From an in-ring standpoint, 2018 was a banner year for WWE, with several stars achieving incredible levels of success and breaking through barriers. Raw and SmackDown Live weren't must-see every week, but at least a handful of competitors could be counted on no matter what for top-notch performances.

Without them, there's no telling how much worse off both brands would have been. Their remarkable matches spoke for themselves, and whether they reigned as champions for the better part of 2018 or were title-free all year, they served as the foundations for their respective shows.

What's interesting is that the competitors with the most to prove ended up owning 2018 more than anyone else. Notable names such as John Cena, Randy Orton and Big Show took backseats this year to allow the hungrier wrestlers to steal the spotlight, earn their keep and shatter the proverbial glass ceiling.

With every year that passes, it becomes harder for members of the WWE roster to stand out from the rest of the pack because of how much deeper and more diverse the talent pool becomes. However, that makes the elite few who are able to reach those stratospheric heights that much greater.

Let's look at the seven WWE Superstars who shone the brightest in 2018.

7. Mustafa Ali

The cruiserweights weren't given a fair shake when the division was relaunched in the fall of 2016, with 205 Live largely being treated like an afterthought. Enzo Amore's reign as the WWE cruiserweight champion didn't help matters, either, but thankfully WWE turned things around with the division at the onset of 2018.

Among the many faces who took on more prominent roles on the show was Mustafa Ali, who was merely an alternate in the Cruiserweight Classic two years ago. He was then used as an enhancement talent on 205 Live throughout 2017 before coming into his own as a championship contender this year.

Ali had a remarkable showing in the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament against the illustrious likes of Gentleman Jack Gallagher, Buddy Murphy and Drew Gulak. He may have fallen short of becoming champion at WrestleMania 34, but he made the most of his opportunity on the Grandest Stage of Them All by looking credible in defeat and giving it everything he had.

Following WrestleMania, Ali shifted his sights to Murphy and Hideo Itami in an attempt to prove himself as a worthy challenger to the cruiserweight title. Not only did he win whenever it mattered most, but he did so in spectacular fashion and never ceased to take risks and leave the audience in awe.

The self-proclaimed heart and soul of 205 Live played a major role in making the cruiserweight show what it is today and was involved in several Match of the Year contenders. He has since been added to the SmackDown Live roster and recently pinned the WWE champion, so as outstanding of a 2018 as he had, expect his 2019 to be even bigger and better.

6. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan's forced retirement from the ring in February 2016 was one of the most heartbreaking moments fans had witnessed in years, if only because everyone (including Bryan himself) was aware that he had a lot left in the tank before calling it a career.

The more time passed, the likelier it was Bryan would leave WWE when his contract expired in the fall of 2018 to wrestle somewhere else. It never needed to come to that, however, as Bryan was cleared to compete mere weeks ahead of WrestleMania 34.

The reaction to Bryan's in-ring return was something to behold, yet the company still found a way to hinder his momentum soon after he started wrestling full time again. His feud with Big Cass felt like a waste of time, and he lost against The Miz more often than he won.

It wasn't until just recently that Bryan shocked the world by turning heel to defeat AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, undergoing a character overhaul in the process. It would have been easy for him to continue coasting on his past successes and popularity as WWE's resident "Yes!" man, but he bet on himself by ditching his bread and butter for an outlandish new persona that he has quickly settled into and become comfortable with.

Bryan began 2018 as the general manager of SmackDown Live and will end it as the WWE champion. He's also coming off an extraordinary match with Styles at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view and is now feuding with SmackDown newcomer Mustafa Ali.

It's possible Bryan would be higher up on this list if he weren't marginalized for most of 2018, but it's better late than never, and needless to say, he's walking into 2019 with a major chip on his shoulder.

5. Buddy Murphy

At this time one year ago, Buddy Murphy was a regular on the NXT live event loop, losing to the likes of Lio Rush and Aleister Black. He wasn't featured on NXT TV at any point in 2017, so the chances of a main roster call-up for him appeared to be slim.

Despite that, Triple H (the brains behind NXT) realized Murphy had too much talent and that he didn't deserve to be wasted. Thus, he gave him the opportunity to take part in the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament leading up to WrestleMania 34, and thanks to impressive outings against Ariya Daivari and Mustafa Ali, he was granted a spot on 205 Live.

In the months that followed, Murphy continued to prove himself as one of the best all-around performers in the company. From Kalisto to Gran Metalik, he knocked off everyone who stood in his way of becoming WWE cruiserweight champion.

Although he originally fell short of capturing the prestigious prize back in May, he rebounded and had momentum on his side when he challenged Cedric Alexander for the title a second time in front of his hometown crowd in Melbourne, Australia, at Super Show-Down.

In what was one of the best bouts all year, Murphy toppled Alexander to clinch the Cruiserweight Championship. It was the definition of a feelgood moment, especially considering how close Murphy was to unemployment at various points throughout his NXT run.

He'll be entering 2019 with the cruiserweight title still around his waist, and after he does all he can do on 205 Live, here's hoping he can follow in the footsteps of Ali and join either the SmackDown Live or Raw roster.

4. AJ Styles

AJ Styles' shocking signing with WWE in January 2016 set the tone for what was to come for him in the company, as he has had nothing short of a sensational run. He kicked off his second stint with the WWE Championship in November 2017, and although it was widely assumed he would drop the belt back to Jinder Mahal or to someone else early on in 2018, that ended up not being the case.

