10 Things About WWE In 2018 That 2008 Wouldn't Believe

We've come so far, and we've reached so high

And we've looked each day and night in the eye

And we're still so young, and we hope for more...

We've come a long way

But we're not too sure where we've been

Tudutu

We've had success (Tudutu), we've had good times (Tudutu)

I've got to admit, I'm incredibly tempted just to post the complete lyrics of Take That's 1995 hit

Never Forget

as it perfectly describes WWE's journey over the past 10 years. I won't though because that would be a bit too lazy.

WWE had a great year in 2008. If you're thinking 'but this was after the Attitude Era therefore it had to be rubbish', this was the year when Jeff Hardy jumped off the Raw stage onto Randy Orton, the year John Cena made

that

return at the Royal Rumble, the year 'I'm sorry I love you' became a meme, and the year Floyd Mayweather legitimately popped The Big Show's nose.

In terms of society, 2008 was a year where everyone with a tiny penis wore Kanye's shutter glasses, the year vampires became your favourite pastime, and the year Mike Ashley sold James Milner and bought a load of rubbish over Kevin Keegan's head, forcing the Messiah to walk out on my beloved Newcastle United for the second time.

A lot has changed since then. Let's have a look at 10 things our 2008 selves wouldn't believe were possible but are actually happening right now in WWE...

10. Shane McMahon Can Have A Better Match With AJ Styles Than Kevin Steen

WrestleMania 33:

AJ Styles and Shane McMahon open the show but put on what was undoubtedly the match of the night.

SummerSlam 2017

: Kevin Owens and AJ Styles, with Shane as Special Guest Referee, disappoint in a high-profile match where the story of KO vs. Shane 'O' got in the way of the action.

If you were to place these two matches side-by-side and showed them to wrestling fans who had no idea who the three men involved were - if that's even a thing that could possibly exist - they would undoubtedly choose the 'Mania opener as the superior match.

While Shane vs. AJ was the culmination of a feud, despite taking place on the third biggest event of the year Shane vs. Owens was a match put on to build to another match. The special guest ref on the night took away from the action while adding to another developing story - admittedly, a very difficult balance to keep in check.

The fact remains, however, that 47-year-old Shane McMahon had a better match with AJ Styles than Kevin Owens did in what has to be his prime - an unfathomable thought 10 years ago.

Back in 2008, Kevin Owens was well on his way to becoming one of the biggest names on the Independent scene with his size the only thing seemingly between him and a move to WWE - oh how times have changed for the better in that respect. While Mr Steen was tearing it up for the likes of CZW, PWG and Ring Of Honor, Shane McMahon was a bit part player on WWE television, working alongside his sister Stephanie as Interim Raw GM.

Just looking at the two men and their prospects in 2008 makes this fact all the more bizarre. The thought of a fellow the size of Owens making it to WWE back then was fanciful. We were deep in the body era if you want to call it that, where guys with a belly simply weren't welcome - unless your name was Viscera, Trevor Murdoch or Umaga. And secondly, while one man was well on the way to becoming one of the best on the planet back in 2008, the other was heading towards middle age and a seven-year hiatus from all things WWE...

9. WCW Artefacts Playing Major Roles In WWE

Kendo Sticks on a pole, WarGames, and a Starrcade event back on WWE's calendar - 17 years after its death WCW is taking over what was their biggest competition once again.

Traces of WCW's influence on WWE start at the Performance Center. While WWE rightfully lauds over their mecca of all things wrestling and fitness, WCW had one a long time before them. WWE is essentially WCW these days - minus the huge financial losses and Vince Russo, of course -  the damn copycats. It's no real surprise when you see the likes of the late, great Dusty Rhodes, Triple H, William Regal, Finlay, and others synonymous with WCW with such prominent positions backstage in recent times.

Where does it stop, WWE? Where does it stop?

8. Brock Lesnar, The Miz, The Hardys, Big Show, Kane (And Potentially The Undertaker) Are Still Here

I know, I know, The Undertaker is barely here but rumours of a WrestleMania showdown with John Cena refuse to go away and there are rumours The Big Show's contract expired at the end of February - we don't really know where we stand on either of these issues so let's just throw their names in here for the sheer lols of it all.

