It’s impossible to judge matches with crowd vs. matches without crowds. The ones without are usually worse because wrestling is inherently a thing that needs an audience, but the empty arena matches that really hit are really impressive.
1. NXT North American Title: Keith Lee [c] vs. Dominik Dijakovic (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
The everlasting rivalry finally got a TakeOver match and it delivered. These two freaks of nature bring the best out of each other, or maybe the craziest. This was spectacular.
2. The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever: Edge vs. Randy Orton (Backlash (6/14/20)
WWE’s main event formula for over a decade has been about throwing everything at the match – chain wrestling, table spots, no-selling, etc. Edge and Orton have delivered a mid-range version of that match for years. Here they entered the ring for a match promoted as The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, took it seriously, and delivered something great. That’s impressive with only employees in the crowd and it is more impressive with the dumbass tagline. Parts of it felt like the Road to WrestleMania mode in a video game, but more parts of it felt like a classic match. They traveled in approach from Boston to Budokan for 45 minutes and put on a show.
3. Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak (Elimination Chamber 3/8/20)
Sometimes, once in a while, before a global pandemic consumes society, it is just nice to see a couple fellows having a fake grappling contest using only their holds and reactions to their fellow man’s hold. It was a ballsy move having Daniel Bryan and the re-introduced Drew Gulak open a show doing matwork, but they delivered.
4. Men’s Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 1/26/20)
The Brock Lesnar Royal Rumble, a frustrating exercise to watch play out live but one with an awesome payoff and a lot of great character bits with old and new Brock rivals. Rey Mysterio and The New Day teamed up against him, Shelton Benjamin embraced him, and Keith Lee practically gave him an erection. Also, Edge returned and an actually fresh guy won the whole thing. Great Rumble.
5. NXT Tag Team Title: Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish [c] vs. The BroserWeights (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
An amazing tag match that was a little all over the place, a meteor shower of crazy 2020 wrestling with work Katsuyori Shibata would approve of in between. Great performances all around, including Bobby Fish’s understated look after the near fall of all near falls.
6. WWE Intercontinental Title Tournament – Final: Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (SmackDown 6/12/20)
An exceptional half-hour match that didn’t lose me for a second, even in my early 30s stressed out father phase. Styles has lost many steps since coming to WWE, but these two trust each other and did all the good stuff when there’s no actual story beyond “competition”: aggressively trying to ground and tap each other early, interesting and unique limb work, complex signature move setups. They wrapped it up with call-backs, drama, and a straight-up clean finish. Great match with a crowd or without.
7. Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Round 1: Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster (NXT 1/15/20)
There has been a lot of NON-STOP CRAZY~! wrestling these last few years but this one felt like it even lapped that concept, with the format of an epic tag match that had so much tacked on at the end that it got got to the place where epic tag matches actually seem to be trying to go. I actually bought a Flash Morgan Webster near fall on Matt Riddle, and I’m still not sure the world we live in is the same after Riddle caught that dive into a cradle tombstone on the floor near the end. Dunne vs. Andrews remains one of the best pairings in wrestling too.
8. Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy (RAW 1/13/20)
Remember when Aleister and Buddy were deliberately introduced to the masses with a solitary feud that kept them dominant and focused on showcasing their ability? This was the end result, a build and blowoff that actually worked, a match that delivered so much it got Buddy a gig as Seth Rollins’ sidekick and almost convinced WWE to run with Aleister Black vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. This is not just pure work but absolute LABOR getting over in WWE.
9. The Undisputed Era vs. Imperium (Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT UK 1/25/20)
Alexander Wolfe getting actually KO’d minutes into this made for an awkward first 5 minutes, but it also gave the match a creepy feel of legitimacy, like yeah that was totally bound to happen when these two factions went at it. Then they made it The WALTER Show, with big NJPW vs. UWF vibes and awesome bits with O’Reilly and Strong as he continued his campaign to just dominate the entire Undisputed Era, who played their role to a tee.
10. Boneyard Match: The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles (WrestleMania 36 Night 1 4/4/20)
More an extended movie scene than a wrestling match, but I will judge any match on any card all the same. For a company that is normally tone deaf, WWE completely nailed the tone for whatever this needed to be. They embraced both the ridiculousness and possibilities of pro wrestling, with 20 minutes of hand-to-hand combat and henchman attacks and explosions at an abandoned house by a graveyard. If all Undertaker has to do is heave and deliver lines, he’s got 20 more years left.
