5 reasons why 2018 is already one of the weaker years in WWE history

Though 2018 still has another half yet to run, it's already carved its name in stone as one of the weaker years in WWE history. Even if everything goes well, it would be impossible to erase the months of bad programming that came in the first half, particularly since WrestleMania.

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While SmackDown has done well, the quality of the weekly content still hasn't translated into anything major. It feels like the show is just plodding along, even if it's usually doing so enjoyably. Meanwhile, Raw is a mess.

WWE does put out meaningless programming at times, but 2018 has stretched meaninglessness beyond its limits.

NXT has been brilliant. The main roster? Not so much.

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#1 No good feuds

WWE's idea of good storytelling.

Halfway through 2018, there has yet to be a rivalry on the main roster that's worthy of being in the "feud of the year" conversations that will come in December. All of the best feuds of 2018 so far - Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler, Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream, etc. - have been in NXT.

At this time last year, Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe, The Usos vs. The New Day and Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns were all unfolding. We had also already seen Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg. That's a great lineup.

2018 has served us Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn, Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax, Carmella vs. Asuka, Braun Strowman pushing Kevin Owens around in a porta potty, and New Day feuding with people over pancakes.

The closest the main roster has come to a headline-worthy feud was AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, but too many low blows, dumb finishes, and only one truly notable match meant that it fell short.

We can only hope we'll get something better in the back half. The possible Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss feud looks promising.

#2 Tag Team Decimation

Do they do anything but laugh?

At this time last year, The Usos and New Day were carrying SmackDown during a dismal summer. Meanwhile, on Raw, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were on track to a reunion that required each man to regain the other's trust, all the while Cesaro and Sheamus antagonized them.

Both rivalries would produce many match of the year candidates. The tag team division was the most reliable in WWE.

In 2018, the Raw Tag Team Champions are a couple of giggling characters. They're feuding with a team of comedy jobbers who have suddenly found a way to pin one of the champions. That's when the champions appear at all.

On SmackDown the situation is better, but the Bludgeon Brothers aren't over, and after having not appeared for a couple of months, have only now been inserted into an interesting rivalry, even if Team Hell No's reunion will be short-lived.

We can hope for better tag team rivalries in the back half of 2018, but this is a year where the company has once again soured on the division, despite its overwhelming success last year.

#3 The Return of the "Divas"

They might as well just bring this back

2017 hinted at WWE's true priorities for its women's division. In 2018, those hints became unambiguous. The "women's revolution" is over. "The Divas" are back in charge.

Alexa Bliss and Carmella are the champions. In an era that's supposedly centered on women's wrestling, poor quality matches and catty promos have taken priority over good performers.

Some top talent, like Ember Moon, are directionless, while others, like Charlotte Flair and Asuka, have been put in terrible feuds in a failed attempt to get heat on a low-quality talent like Carmella.

Terrible matches are the norm again. We now have to sit through 20 minutes instead of three.

The women's division is in a dark place. Ronda Rousey currently represents the best hope.

#4 Cold, Dead Champions

Phenomenal performer, but his second reign has fallen short of his first

Phenomenal as he is, AJ Styles' WWE Championship reign has run its course. The feud with Shinsuke Nakamura, unfortunately, didn't deliver.

The Deleters of Worlds and Bludgeon Brothers are often nowhere to be found. When they are, the former are laughing all the time while the latter aren't over, even if their ring work is solid.

Carmella is a joke of a champion and not a good one.

The company realized that Nia Jax was a flop, but Alexa Bliss now has to renew her feud with the former before we get to something better.

Jeff Hardy's reign has seen its share of injury problems.

The Universal Championship picture is such a mess it requires its own slide.

The only title that's had major buzz surrounding it has been the Intercontinental Championship. Seth Rollins carried it with pride and Dolph Ziggler is resurgent. His pairing with Drew McIntyre will continue to be a point of interest.

Since most of the champions are either plodding along or shouldn't be holding titles, the feuds surrounding them haven't delivered. It's time for an overhaul.

#5 Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has many superpowers, but invisibility might be the most prominent

Someone put his picture on a milk carton. The Universal Champion has been missing for over two months. It will probably soon be three.

Brock Lesnar's reign may have started out hot, but since defeating Braun Strowman at No Mercy last year, it's been doused in ice. It's now a stage 4 cancer on Raw, and the longer his reign continues, the sicker the show will become.

His increasing absences have left the top of the card directionless, which is why Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley need to beat up the Revival every week and Braun Strowman needs to chase Kevin Owens around.

When he is around, he's feuding with Roman Reigns, a rivalry which is a walking zombie made in the image of the debacle at WrestleMania 20, and with no end in sight. It's like Chinese water torture at this point.

Unless Brock Lesnar loses the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, Raw is well on its way to having its unsatisfactory year since the celebrity guest host era in 2009.