First of all, think back to 2008 and Brock Lesnar's relationship with the professional wrestling business. Four years earlier he turned his back on WWE as he was sick of the travel that came with performing for a global brand, and was starting out his journey with UFC - there was zero mention of the would-be UFC Heavyweight Champion and wrestling in the same sentence, never mind a chance he could return one day.

As for the rest, you know how old they are and how much of a minor miracle it is they're still performing in a WWE ring to this day. A special shoutout must go to The Miz, though. It's been well documented how much he was hated behind the scenes back in 2006/07 so a hearty pat on the back for weathering that storm and going on to become one of the best in the world today.

7. Kurt Angle Vs. Triple H Is The Biggest WrestleMania 34 Feud

I'm not downplaying Ronda Rousey and Stephanie McMahon's involvement in this feud at all. Triple H vs. Kurt Angle is what got the ball rolling and it all started five months ago at Survivor Series. 

In terms of singles competition, Kurt Angle and Triple H's rivalry can be traced back as far as Unforgiven 2000. Naturally, their feud surrounded Mrs Ladyballs herself, Stephanie McMahon. Kurt had taken a liking to the Billion Dollar Princess and started to chat to her backstage - a jealous Triple H didn't like this, so the pair fought.

Their blood feud then continued following The Game's return from

that

injury at the start of 2002. Hunter won the Royal Rumble, he and Steph were going through with their divorce, she was desperate to take his WWF Undisputed Championship match at WrestleMania X8 away from him, Kurt Angle fought on her behalf - and defeated HHH, mind you - at No Way Out 2002.

Fast forward 15-and-half years and in the traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match, Team Raw's Triple H screwed his partner Kurt Angle out of the match. The pair are now set to face off at WrestleMania 34 in a mixed tag bout with Rousey and Stephanie on opposing sides with them in what is - so far - the hottest Mania feud of the year.

We're going round in circles...

6. An Active (ish) Roster Member Appearing For The Second Biggest Promotion In The World

When it was announced that Chris Jericho was going to appear for NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 12 every single chin in the WWE Universe hit the floor in astonishment.

It was an unprecedented move. While Y2J was certainly a part-time performer, in terms of his wrestling he was exclusive to WWE since 1999. He had just come off the best run of his career and was seemingly taking time away from the ring to focus on Fozzy once more.

Up until very recently, WWE have been very reluctant to mention other promotions from around the world. The influx of talent who made their respective names on the indies has seen a shift and a willingness to namedrop other

big feds 

from time to time - but one of their own competing in what many consider to be the second biggest company in the world is absolute madness.

Many initially thought that Jericho must have gone behind Vince McMahon's back to secure a deal. There was seemingly no way McMahon, given his track record in promoting and dealing with other promotions, would sanction any deal, but he did. Chris told Old Vinnie six weeks before the match against Kenny Omega was announced and he was completely fine with it. Vince McMahon is mellowing at his old age and it's lovely to see.

Everyone won here, with Jericho being seen as 'the WWE guy' in NJPW spreading their name throughout Japan, and New Japan World subscriptions reportedly jumping up roughly 25,000 over WK12 time. The entire situation was good business all round that probably wouldn't have happened back in 2008.

5. The WWE Network

Imagine saying back in 2008 there would be a digital streaming service where every single WWE event EVER(ish) would be housed and available at the click of a mouse, the tap of a button, or the dab of a tablet - "what's a tablet?!," 2008 exclaimed.

We knew we wanted this back in 2008, but I don't think too many of us could picture what it would look like. Thankfully, in 2014, following in the footsteps of Netflix and the like, some boffins at WWE created the WWE Network and my goodness has it become a wonderful thing since?

The WWE Network, as a concept, is sheer madness and we don't realise how lucky we are to have it. Working in a field where you require screenshots aplenty, having an on-demand service at the tips of your finger is a godsend - and that's before you look at the tool as a fan.

The WWE Network is love, the WWE Network is life.

4. The XFL Is Coming Back

The XFL remains Vince McMahon's biggest flop so of course he's bringing it back. He's a stubborn old man who doesn't know the meaning of failure... unless it pertains to Lex Luger, WWF New York or... erm... the XFL.

I'm no expert on American Football but I do know there are issues off the field that Vince is looking to capitalise on. He's going to clean up the XFL compared to the utter car crash we saw back in 2001, with the bold move of only hiring players without a criminal record at the forefront of the rebrand.

