It's that time of the year again, as we here at TheSportster take a look at the mistakes WWE, its wrestlers, and its officials made in the year, and predict the mistakes they might make before the year is over. We've got less than two months remaining before we say goodbye to 2018 and usher in a new year, and truly, there have been many times WWE missed the mark and didn't quite make the right decision on things. But the year isn't quite over yet, and that means there are still some mistakes that could be made before the final Raw or SmackDown Live of the year. Heck, Crown Jewel alone had many mistakes.

For this list, we're going to look at 15 booking and business decisions WWE made between January and November of this year that didn't quite turn out as planned or didn't get the best reactions from the so-called "WWE Universe" and the numerous pundits who cover the sports entertainment scene.

We'll also be looking at five potential instances where WWE might end up making another bad move to wrap up the year. Some decisions aren't quite as tangible as others but there are certain patterns the WWE sees itself fall into, and if we're going by some of the patterns we've seen, the WWE may very well make some other crucial mistakes.

If you know how the company works, there's sure to be some bad booking in the works before the road to WrestleMania 35 kicks off.

20 Made In 2018: Going All-In On Bliss And Rousey At The Expense Of Other Women On Raw

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We won't disagree with how Alexa Bliss is such a great heel character, and with how Ronda Rousey's WWE debut has gone much better than anyone could have expected. But WWE giving them mega-pushes has resulted in several women seemingly getting neglected.

Prior to Nia Jax’s controversial stiff shot that “broke” Becky Lynch’s face, she was largely a non-factor despite being a former Women’s Champion. Ember Moon is floundering on Raw with little to no direction. And don't get us started on Sasha Banks and Bayley and The Riott Squad, who trade wins on an almost weekly basis. All these are symptoms of the Raw Women's Division being "Alexa, Ronda, and everyone else."

19 Made In 2018: Treating 205 Live Like A C-Show

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In the UFC, it can be said that size doesn't really matter. While some names (see: McGregor, Conor) are obviously more recognizable than others, you've got little guys like T.J. Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson getting respect from fight fans like Daniel Cormier or Stipe Miocic would. Then you've got the WWE, where Vince McMahon still stubbornly believes that you can't be over if you aren't built like an Adonis.

With that in mind, 205 Live hasn't gotten anywhere the recognition it deserves, despite efforts to make the show feel relevant. As such, it's not surprising that many fans don't want the likes of Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Ricochet making their main roster debuts as cruiserweights, despite their clear potential to make 205 Live truly must-see television.

18 Made In 2018: Not Giving TV Time To SAnitY

Admit it – you were probably surprised to see SAnitY interrupt Becky Lynch's open challenge segment on the November 6 SmackDown Live, not because the faction is technically all-male on the main roster, but rather because you barely see them on the blue brand.

Despite their success in NXT, SAnitY has been a huge afterthought on SmackDown Live, as their quick and embarrassing loss in their debut feud with The New Day was a harbinger of things to come. That does not bode well at all for Nikki Cross, who made a cameo on said SmackDown episode (because it was in the U.K.) and cleanly tapped out to Lynch. She deserves much better than what Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dain have been getting so far.

17 Will Make Soon: Not Treating Rollins Vs. Ambrose Like A Money Feud

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After months of waiting, WWE fans finally got to see Dean Ambrose turn heel, and what a heel turn it was, as he attacked Seth Rollins right after they won the Raw Tag Team Championships, on the same night that Roman Reigns announced his real-life leukemia diagnosis and vacated the Universal Championship. That's a must-see feud right there, given Ambrose and Rollins' long history as friends and rivals, but we don't think WWE will prioritize it like they should.

As Brock Lesnar has stepped into Reigns' shoes and signed a deal that's reportedly good until WrestleMania, all things Brock will take center stage in the months leading up to the Show of Shows. And that might include a Rollins vs. Lesnar feud, given how The Architect called out The Beast shortly after his Universal Championship win at Crown Jewel.

16 Made In 2018: Not Changing Crown Jewel's Venue

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Without going into the details of why Crown Jewel was such a divisive show (apart from the questionable booking, that is), one should remember that the controversies surrounding it (and the prior Greatest Royal Rumble PPV in the same venue) were serious enough for John Cena and Daniel Bryan to back out of the event. Those two, as any fan should know, are among WWE's most visible and recognizable superstars.

While there were many who felt that WWE should take the high road and cancel Crown Jewel, the most ideal solution, we'd say, would have been to change the venue. That would have been the proverbial happy medium, as it would've allowed WWE to put on a show without anyone – fans, lawmakers, or their very own wrestlers – calling them out for it.

15 Made In 2018: Letting Brie Bella Compete So Soon After Un-retiring

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At the moment, Nikki and Brie Bella are essentially part-time performers whom WWE could rely on for occasional appearances at big events, such as this year's all-female Evolution PPV. Unfortunately, Brie Mode turned into Botch Mode in a very big way when she accidentally concussed Liv Morgan on Monday Night Raw. Immediately, meme-makers got to work and fans piled on Brie for being so careless in the ring.