11. WWE Intercontinental Title Tournament – Semi Final: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus (SmackDown 5/29/20)
These two have had great chemistry for nearly a decade but I didn’t expect them to have a match this good in COVID WWE. They brought it to each other with little dead space while always selling the David/Goliath dynamic, and the back-and-forth at the end was extra physical and genuinely dramatic.
12. WWE Intercontinental Title Tournament – Round 1: Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak (SmackDown 5/15/20)
Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak got 15 minutes on WWE TV to do some of the coolest, trickiest matwork you’ll ever see on WWE TV. There are wrestlers who are just good at this and know how to make all this silly stuff serious, and Bryan and Gulak are two of the best to ever do it. They traded wristlocks and waistlocks, then escalated into something near violence. A rare gem in this weird era.
13. Street Fight: Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
Tegan Nox just committed and bumped her way here into nearly re-inventing the WWE Street Fight, as despite some cute stuff like a cricket bat beneath the ring and stunts delivered for the benefit of a nearby camera, this felt as close as we’ve gotten to an actual chaotic brawl in a while.
14. #DIY vs. Moustache Mountain (Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT UK 1/25/20)
All the good stuff, a pair of fan favorites competing with an intent to both win and remind everybody why they are fan favorites. A blast of a dream match that delivered, with one of the bigger big time finishes.
15. WWE Title: Drew McIntyre [c] vs. Seth Rollins (Money in the Bank 5/10/20)
This worked on a lot of levels: McIntyre and Rollins always have chemistry, they ran a good old-fashioned competitive championship match, they added in some quirks like McIntyre overpowering Rollins and kicking out at one on stuff, and it actually didn’t seem like the lack of crowd held them back. The fellas just looked ahead and had their kickass match.
16. NXT Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 36 Night 2 4/5/20)
Charlotte Flair’s big title match approach translated well to an empty arena, with a physicality and general seriousness making this feel like the most intense, real wrestling match of the entire month. She actually roared at one point, like a lion. It ruled. Ripley kept up too, and you could feel this translating well in front of an audience.
17. Cage Fight: Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher (Special Guest Ref: Kurt Angle) (NXT 5/27/20)
Witness Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher credibly introduce a new match type for WWE while also putting over this new guy Timothy Thatcher. This had nasty strikes, sweet suplexes, and a sense of legitimacy even as they climbed platforms. Three of Thatcher’s teeth got knocked out too, and that happened in the first minute of the match.
18. NXT Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Bianca Belair (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
Big fight holds, great selling, wild finish – a match that took its time and delivered. Belair takes the craziest back body drop to the floor here too.
19. RAW Women’s Title: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka w/ Kairi Sane (Royal Rumble 1/26/20)
Fun, exciting, and an incredible finish – problem is, these two set the bar HIGH last year. This is high quality, but merely “great” as opposed to that epic at Rumble 2019. We are spoiled.
20. Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin (TakeOver: Blackpool II 1/12/20)
A great match that will somehow end up both overrated and underrated, and if anything a heck of a presentation from two exciting talents on their way up. It was a match with the pitfalls of one promoted by WWE as a possible “Match of the Year,” but still a heck of a match with a great atmosphere and two incredibly well-rounded pro wrestlers that blend fundamentals, the right charisma for their roles, and the capability of pulling off pretty much anything.
21. Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
A match that went from vaguely annoying to undeniably great. Sometimes I think there aren’t a lot of surprises left in the Gargano and Balor match, but then they do a bunch of cool setups and twists on their signature moves that reminds me they still think deeply about this stuff.
22. Fatal 4-Way Match – NXT Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza [c] vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin (Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT UK 1/25/20)
It was awesome seeing these guys in various stages of WWE developmental purgatory just get a SPOT. They seemed to get the go-ahead to go balls to the wall and boy did they. Angel Garza got a star treatment too, though when doesn’t he?
23. NXT Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Tommaso Ciampa (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
A big stupid title match with ALL the tricks, Adam Cole playing Shawn Michaels and Tommaso Ciampa playing Triple H. It was good for what it was. It really is a great performance by Ciampa.
24. NXT North American Title: Keith Lee [c] vs. Johnny Gargano (TakeOver: In Your House 6/7/20)
Johnny Gargano works maybe five matches a year and there’s always a few moments where you just know Randy Orton is cringing, but the fella can go. This was the usually exciting TakeOver match with some extra inspired work from Gargano where he scrambled around and had to work hard for all his offense to look credible. The finish was as exciting as any babyface Johnny TakeOver match, with quality near falls that didn’t need a live crowd reacting to hit.
25. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 36 Night 1 4/4/20)
Owens and Rollins have their match down and can deliver it anywhere. Like Ripley/Flair, it was one of the only matches since the pandemic began that would clearly hit big with a live crowd. It’s tough to read live drama when live people aren’t audibly responding to it, but this felt very dramatic. You could distantly hear the “This is Awesome” chants, even.
26. Firefly Fun House Match: John Cena vs. The Fiend (WrestleMania 36 Night 2 4/5/20)
More an Adult Swim short than a professional wrestling match, but damnit I will judge any match on any card all the same. WWE does all kinds of weird things, but John Cena and Bray Wyatt teleporting into John Cena’s unconscious to have a self-referential match at WrestleMania is another level of weird. Heck of a risk. Happy they did it. I’m not going to say they’ll “draw money” or “get heat”, but they restored the element of surprise to WWE and put smiles on my face. Maybe you can’t do what wrestling is supposed to do through just wrestling anymore.
27. NXT Cruiserweight Title #1 Contender’s Match: Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza (NXT 2/12/20)
Another great outing by these two, maybe on the lower end of their series but also more straight-up: great rope running, intensity, and drama, all brought up by Lio Rush just being an absolute nutjob. Garza’s deadlift Angel’s Wings is so cool too.
28. RAW Women’s Title: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka w/ Kairi Sane (RAW 2/10/20)
Frantic and credible grappling mixed with big moments that all counted because they took their time on them – this is great wrestling, a heck of a pairing.
29. Tyler Breeze vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT 2/5/20)
A tale of two matches, one before commercial and one after. Jordan Devlin is a real character, an acquired taste kinda guy, and by that I mean one who in a cold Full Sail debut will bore the shit out of you and then suddenly the crowd is screaming their lungs out for Tyler Breeze making a comeback. Tremendous stuff.
30. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair (RAW 6/8/20)
Charlotte vs. Asuka is a great pairing and both are MVP’s of the no-crowd era. This had all their hits, with painful-looking strikes and dramatic struggles for submission maneuvers. Charlotte threw approximately four awesome big boots here at all the right times. You can ignore the run-in at the end.
31. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett (TakeOver: In Your House 6/7/20)
This was an effective match. I love an effective match. Karrion Kross looked like a killer (hmm) and Ciampa got in just enough so that he came out looking badass despite basically being destroyed. It was also the rare TakeOver match that knew it had to be only five minutes and actually was.
32. Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher (NXT 5/13/20)
A hastily setup grudge match resulted in a really great 7-minute match. Good old-fashioned tough guy grappling is one of the only wrestling styles that really works with no audience. No matter what they were doing, somebody was always grabbing some thigh meat.
33. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Tony Nese (205 Live 6/26/20)
These two got sent out to fill an entire half-hour episode of 205 Live and did real good. There was a lot of Swerve working his way back into armbars, a little bit of Nese offense, and a quality build to a quality finish. I wish Swerve really nailed his finish, but this is the rare modern 205 Live match worth checking out.
34. NXT Cruiserweight Title Tournament – Final: El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Drake Maverick (NXT 6/3/20)
Being a tournament final, Fantasma and Maverick got more in-ring time than they ever have in WWE and went full NXT main event including a couple wild sit-out powerbombs and some tremendous babyface selling from Drake.
35. Triple Threat Match – NXT Women’s Title: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai (TakeOver: In Your House 6/7/20)
I loved this just because it willed a very cynical me into enjoying a Triple Threat Match during COVID-WWE. That takes talent, I think. Charlotte and Ripley brought the physicality that has made their previous matches good, while Io got to let loose and was so so so good
36. NXT Women’ Title: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Io Shirai (NXT 5/6/20)
Charlotte Flair treats her title matches seriously and found an opponent who could very credibly run circles around her and hit her real hard. They were working towards a real crescendo before the DQ finish.
37. Matt Riddle vs. AJ Styles (SmackDown 6/19/20)
A quality debut match: great showcase of Matt Riddle’s wresting style, inspired leg work by AJ Styles, and a win that felt like a big deal. Everything surrounding it was terrible, but the wrestling was good.
