WWE 2008: The Year of a Stacked Roster Full of Legends

2008 was just a fantastic year for the WWE. Stacked Roster Full of Legends. It was like a string of one super talent after another: an enormous talent pool and not just one or two alone but a whole long line of legends in addition to some of the most talented up-and-comers as well as a good number of esteemed, experienced, established names.

Coming back to that roster after many years is just shocking to see how many people actually forgot how amazingly stacked that roster was.

Super Stars of 2008

It had long since passed since John Cena had become the megastar, and in 2008 WWE was main eventing WWE as its number-one face. His aura was huge. From his character to his in-ring work, John Cena was simply the darling of the crowd. He didn't garner only kids; the people booing him would not argue over his work ethic. The feuds that John Cena was having with JBL and Batista that year were must-watch TV.

Triple H: The other pillar of the WWE case, Triple H, was also going very strong at the commencement of 2008. He had relinquished most of his days backstage and was now the WWE Champion, paving another layer to his Hall of Fame career. The clashes of Tripper with Randy Orton and Edge during this year were main event stuff.

WWE 2008: The Year of a Stacked Roster Full of Legends

The Undertaker: The Undertaker maintained himself in phenomenal condition during 2008. The legend reminded everyone just how timeless he is in re-living the Edge feud that saw their final resolution in their Shell in a Cell at SummerSlam. A combination of character and wrestling made Taker an event from WWE.

Randy Orton: He finally was starting to become a genuine top heel. His "Legend Killer" character became even more ominous. Orton's arrogance and icicles personality made him one of the most detested, yet respected, stars of 2008.

Shawn Michaels: HBK was past his prime, yet he'd never lost a step. His matches against Chris Jericho in 2008 are talked about as some of the best storytelling the WWE has ever done. Michaels can take any opponent to levels that not even he'd thought possible.

Rising Stars in 2008

CM Punk: 2008 was the breakout year of CM Punk. He won Money in the Bank in a ladder match at WrestleMania 24, but above all, that moment set up a huge pivotal cash-in for him later on. Then, he went on to become the World Heavyweight Champion, and the momentum started to turn with Punk starting to prove he could hang with the big names.

Jeff Hardy: For years, the big-risk style Jeff had in his matches had made him a crowd favorite, but by 2008, the company was ready to push him into the main event scene. He had his very intense feud against Triple H and later Edge. In his victory at Armageddon, when he gained his first WWE Championship, the crowd experienced emotional highs.

They were The Miz and John Morrison: Two guys, already in the tag team division, yet their success was building.

The Veterans

Edge: Without question, one of the best heels in the WWE going at the moment. Inarguably, the feud with The Undertaker was the high point of 2008. What made Edge one of the more entertaining guys to watch is his ability to derive emotion from the crowds.

Chris Jericho: In 2008, Jericho re-invented himself, moving from the rock star-like babyface to a more radical and deadly heel. That feud with Shawn Michaels is pure storytelling, and any match meant everything.

Balanced Mix of Talent:

It indeed had the right mix of the veteran guys, the currently shining stars, and future legends in 2008. It wasn't one-dimensional at all. You had the icons such as Triple H and The Undertaker, along with newer talents like CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. This made WWE shows interesting week after week.

Amazing Feuds: Actually, it was given to us in 2008; in that sense, perhaps some of the most interesting storylines the WWE ever had. Edge against The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels against Chris Jericho were the two rivalries that defined the year. Those were not feuds of people, but history and emotions involved with them.

With superstars such as Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, and Rey Mysterio, the in-ring style now had more diversity than ever before. You had your technical matches, your high-flying bouts, and your brawls, all on the same show. That kept things fresh.

Pros and Cons

Injuries: A bug on the 2008 calendar was the injury bug. Injuries cost two of the biggest superstars, John Cena and Randy Orton, parts of the year. In its weaker areas, this left large areas open on the main event scene at times.

Even though WWE had enough new faces ready to make their debut in 2008, there were times when they gave too much playing time to the veterans. The young wrestlers like CM Punk and MVP hardly ever got to find some breathing space as they always had to wait for the veterans. This is also the reason why the youngsters took time to ascend to the top.

Wrestling Great Moments WWE 2008

WrestleMania 24: No doubt, the grand show was one of the biggest events of the year. The aftermath saw The Undertaker defeat Edge to become World Heavyweight Champion and Shawn Michaels defeat Ric Flair in an emotional career-ending match for Flair. That's all these moments wanted to tell of the event.

CM Punk's Cash-In: CM Punk cashed-in against Edge in June and surprised everyone by how he took everyone by storm. That proved WWE was ready to take things on a whole new level with new prospects. That was where Punk was going to launch his 2008 venture toward the top.

Jeff Hardy Title Win: Jeff Hardy finally won his very first-ever WWE Championship at Armageddon. This crowd was as high and as low with him as everybody could have been, and he finally sat on top of the mountain after all of these trials and tribulations.

WWE's roster for 2008 was always legendary—not one or two big names, but a roster full to the brim with talented names from top to bottom. From John Cena to CM Punk, Shawn Michaels to Jeff Hardy, the WWE had a line of names that could always deliver top-tier entertainment every week. And the combination of both veterans, rising stars, and legends makes 2008 one of the golden years for wrestling fans.

The sum of the stories, matches, and moments makes WWE in 2008 quite special.