Still, this probably wouldn't have happened if WWE made absolutely sure Brie had shaken off most of her ring rust before having her return to action, on TV no less. She was obviously rushed back to the ring because WWE saw dollar signs in a Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella feud ahead of Evolution.

14 Made In 2018: Not Making New Stars In The Tag Division

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As we type this, there are only a few tag teams in the WWE that can be considered a key part of the company's plans – The New Day, The Usos, The Bar, and maybe AOP, even if all they did to win the belts on Raw was beat Seth Rollins in a glorified handicap match. Meanwhile, how's the B-Team doing after their unlikely reign as Raw Tag Team Champions? Does WWE have any post-Bludgeon Brothers plans, now that Rowan is out on the sidelines and Harper has nothing to do on television? Is it time to put Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson's faces on cereal boxes?

Tag team wrestling clearly isn't on top of Vince McMahon's priority list, and the lack of credible teams aside from the first four we mentioned tells fans all they need to know about that.

13 Will Make Soon: Reforming The Wyatt Family

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Dave Meltzer recently suggested that WWE has been brainstorming ideas for Wyatt, who has been off television since Matt Hardy's apparent retirement ended the Deleters of Worlds. The good news is that he does appear to be due for repackaging. The bad news? One of WWE's plans is to team him up with (Luke) Harper in what could be a partial Wyatt Family reunion.

There's a reason why fans consistently pop whenever The Shield reunites, or why Evolution's reunion segment on SmackDown 1000 was fairly well-received – those factions were consistently successful. The Wyatts, on the other hand, were consistently booked as chumps after their mystique wore off (read: after John Cena convincingly won his feud over Bray in 2014).

12 Made In 2018: The Bobby Lashley "Sisters" Segment

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Say what you want about political correctness, but there are a lot of things you could have gotten away with two decades ago that won't fly today for a lot of people. Take the example of Bobby Lashley's feud with Sami Zayn, where Zayn interviewed three men (actually local indy talents) who dressed up like women and were presented as Lashley's "sisters."

That angle did not do any favors for Zayn or for Lashley, and fans hated it from the very first minute. However, unlike many other times WWE has tried hearkening back to the Attitude Era and its edgy content, we're not even sure fans 20 years ago would have been down with such a tacky angle.

11 Made In 2018: Booking Charlotte Flair As The Female Roman Reigns

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While SmackDown Live's Women's Division is in better shape than Raw's, that isn't to say mistakes haven't been made. We'll get to Asuka's descent into irrelevance elsewhere on the list, but one other misstep WWE's creative team made this year was its decision to book Charlotte Flair as the babyface in her ongoing rivalry against Becky Lynch. And not just any babyface, but a Roman Reigns-style alpha babyface.

That hasn't been lost on SmackDown fans, who turn the blue brand's shows into Bizarro-land every time Lynch cuts a promo as the heel women's champion. Clearly, WWE turned the wrong woman heel, and all signs are pointing to another case of WWE forcing another wrestler down the throats of its fans.

10 Made In 2018: Squandering Nakamura's Heel Turn

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If you watched AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 10, you know that both men are capable of five-star matches in the ring. That's why it was a shame to see their match at WrestleMania 34 merely turn out to be a solid affair, but nothing spectacular despite its 20-minute length.

While there was hope things would pick up in subsequent rematches due to Nakamura's excellent (at first) heel turn, that wasn't the case, as the feud simply underwhelmed and didn't deliver the end result many fans were hoping for – the King of Strong Style becoming WWE's first-ever Japanese world champion.

9 Will Make Soon: Continuing The Shawn Michaels Comeback Tour

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For a 53-year-old man who hasn't wrestled since 2010, Shawn Michaels still has got it. (The hair, or lack thereof, is a completely different story, but we digress.) His return has been quite the success, as we saw at Crown Jewel, but we're not exactly on board with the reported plans of keeping the comeback going with a few more matches, possibly until WrestleMania.

Again, let us remind you that the Heartbreak Kid...isn't really a kid anymore. The guy is in his early 50s with years of ring rust that he still needs to shake off, so if WWE wants to use him, they should do so sparingly. And that means saving him for a possible (emphasis on possible) match at WrestleMania 35, but nothing else in between.

8 Made In 2018: Giving A 10-Year-Old Kid A Title Belt

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Yes, we know we already have an entry that covers WWE's tag team divisions in general, but there was one particularly glaring example in 2018 of how little WWE cares about tag team wrestling. Instead of giving a team like Gallows and Anderson or The Revival a much-needed WrestleMania moment, WWE inexplicably made Braun Strowman the number one contender to The Bar's Raw Tag Team Championships, then had him team with a 10-year-old as he singlehandedly won the titles at 'Mania.

It may have been an unforgettable, fun evening for Nicholas Cone (referee John Cone's kid), but couldn't WWE have had him act as a cornerman for a real tag team like the aforementioned Good Brothers and Revival? (Assuming, of course, The Revival would have turned face, which would have also been plausible.)

