they wanted better shows.
The very next event was Backlash in May. This was the first dual-branded show of the new era. It was also, frankly, one of the worst-received shows in modern history. The main event was Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe, and fans were literally walking out of the arena because the match had no stakes and the crowd was tired of the Roman "big dog" push. It was a reality check for the office. Merging the brands didn't automatically make the shows good; it just made them longer.
SummerSlam and the Rise of the "Special" Events
By the time we got to Money in the Bank in June and Extreme Rules in July, the rhythm was starting to settle. Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman took the briefcases. The shows were becoming four-hour staples.
Then came August. SummerSlam 2018 was actually pretty great. Roman finally beat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, ending a title reign that felt like it had lasted a century. Becky Lynch turned on Charlotte Flair, sparking the "The Man" persona that would eventually lead to the first-ever women's WrestleMania main event a year later.
What's fascinating about the WWE pay per view schedule 2018 is how many "extra" shows they packed in. It wasn't just the monthly events. We had the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia in April—a massive, high-production show that felt like a fever dream. Then, later in the year, we had Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia.
WWE was going global in a way they never had before. They were chasing stadium shows outside of the traditional WrestleMania window. It was the birth of the modern "Premium Live Event" model, even though they were still calling them pay-per-views back then.
Evolution and the Saudi Controversy
October 2018 was perhaps the most intense month in the company's history regarding their schedule.
First, we had WWE Evolution. This was the first all-women’s PPV. Honestly, it was arguably the best show of the year. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair had a Last Woman Standing match that tore the house down. It proved that the women didn't need the men to carry a major event.
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But just days later, the company traveled to Riyadh for Crown Jewel. The backdrop was incredibly controversial due to international politics at the time. Several top stars, including John Cena and Daniel Bryan, reportedly refused to go. The show itself featured a one-off return of Shawn Michaels, who came out of retirement to team with Triple H against the Brothers of Destruction. It was nostalgic, but it felt... off. Michaels was still great, but seeing a bald HBK in a desert ring felt like a glitch in the Matrix.
The 2018 Calendar At A Glance
To keep it simple, here is how the back half of the WWE pay per view schedule 2018 shook out after the brand merger:
- Money in the Bank (June 17): Chicago. Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss win.
- Extreme Rules (July 15): Pittsburgh. Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins in an Iron Man match that the crowd spent the whole time "counting down" like a clock.
- SummerSlam (August 19): Brooklyn. The night Becky Lynch became "The Man."
- Hell in a Cell (September 16): San Antonio. Brock Lesnar returns and destroys the cell door.
- Super Show-Down (October 6): Melbourne. Triple H beats Undertaker in their "last time ever" (it wasn't).
- Evolution (October 28): Uniondale. A landmark night for women's wrestling.
- Crown Jewel (November 2): Riyadh. Shane McMahon becomes the "Best in the World." Yes, really.
- Survivor Series (November 18): Los Angeles. Raw vs. SmackDown. Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan was a low-key masterpiece.
- TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (December 16): San Jose. Asuka finally wins the big one in a Triple Threat.
Why the 2018 Schedule Still Matters Today
You can't understand current WWE without looking at 2018. This was the year they realized that the "two-tier" system of B-shows and A-shows wasn't working. They moved toward making every single event feel like a major crossover.
It was also the year of the "Network Era" peak. They were producing more content than ever before—NXT TakeOvers were often outshining the main roster shows on the same weekends. If you look at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans or NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, you'll see some of the highest-rated matches in the history of the sport.
The WWE pay per view schedule 2018 taught the company that fans will travel across the world for a big show, but they won't sit through a boring three-hour show in a B-market just because it's "Raw-branded." It forced the writers to integrate storylines across both Tuesday and Monday nights.
Actionable Insights for Historians and Collectors
If you're looking to revisit this era, don't just watch the big four (Rumble, Mania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series). You'll miss the best stuff.
- Watch Evolution first. It is the most cohesive, well-paced show on the entire WWE pay per view schedule 2018. It lacks the "bloat" that plagued WrestleMania and Crown Jewel.
- Contrast the Saudi shows. Watch the Greatest Royal Rumble and then Crown Jewel. You can see the company grappling with how to present these massive international spectacles while maintaining their domestic storylines.
- Track the Becky Lynch arc. Start at Money in the Bank and follow her through to TLC. It is perhaps the most perfect "organic" rise to superstardom in the last twenty years of the business.
- Ignore the "Kickoff" shows. Unless you're a completionist, the 2018 pre-shows were notoriously repetitive. You can usually skip the first hour of these Peacock/WWE Network uploads without missing a single plot point.
The 2018 season was a bridge. It bridged the gap between the old-school monthly "pay-per-view" and the modern, global "Premium Live Event" era. It was messy, it was long, and it was sometimes frustrating, but it laid the groundwork for the massive stadium-touring juggernaut that WWE has become in the mid-2020s.