I don't know why he brought it back. Seeing how badly the first version went I would have thought Vince would have been put off for life. Then again, people will watch anything these days - we live in a world that includes Geordie Shore for goodness sake - so all the bloody best to him and his ambition.

3. The Women's Revolution

WWE's women's ranks had some mighty fine performers back in 2008. The likes of Michelle McCool, Melina, and Mickie James are names that would be able to stand toe-to-toe with any of the GOATs from any era of the women's game.

However, with bikini contests, '

Diva Searches

' and under five-minute matches still rife on WWE's television, it was clear for all to see that in terms of in-ring competition WWE didn't take the ladies seriously whatsoever.

Imagine watching a three-minute match between Kelly Kelly and Ashley - no offence, ladies - in 2008 and believing the ladies of today would be allowed to reach the heights they currently are. They're main eventing pay per views, and contesting a plethora of stipulations once exclusive to the men just as well as they do these days, something they would never have been given a chance to do 10 years ago.

We've come a long way since 2008 to a place not too many people would have imagined possible. Credit goes to all - and that includes the ladies who were laying foundations back in '08 - who got us here.

2. 'Indy' Stars Rule The Roost

Vince McMahon hates (what his muscular brain would view as)

out of shape

wrestlers - What is Kevin Owens doing atop WWE?

Vince McMahon doesn't see the smaller wrestler (in relativity, of course) as a main event player - What the hell happened at the end of WrestleMania XXX and beyond?

Vince McMahon hates people with a southern accent - How the hell is AJ Styles cutting 15-minute promos on SmackDown Live?

Vince McMahon doesn't like to push characters and gimmicks he didn't create - How on earth has Woken/Broken Matt Hardy managed to appear in WWE and seems to be on the cusp of using all of the things that made his Impact act so special?

Vince McMahon has changed since 2008. It's not all about the bodies anymore.

The likes of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan wormed their way into the system and ran rings around his company-made prospects in all aspects of being a WWE Superstar. Well done to those lads for breaking down barriers and proving Vince McMahon wrong; and well done to Vince McMahon for opening his mind and realising there is indeed real, self-made talent that belongs at the very top of his company out there and ready to be plucked from the

smaller

leagues.

1. John Cena Has Been Replaced

I know he's still around but WWE have finally found the heir to the throne of John Cena and his name is Roman Reigns whether you like it or not.

We've all seen it play out for years now, and I know a lot of you wanted to see the push end during that time. However, on an innocuous pay per view last Autumn, John Cena lost to Roman Reigns in a match that saw a passing of the torch. Hogan did it to Warrior at WrestleMania VI and Cena to Reigns at... No Mercy...

Heck, they tried it on the Grandest Stage of them All once and it didn't work, so we shouldn't be too surprised to see them trying it on a smaller one just to see if it works.

Back in 2008, we were in prime SuperCena territory. Match after match he would be beaten down and then battle back to win somehow. Even at the start of the year, he returned roughly 10 years before his expected return date after tearing a pectoral muscle. There was nobody that could beat him in the ring, and more importantly, nobody that could touch him in terms of popularity and merch sales.

While Roman Reigns still has a long way to go to get to Cena's peak, he's been earmarked by WWE so half the battle has won. We'll have to see over time if he can win the other half, the more difficult half - winning over the overwhelming majority of the WWE Universe.

10. Eugene & William Regal

WWE.com

Eugene was Eric Bischoff's kayfabe nephew, the Raw General Manager placing him under the care of the recently returned William Regal (who had been battling health issues for the past year).

They were a classic odd couple pairing and the blue-blooded Brit wasn't exactly keen at first though he came to have an affinity for his 'special' friend and sought to protect him against those who wished to take advantaged of him.

The two became a full-time tag team in the fall of 2004 and WWE teased giving them the tag straps when Raw was taped from Manchester, England on October 11.

They 'won', only for Bischoff to restart the match, after which La Resistance retained.

Still, WWE must have liked the reaction Eugene and Regal got, because they booked the strip proper on the November 15 episode of Raw. They defended the titles a few times on television, mostly against La Resistance, but their reign was ultimately cut short.