Instead, Styles reigned supreme over the competition much longer than expected and knocked off everyone who stepped up to challenge him. The long list of challengers he beat includes Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena and Rusev.

Another nice feather in his cap was successfully defending the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura in one of the marquee matches at WrestleMania 34. They had a fun feud in the months that followed, and Styles' heated rivalry with Samoa Joe in the fall was equally engaging.

After a certain point, The Phenomenal One started to grow a bit stagnant as champion, so Daniel Bryan's win over him for the the belt five days before Survivor Series was exactly what Styles needed to feel fresh again. He has been in chase mode ever since and recently contested one of the best main-roster matches all year with Bryan at December's TLC pay-per-view.

The past three years for Styles in WWE have been excellent, but 2018 was easily his strongest year. The only thing preventing him from leading this list was his lack of Match of the Year contenders (his TLC bout with Bryan aside), but otherwise, fans shouldn't have many qualms regarding his booking this year or his positioning as the face of SmackDown Live.

It will be interesting to see how he plans to raise the bar even higher in the new year.

3. Becky Lynch

WWE's decision to turn Becky Lynch heel at SummerSlam 2018 was heavily criticized by fans, if only because she has always been a natural babyface and she had the WWE Universe behind her heading into the event. Besides, Charlotte Flair was already being booed, so it was a strange call to flip the switch with Lynch before Flair.

However, turning heel was undoubtedly the best thing Lynch could have done. She was able to channel all of her anger over being underutilized for so long and incorporate it into her character.

In doing so, the quality of her promos improved almost overnight, and her feud with Flair was the saving grace of SmackDown Live throughout the fall season. The former friends produced two of the best women's matches in WWE history at Evolution and TLC, but on the mic was where Lynch shone in 2018.

Prior to Survivor Series, she became WWE's hottest commodity by targeting Ronda Rousey and leading an invasion on Raw. In an all-time great Raw moment, she unleashed an unbelievable assault on Rousey and admired her handiwork from the audience with a legitimately battered and bloodied face.

If there were one moment that solidified Lynch as a star, that was it. It appears she will have an extended stay at the top considering she's the favorite to win the women's Royal Rumble match in January, and beyond that, hopefully a WrestleMania main event with Rousey isn't too far off.

2. Seth Rollins

Fans were beginning to question whether Seth Rollins had peaked following his lengthy run as WWE world heavyweight champion back in 2015. He didn't exactly catch fire as a babyface in 2016 or in 2017, but as soon as 2018 got underway, a switch seemed to be flipped within him, and his hot streak could not be denied.

Rollins first captured the attention of the audience with his phenomenal showing in the Gauntlet match ahead of Elimination Chamber. Despite not winning, he made the record books by becoming the first man to wrestle for more than an hour on a single episode of Raw, and that was when he kicked his intensity and determination to be the best up a notch.

From there, The Architect rode a wave of momentum into WrestleMania 34 before capturing the Intercontinental Championship at the event. He proved to be a fighting champion by taking on everyone from Jinder Mahal and Kevin Owens to Elias and Mojo Rawley, holding the gold for six months combined during two different reigns.

In addition to his rivalry with Dolph Ziggler, which led to a strong series of matches between the two in the second half of 2018, Rollins also reunited with his Shield stablemates Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns post-SummerSlam. They ruled the roost on Raw before abruptly splitting up in October, and since then, Rollins and Ambrose have been carrying Raw with their feud over the intercontinental title.

WWE recently revealed that Rollins had more wins than anyone else on the main roster in 2018, which is directly proportional to how over he has been as a babyface. He has been firing on all cylinders lately and thus should be next in line for a run with the Universal Championship.

With Reigns out of the picture for the foreseeable future because of illness, there is no one better to take his spot as the top dog on Monday nights than Rollins.

1. Ronda Rousey

It was more a matter of when than if Ronda Rousey would sign with WWE following her one-off appearance at WrestleMania 31 and subsequent departure from UFC. However, it remained to be seen whether she would be as good of a fit for the wrestling world as she was for mixed martial arts.

Rumors ran rampant in the weeks preceding the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view that she was on her way into the company, but it was unknown how she would be introduced. She spent the first few weeks of the year filming Mile 22 in Colombia but still managed to fly in to make a surprise debut at the Rumble and shake the company to its core.

The mixed reaction she received at Elimination Chamber during her official contract signing caused fans to worry that her first match at WrestleMania 34 against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon would be a flop. Instead, she exceeded all expectations by stealing the show and looking like a natural between the ropes.

It was all uphill from there for The Baddest Woman on the Planet, and whenever it appeared she would either underwhelm or fall flat on her face, she went above and beyond and captivated the crowd like a consummate professional.

Ambushing Kurt Angle (which resulted in a storyline suspension), winning the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam, headlining WWE Evolution and battling Charlotte Flair in a dream match were among her biggest highlights of 2018.

Rousey closed out her year on a high note by successfully defending her title against Natalya on the Christmas Eve Raw in another outing that was better than it had any right to be. She has shown that she is not one to be underestimated, and if 2018 were any indication, she will continue to be an vital asset to WWE for years to come.

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.