WILD Help

I was incredibly close to attaining WILD last night, as I was lying still and calmly.
I first felt my ears kinda pop, a sort of first sign that I am approaching sleep.
Then as I became more sleepy, I felt myself shaking, almost like an earthquake, and my eyes were fighting to stay closed....
I did kinda see imagery starting to appear, but I couldn't keep my breath even or my eyes closed.

Any tips? Was that REM? How do I maintain an even breath? Was I almost lucid?

You're on track, but I think you are having trouble keeping your eyes closed and your breathing steady because your body wasn't tired enough. A little meditation before bed might help, also you didn't mention but it sounds like you attempted to WILD after just going to bed. While possible, it's not very likely you would LD right off the back. It would be best done after a few hours of sleep; your REM cycle won't normally start until at least 90 minutes of sleep. Everyone is different though, but what I mentioned seems to be the norm.

Do it in the early morning, it will make it much easier to get close enough to sleep without losing consciousness. Wake up 2-3 hours before you normally would. Go to the bathroom, stay up max 5 minutes then go back to bed.

p.s. don't try too hard. The harder you try, the less likely it will be to happen. These sort of things need to happen naturally, don't force it.