While defending against Christian and Tyson Tomko in the opener of 2005's New Year's Revolution pay-per-view, Eugene landed badly on a dropkick and injured his knee.

He needed surgery and would be out for a while, so WWE booked a title change on a house show, La Resistance regaining the belts (with Jonathan Coachman subbing for Eugene).

Regal would bounce back not too long after, joining up with Tajiri in another odd couple scenario and winning the titles on an episode of Raw that emanated from the Japanese Buzzsaw's homeland.

9. Lance Storm & Chief Morley

WWE.com

As mentioned in the previous entry, William Regal had to take about a year out in order to recover from some health issues in 2003/04.

When these health issues started to occur, Regal was reigning as World Tag Team Champion with Lance Storm as the two were feuding with Rob Van Dam and Kane.

Rather than have the titles vacated, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff's 'Chief of Staff' Val 'Chief Morley' Venis stepped in.

It was a short-term fix, with Storm and Morley only successfully defending the titles once during the week that they held them, beating RVD and the Big Red Machine on the pre-WrestleMania XIX episode of Sunday Night Heat (their match was bumped from the main card due to time constraints).

The next night on Raw, RVD and Kane came good and won the titles.

8. Rikishi & Rico

WWE.com

Well, wasn't this all quite the pointless endeavour?

In the spring of 2002, Rikishi was feuding with World Tag Team Champions Billy and Chuck, who were managed by their 'personal stylist', Rico.

Heading into the title match at Judgment Day, Rikishi didn't have a partner, with Vince McMahon picking a surprise one for him.

He picked Rico, basically turning things into a 3-on-1 handicap match where the Samoan superheavyweight had to fight his own partner, too.

But - quelle surprise - Rico's meddling actually backfired and he found himself as champion.

The storyline only lasted a couple of weeks, with one defense on television, before Billy and Chuck won them back. And everyone moved on with their lives. And nobody ever spoke about it again.

There was really no point in this reign, as it didn't lead anywhere and only served to cool off Gunn and Palumbo as they were starting to gain some steam.

7. Rico & Charlie Haas

WWE.com

A couple of years later, Rico found himself as Tag Team Champion once more, though this time it was his partner - Charlie Haas - who was the (initially) reluctant party.

The flamboyant Rico and the straight-laced Haas bagged the gold in their first match as a team, beating Rikishi and Scotty Too Hotty on the April 22, 2004 episode of SmackDown.

You can see the psychology in pairing them up, since it was an easy-to-understand dichotomy, Rico had been floundering and Haas was a noted tag specialist fresh off a great run with Shelton Benjamin (who had been traded to Raw).

Regrettably, the odd couple duo (accompanied by 'Miss' Jackie Gayda) did next to nothing on television, defending the belts mainly on Velocity and at house shows.

Their most high profile defense was against Hardcore Holly and Billy Gunn, at Judgment Day. A month later, they dropped the titles to the Dudley Boys after holding onto them for a not-inconsiderable but unmemorable 56 days.

6. Paul London & Billy Kidman

WWE.com

Sometimes when two somewhat similar wrestlers aren't doing anything, WWE will chuck them together in a tag team as a quick fix and hope for the best.

That was clearly the idea when they tagged up Billy Kidman and Paul London.

They had a similar look and both used the Shooting Star Press as a finisher. Neither was doing much of anything before they joined forces and they only teamed once (on Velocity) before they upset the Dudley Boys on the July 8, 2004 episode of SmackDown.

Following that, they defended them mostly on house shows while their televised matches were non-title.

Regrettable, Kidman accidentally injured Chavo Guerrero with an SSP, which set in motion his and London's premature breakup, as Billy's head wasn't in the game and he kept walking out of matches.

After holding the titles for 63 days, they lost them to Renee Dupree and Kenzo Suzuki.

London and Kidman then began a brief feud, which culminated in a decent singles match at No Mercy. London would later enjoy a much more successful Tag Team Title run with Brian Kendrick.

5. Tazz & Spike Dudley

WWE.com

Former ECW standouts Tazz and Spike Dudley had settled into a comfortable midcard role after the Invasion storyline had ended.

The pintsized brawlers teamed up against Bubba and D-Von Dudley, beating them in a Hardcore Match on the January 7th, 2002 episode of Raw. That episode emanated from Madison Square Garden, the same arena Tazz had made his WWE debut almost two years prior.