7 Made In 2018: The WWE World Cup

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There are no two ways about it – Crown Jewel was a mess, and here's another reason why. The WWE World Cup was a) won by a non-wrestler, b) won by someone who wasn't included in the original lineup, and c) technically made up of an all-U.S. final eight, despite its promise to "determine the best in the world." (Way to rub it in at CM Punk, by the way.)

We can justify Shane McMahon's World Cup win by saying it prevented The Miz from being fired from SmackDown Live, per Shane's ultimatum ahead of Crown Jewel. But they could have found another way to tease a Shane heel turn, and Miz winning the World Cup would've been fine anyway. And would it have hurt WWE to include the likes of Rusev (Bulgaria), Shinsuke Nakamura (Japan), or Bobby Roode (Canada) in the final eight?

6 Made In 2018: Asuka's Booking Post-WrestleMania

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The year started out great for Asuka, who won the women's Royal Rumble match and got a title shot at WrestleMania 34. Sadly, it's mostly been downhill since 'Mania for the Empress of Tomorrow, who's been booked like an also-ran since losing to Charlotte Flair in her bid to become SmackDown Women's Champion. That match, of course, ended an unprecedented winning streak that started with her first match in NXT.

One would think Carmella would have been a mere transitional champion after she cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Charlotte shortly after 'Mania, but WWE gave her a fairly lengthy run, which, you guessed it, included multiple wins over Asuka. We can only hope WWE's endgame in partnering Asuka with Naomi is to have the former turn on the latter and redeem herself as a villainous character.

5 Will Make Soon: Mishandling Daniel Bryan's WWE Championship Reign

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There’s no doubt about it — Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship win over AJ Styles right before Survivor Series was well deserved. The heel turn was more divisive, but if done right, Bryan could be a very effective heel champion, especially if given a silent, brooding, ornery character not unlike circa-2008 Chris Jericho.

However, we’re also concerned that WWE might botch Bryan’s ongoing WWE Championship reign in some way, shape, or form before it ends sooner than it should. Vince McMahon, after all, has been known to doubt his capabilities due to his lack of size, and it sadly won’t be a surprise if WWE somehow messes up this good thing.

4 Made In 2018: Insisting Finn Balor Isn't Over

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You know why Vince McMahon might think Finn Balor isn't "over" enough to be a world champion in the WWE? It's surprisingly simple – it's because WWE hasn't booked him like a future champ since he returned from the shoulder ailment that ended his inaugural Universal Championship reign in the first place.

We wouldn't be surprised if Balor is considering taking his talents elsewhere once his contract is up. At 37, he isn't getting any younger, and he isn't anywhere close to title contention on Raw, even for the Intercontinental Championship. If Triple H was running the show, this wouldn't be happening, but fans should know Vince's deal with smaller wrestlers by now.

3 Made In 2018: Wasting Braun Strowman's Cash-In At HIAC

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When Braun Strowman became Mr. Money in the Bank earlier this year, there was no way, for most fans, that he'd follow in the footsteps of Damien Sandow and Baron Corbin, i.e. fall short on his cash-in attempt. After all, he was too over, too high up on the card, too much in Vince McMahon's "big, sweaty man" mold.

Then Hell in a Cell happened, Strowman used his match against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship to cash in, and all went down the drain, thanks to the return of a certain Beast Incarnate. Fans were irate over that match turning into a no-contest, but as you'll see in the next entry, that wasn't the last time WWE reminded people in the worst way possible that Brock Lesnar wasn't quite done with pro wrestling after all.

2 Made In 2018: Giving The Universal Title To Lesnar...Again

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It doesn't matter what WWE's endgame was – were they building Brock Lesnar up for that planned fight against Daniel Cormier in UFC, simply sticking to "what works," or trying to please the Crown Jewel crowd? Whatever the case is, it didn't make any sense for Lesnar to go over Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel and become a two-time Universal Champion.

Lesnar may have been a talented big man wrestler at his peak, but he's now older, much less motivated, and, whether WWE wants to admit it or not, less of a draw. Instead of a Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre feud for the Universal title, we've got Brock doing Brock things, which, in this case, means holding the belt hostage and working a little to earn a lot.

1 Will Make Soon: Not Turning Bayley Or Sasha Heel

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We probably could have filed this as a mistake WWE made in 2018, but if you come to think of it, WWE still has a chance to turn Sasha Banks or Bayley heel. There were all sorts of teases throughout the year that hinted at one of these two women turning, but up to now, they're still teaming together, with their pushes as lukewarm as ever in the (see above) Alexa Bliss/Ronda Rousey-dominated women's scene on Raw.

As WWE seems more interested in pushing, rather than punishing Nia Jax for accidentally injuring Becky Lynch, you can expect Bayley and Sasha to remain stuck in the women's mid-card till the year ends. And don't expect one of them to turn on the other – WWE's made them into the "girls who cried heel turn."