Given all the ups and downs Raw and SmackDown Live have had throughout 2018, there can be no doubt that NXT has consistently been WWE's most must-see show this year.

Although the black-and-yellow brand still technically acts as a feeder system for WWE's main roster, the quality of NXT's weekly programming and quarterly TakeOver specials are top-notch and superior to almost everything else the company produces, including Raw, SmackDown and the monthly pay-per-views.

More surprisingly, regardless of which NXT star gets the call-up to the main roster (which can occur at any time), the brand has no problem replenishing the pot and bringing in fresh faces to fill the void. Fans have come to always expect excellence from NXT—and for good reason considering the brand rarely disappoints (especially when it matters most).

This past year was no exception, and in 2018, there have been a handful of scintillating stories that have captivated crowds, gotten the entire wrestling world talking and ensured fans stay tuned in.

Then again, NXT is by no means a perfect program and does have its occasional mishaps. Some stars are bound to fall through the cracks every now and again, making for a few less-than-stellar angles that could have been booked better.

As we approach the end of 2018, it's only appropriate to look back at the year that was for NXT by highlighting the best and worst angles from the past 12 months.

Best: Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa Settle Their Score

Tommaso Ciampa's serious injury, suffered the same night he turned on his partner, Johnny Gargano, at NXT TakeOver: Chicago in May 2017, was seen as a setback in their storyline at the time. In reality, it was perfect in dragging their feud out over one year and building anticipation for their eventual one-on-one encounter.

Gargano spent the first few months of 2018 trying to find himself, but his failure to capture the NXT Championship was a direct result of his obsession with wanting to avenge Ciampa's betrayal.

Once Ciampa returned from injury, the two finally engaged in a feud heading into TakeOver: New Orleans and created magic every time they crossed paths.

Their non-sanctioned main event in New Orleans tore the roof of Smoothie King Center on the eve of WrestleMania 34, but it hardly marked the end of their intense rivalry. Despite Gargano reigning supreme over his former friend, Ciampa continued to make life miserable for him before beating him in a Chicago Street Fight at the subsequent TakeOver special.

With Gargano and Ciampa tied one win apiece, they took their bad blood to the next level in Brooklyn by battling in a Last Man Standing match. It was yet another instant classic between the two that featured fantastic attention to detail, such as Gargano's adamance about punishing Ciampa in the same way Ciampa put him on the shelf one year earlier.

Unfortunately for Gargano, his extended assault on Ciampa cost him the win and the NXT Championship. Based off what we've seen since then, it's clear this rivalry will be revisited at some point down the line. But in the meantime, it would be tough to find a better-told story in WWE this year than Gargano vs. Ciampa.

Worst: Kona Reeves Is Far from 'The Finest'

Not every aspiring Superstar who journeys to NXT is destined for greatness. Some prospects aren't given a real chance to shine (e.g., CJ Parker), and others tend to get overshadowed by everyone else on the brand (e.g., Sami Callihan).

And then are those who should have never received the slightest bit of focus or television time in the first place.

It was apparent from the first vignette that aired to hype the NXT return of Kona Reeves that he wasn't anything special. He constantly called himself "The Finest," yet he failed to impress in his premiere appearance on NXT TV in the spring of 2018 and was immediately written off as a flop.

Reeves proceeded to stack up a few victories against local athletes in the weeks that followed, but nothing he did left a lasting impression. After a while, management lost interest in pushing him, leading to him suffering a string of defeats versus EC3, Kassius Ohno and Keith Lee.

The quick rise and subsequent fall of Reeves wouldn't be as frustrating if there weren't so many others waiting in the wings for an opportunity, such as Donovan Dijak. There was no reason for Reeves to be brought up to NXT TV before him, which wound up being a colossal waste of time.

Best: Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane Redefine Women's Wrestling

From Sasha Banks vs. Bayley to Asuka vs. Ember Moon, there have been a handful of iconic feuds in NXT's women's division over the years that have helped revolutionize women's wrestling.

Raw and SmackDown Live don't always do the ladies justice by not featuring them as prominently as they should, whereas NXT is constantly at the forefront of the so-called Women's Evolution by giving the wrestlers the spotlight they deserve. The ruthless rivalry between Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler from this past year was yet another reminder of that.

The two originally waged war in the final of the 2018 Mae Young Classic. Sane reigned supreme that night and cemented her status as a star on the rise in the women's scene. A rematch held many months later on NXT TV was won by Baszler, setting the stage for an anticipated rubber match at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV in August.

Their exceptional outing was among the best bouts of the SummerSlam weekend and featured a surprise title change, with Sane upsetting Baszler to clinch the NXT Women's Championship. It also proved just how much they had evolved both in the ring and as characters in one year.

Their rivalry resumed into the fall, leading to a championship clash at Evolution. It was there that Baszler regained the gold with help from her Four Horsewomen stablemates Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir following another above-average encounter between them.

At TakeOver: WarGames II, Baszler once again emerged victorious over Sane in an exciting 2-out-of-3 Falls match but only after interference from Duke and Shafir.

It doesn't appear the bad blood they have for each other is over, either, so there's no telling what more they will do to redefine women's wrestling in the weeks and months to come.

Worst: The Overshadowing of EC3

Whenever fans feel like NXT's roster couldn't get any more stacked, the black-and-yellow brand outdoes itself by recruiting the best and brightest talent from across the world. The promotion received an influx of star power at the onset of 2018, and among that elite group was former Impact world champion EC3.