38. Money in the Bank Qualifier: Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy (RAW 4/20/20)
A match that snuck up on me, one where I went from barely paying attention and smirking when Rey whispered “my fingers hurt” to one where I thought it might’ve been everything I could ask from a Rey/Murphy TV match besides the crowd. They kept on the fingers and made that interesting, while Murphy was a quality partner for Rey’s typically awesome flying.
39. NXT Tag Team Title: Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher [c] vs. Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish (NXT 4/15/20)
This followed a big debut for Tim Thatcher, the temporary replacement for Pete Dunne in the BroserWeights. All four of these guys had a go and delivered a fun match despite the circumstances. Riddle vs. Fish is a fun pairing, while Thatcher’s hot tag sees him step inside the ring and begin belly-to-belly suplexing people. As my first look at Thatcher, I’m immediately into it.
40. SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley [c] vs. Carmella (SmackDown 2/14/20)
Quality wrestling – Bayley put out her most confident heel performance yet and there are a lot of twists and turns that kept Carmella alive. By the end of the match they were battling for the win like it was RINGS match.
41. No DQ Match: Ilja Dragunov vs. Alexander Wolfe (NXT UK 1/2/20)
I dig these two fighting for holds as opposed to stunts, but they made the No DQ stip their own with extra nasty shots including a finger-break spot with a chair lip that felt nastier than anything Marty Scurll or Pete Dunne have ever done. The sweetest most logical finish too.
42. Strap Match – WWE Universal Title: The Fiend [c] vs. Daniel Bryan (Royal Rumble 1/26/20)
This had a lot of chunks that just felt drab and boring, but there was also some nasty strap lashing and an incredibly impressive counter of the Knee+. Making the improbable seems probable is what the best good brothers do, and there were more moments than I’d like to admit I thought Bryan was going to conquer The Fiend.
3. Steel Cage Match: Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai w/ Raquel Gonzalez (NXT 3/5/20)
Not as wild as their Street Fight but still fun stuff – heated brawling, bumps, and a creative if not very WWE finish.
44. Fatal 4-Way Match – NXT North American Title #1 Contender’s Match: Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic vs. Damien Priest vs. Cameron Grimes (NXT 1/8/20)
A wild, heated NXT match with Keith Lee having another superstar performance on top of all the other ones, while Cameron Grimes came out swinging as a squirrelly bastard who can not only work an NXT main event with established acts but do a German suplex hold so good you’d think he trained in the New Japan Dojo.
45. Triple Threat Match – SmackDown Tag Team Title: The Miz [c] vs. Big E vs. Jey Uso (SmackDown 4/17/20)
This couldn’t have been more than 5 minutes but they packed in as much fun as the entire last month of WWE TV combined. Big E and Jey Uso are very capable of going balls out, and it’s always fun when The Miz reminds you he can too. Somehow, like 10x better than the very OK WrestleMania Ladder Match.
46. Ilja Dragunov vs. A-Kid (NXT UK 4/30/20)
Originally taped in early March, this happened at one of the last live shows WWE ran and was aired on a “Hidden Gems” edition of NXT UK. It’s a strong bunch of wrestling with tight matwork, well-timed big spots, applause and a handshake afterwards – all the good stuff. I miss it.
47. Daniel Bryan w/ Drew Gulak vs. Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Cesaro (SmackDown 4/3/20)
This actual Dream Match seriously actually finally happened and was very good, at least as good and solid as a restrained WWE TV empty arena match is able to be. They did a fine job picking up the pace and hitting a groove before a DQ.
48. Winners Face The Miz & John Morrison for the SmackDown Tag Team Title at WrestleMania: The New Day vs. The Usos (SmackDown 3/27/20)
The joy of New Day vs. Usos matches is usually the several times they get seas of people to lose their minds over near falls, so seeing them do their thing with no fans present was interesting. The match didn’t really peak but had some quality wrestling with a near fall or two that definitely would’ve caused people to lose their minds.
49. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Joaquin Wilde (205 Live 3/27/20)
It’s 205 Live at the Performance Center with no fans, why not let Swerve and Wilde run wild and pull out more cool stuff than usual? Had people been around to react there might even be a little buzz. Even the stuff that didn’t work was adorably creative.
50. RAW Tag Team Title: The Street Profits [c] vs. Seth Rollins & Murphy (Elimination Chamber 3/8/20)
The Street Profits are getting better, and Rollins blending in with all these youngsters was the most interesting he’s been in a while. Lots of wild topes here too, just all kinds of wild flying around.