To be fair to the two of them, they defended the belts gamely on television and on pay-per-view, including against the Dudleys (at Royal Rumble) and Test & Booker T (at No Way Out).

It likely would have been a more memorable reign, had the matches not been mostly short and average.

In the end, they lost them to Billy and Chuck on the February 21 episode of SmackDown and split up immediately after.

4. Rob Van Dam & Booker T

WWE.com

Both Booker T and Rob Van Dam were popular, hardworking performers who could find themselves in the main event mix, but could also often flounder.

WWE's answer to that was, typically, to team them up with another star in a similar situation. Hence why Booker had tag title runs with Goldust and Test and RVD had tag title runs with Kane and Rey Mysterio.

In early 2004, neither of them were in a major programme on Raw, so WWE teamed them up.

Again, there was no real build to their World Tag Team Title win, which came against Ric Flair and Batista on the February 16 episode of Raw.

They did defend the belts a few times on television, against teams such as La Resistance, Matt Hardy & Test and Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak. No, the Raw tag scene wasn't exactly booming at the time, why do you ask?

The team's 'highlight' was probably their defense in a four-team match at WrestleMania XX, which was essentially an excuse to get as many guys on the show as possible in order to give them a payday.

The night after on Raw, they had a long defense against the Dudleys, but then lost the titles back to The Animal and the Nature Boy a week after.

Both Booker and Van Dam were then traded to SmacDown in the draft.

3. Renee Dupree & Kenzo Suzuki

WWE.com

What's better than one 'foreign menace'? That's right, TWO foreign menaces!

Kenzo Suzuki was brought in with the view to making him a top heel in a World Heavyweight Title programme on Raw. WWE quickly realised he wasn't up to the task (let's not mention the tabled 'Hirohito' gimmick) and switched him to SmackDown, where he duly sunk as a singles competitor.

Rene Dupree, a good worker with bags of potential who had previously enjoyed Tag Team Title success as a member of La Resistance, was paired up with him (along with Suzuki's wife Hirohito).

It was a goofy and anachronistic act, yes, but such was the dearth of proper tag teams on the blue brand at the time that they won the Tag Team Titles (from Billy Kidman and Paul London), holding them for an impressive 91 days.

In that time, they had some cracking matches with Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam, the team they eventually lost the belts to.

2. The New Nexus (Michael McGillicutty & David Otunga)

WWE.com

Well, you may remember this, but there were many reasons to forget a lot of what happened on WWE television during this period.

This was practically the 'cookie cutter' era, where Raw and SmackDown were flooded with well muscled but painfully bland prospects from their developmental leagues.

A few of those came to the main roster via the first season of NXT (the game show). Though the angle was a winner initially, most of the group seriously cooled off a few months in, despite the rebrands to New Nexus and The Corre.

Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater weren't amazing tag champions, but they were a damn sight better than David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty.

They beat Kane and Big Show to win those godawful bronze belts and then almost exclusively defended them on house shows for the 91 days they held them.

Their two televised defences were against Vladimir Kozlov & Santino Marella on an episode of Superstars, and the Usos on SmackDown.

It was a relief when Air Boom (Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston) took the titles away from them.

1. The Unholy Alliance

WWE.com

You don't think of The Undertaker as a tag team wrestler, but the Deadman has held the tag titles with four different partners - Steve Austin, Kane, The Rock and Big Show.

Most of these runs were short, with his and The Great One's 'reign' lasting a day, as they won it in one match and lost it in their very next one.

That was more of an angle than a proper reign but, out of the rest of them, his Unholy Alliance with Big Show is probably the least memorable.

Managed by Paul Bearer, the Phenom and the World's Largest Athlete won them for the first time at SummerSlam 1999, seeing off Kane and X-Pac in a good match.

They lost them to the Rock and Sock Connection eight days later on Raw, only to then win them back in a Buried Alive match eight days after that.

Their second reign lasted thirteen days, before The Great One and Mankin won them back (talk about two teams playing hot potato) in a 'Darkside Rules' bout, where 'Taker kicked back on commentary while his Ministry of Darkness minions did the dirty work.

Their two reigns were storyline-driven and unmemorable outside of the Buried Alive brawl, since Undertaker was hurting at the time and severely limited in what he could do physically.