The artist formerly known as Derrick Bateman accomplished it all in Impact Wrestling and was ready to erase the memory of his previous failed run in WWE by returning to wrestle for NXT. He arrived with plenty of fanfare and received a raucous reaction from the fans in Philadelphia when he appeared in the audience at TakeOver in January.

It was apparent officials thought highly of EC3 when his in-ring debut for the brand was saved for TakeOver: New Orleans, where he participated in a ladder match for the newly created NXT North American Championship. Although he didn't walk away with the title, he had a strong showing in defeat and looked to have a promising future in NXT.

In the months that followed, EC3 continued to stack up wins and establish his personality in promos and vignettes, but his lack of direction hindered his momentum. After being left off the card for TakeOver: Chicago II, he took on Velveteen Dream at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV and fell short of victory.

Perhaps the concussion he suffered during his outing against Dream derailed any plans officials may have had for him in the remainder of the year, as he has been involved in nothing of note since. He has been relegated to competing in meaningless matches and portraying an ill-defined face character.

EC3 isn't damaged goods, and all it will take is a significant storyline or two to get him back on track, but NXT's use of him in 2018 has been disappointing, to say the least.

Best: Undisputed Era Rule the Roost

When Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish shocked the system for the first time in NXT at TakeOver: Brooklyn III in August 2017, no one knew how far they would go as a unit or how they would help elevate the promotion to heights never before reached in 2018.

Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and several others played an important role in making NXT the white-hot brand it is today, but Undisputed Era arguably had a better 2018 than them all. They started the year strong by winning the NXT Tag Team Championships and successfully defending the twin titles in a series of spectacular matches.

At TakeOver: New Orleans, Undisputed Era became the most dominant entity in the entire promotion when Cole captured the NXT North American Championship. That was in addition to winning the 2018 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and being joined by Roderick Strong that same evening.

The remainder of the year saw the faction make enemies out of everyone and emerge victorious almost every time. Although they recently fell short of coming out on top in the WarGames main event, it was a remarkable match that reaffirmed the notion they are the glue that has held NXT together this year.

Granted, the way Undisputed Era has been handled in 2018 isn't technically a storyline, but NXT should be commended for protecting these guys as heavily as it has and giving them the opportunity to be so successful.

Here's hoping they will be just as big on the main roster when the time comes for them to make the jump.

Worst: The Mighty's Long-Awaited Return Falls Flat

If you weren't paying close attention to the NXT product in 2017, you likely never realized TM-61 were gone. However, their absence was felt in the tag team division, and following the announcement that they were on their way back, NXT began building them via video packages in the weeks preceding their return.

The vignettes did an excellent job of filling in fans on who Shane Thorne and Nick Miller were and why they belonged on the black-and-yellow brand. They got off to a strong start by winning a few enhancement matches on NXT TV and getting closer to NXT Tag Team Championships contention, but a loss in the first round of the 2018 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic put them back at square one.

TM-61 could have had a cool redemption story going for them as they set their sights on the NXT tag titles, but they suddenly disappeared from programming and fans stopped caring about them. They then attempted to reinvent themselves by turning heel and changing their team name to The Mighty, but virtually no progress was made.

Thorne and Miller have spent the past few months trading victories with The Street Profits, who are infinitely more over with the audience. They have also suffered defeat at the hands of Heavy Machinery, War Raiders and, most recently, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, so it doesn't look like they will be promoted to the main roster anytime soon.

The Mighty's in-ring ability is second to none, but their failure to evolve as characters has cost them the opportunity to rise in the ranks of NXT's tag team division. It will be do or die for them in 2019, because if they continue to tread water in NXT, it's possible they will simply take their talents elsewhere.

Best: Who Attacked Aleister Black?

The classic whodunit storyline has been done countless time before in professional wrestling, yet NXT's interesting new twist on the trope was perhaps its best piece of storytelling in 2018. Better yet, it was never supposed to happen and only came together as a result of an unforeseen injury to Aleister Black.

The original NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III main event called for Tommaso Ciampa to defend his NXT Championship against Black and Johnny Gargano in a Triple Threat match. Mere weeks ahead of the event, however, Black was injured at an NXT house show and was forced to pull out of the show.

In the storyline, it was revealed he was mysteriously attacked outside of the Full Sail University arena. An investigation was launched by NXT general manager William Regal, who questioned members of the roster in the weeks that followed about their potential involvement in assaulting Black.

What made the story so intriguing was that were a number of feasible suspects, including Ciampa, Undisputed Era, Kassius Ohno and Lars Sullivan. There was also the added element of Nikki Cross' claims about knowing the attacker's identity, and she played her part to perfection.

After two months of fans questioning who was behind the attack, Black shockingly returned to TV in mid-October and was immediately laid out by a seething Gargano, with it essentially being implied that he was behind it all along.

Gargano was already spiraling into a state of hysteria following his pair of losses to Ciampa, and he justified his actions by saying he wasn't doing anything a "good guy" wouldn't. It was a refreshing character change for Gargano, and despite being the quintessential babyface, he managed to portray a compelling villain and act as a fantastic foil for Black.

The culmination of the angle at TakeOver: WarGames II, with Black beating Gargano, was nothing short of brilliant and was so much more than fans could have hoped for.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.