1. NXT UK Title: WALTER [c] vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT UK 10/29/20)
I thought Hell in a Cell couldn’t be topped, and suddenly here’s WALTER and Ilja Dragunov hitting each other so violently that it jumped through the screen and didn’t matter whether a live audience was there or not – they put on an all-time great wrestling match. Dragunov is the a perfect opponent for WALTER, creating a dynamic of a more violent Hansen vs. Kobashi. Dragunov sold WALTER’s punishment like he was on fire and threw his entire self into every single strike – unless he couldn’t, cause he was hurting and whatnot. It’s one of those Special Matches – not just great wrestling, but the kind of thing you can show… others.
2. Hell in a Cell – SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley [c] vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell 10/25/20)
Sasha Banks is three for three on classic Hell in a Cell Matches, one of the only people on Earth that can still create an interesting Cell match in the modern era where there’s three on one show and nobody in the audience. This was all the good wrestling things: creative, fun, violent, and occasionally brilliant. It felt like both a triumphant babyface overcoming the odds match and the kickoff to an even more interesting feud. Very cool to see these guys come around and have a great match after the uhhhh everything WWE has done with them since Brooklyn.
3. Hell in a Cell I Quit Match – WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Jey Uso (Hell in a Cell 10/25/20)
This was a flawless angle within a wrestling match that was better than many matches I’ve ever watched. They kind of had an epic in there too, based around the spear early on before Jey put up a fight and the Big Dog had to bite. The finish is an absolute emotion-filled trip – wrestling doesn’t always wrap me up like this but when it does it reminds me why I’m obsessed with it. Roman and Jey are on one.
4. NXT Title: Finn Balor [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly (NXT TakeOver 31 10/4/20)
It sucks that they got hurt but Kyle O’Reilly provided the ingredients Finn Balor needed to go beyond Good/Fun Match and into Epic Championship Territory. Early on they were always scrambling for momentum and when that momentum shifted by GOLLY was it for a reason. When when somebody did manage something like a strike my GOD was it a big deal. It felt like one big battle from the bell – they locked up and kept at it, only pausing when somebody got plastered. A real wrestling match.
5. NXT Cruiserweight Title: Santos Escobar [c] vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (NXT TakeOver 31 10/4/20)
Swerve Scott has been saddled with the WORST start/stop introduction by WWE, but shows off some really cool stuff every few months. This felt like all that stuff in a big title match: flying impressive even in 2020, elbows that connect, big near falls. If WWE wanted to matches like this makes the Cruiserweight Title seem worth caring about, but I don’t think they want to.
6. Pete Dunne & Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER & Alexander Wolfe (NXT UK 10/15/20)
The pre-match to WALTER/Dragunov gave an idea of what was to come, four guys fighting through silence and to have the type of match a live audience would lose it for. Dunne and WALTER applied tight headlocks before a Dragunov ass-kicking led to a full-on Real World Tag League tribute, big strikes and saves and everybody just being an absolute badass with a role to play. Bring them to the States! Wait – don’t.
7. WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Braun Strowman (SmackDown 10/16/20)
Reigns vs. Strowman was good in the past but I was still surprised how easily they re-captured the magic in this TV main event. I like a wrestling match based around momentum and big collisions, especially when Roman Reigns is putting it over the top with his selling. The finish is a guillotine choke too.
8. Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus (RAW 10/26/20)
Everybody this month decided to beat the shit out of each other so this didn’t completely stand out, but these two hit each other real hard and built this into a war that ended when Riddle’s back gave out and Sheamus kicked him in the face. Loved it.
9. Kevin Owens vs. The Fiend (SmackDown 10/9/20)
This match effectively brought the action while playing with how just how Fiendy the Fiend is, and besides the Daniel Bryan matches it ended up not just the best but most interesting actual “Fiend” match. Well done, KO.
10. Ashante “Thee” Adonis vs. Brian Kendrick (205 Live 10/9/20)
Brian Kendrick, who is on a low key run working the new cruiserweights, always seems to want to work these physical competitive matches with his Captain’s Hook as a big spot, and in the 205 Live environment that usually comes off real dry – until it doesn’t. When it hits, it hits, and Ashante Adonis made sure it hit. Adonis had big impact behind everything he hit and the eventual win actually felt earned.
11. KUSHIDA vs. Velveteen Dream (NXT TakeOver 31 10/4/20)
I am as confounded with whatever is going on with WWE and Velveteen Dream as I am many things I guess in this psuedo-actual-dystopia we live in, but these two reeled me in with the most 2020 kind of match – drama is found not always in the wrestling itself but the idea that the assholes running this might ACTUALLY have poor KUSHIDA use his finishing move five times on Dream and still lose. Think I was better off without the journey.
12. WWE Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn [c] vs. Jeff Hardy (SmackDown 10/2/20)
I don’t look to Jeff Hardy for ring classics anymore, though he usually does reliably put out solid matches despite a raging sciatica pain that I KNOW is just there. But these two got the SmackDown main event slot and put on a whole match, with Jeff putting enough emphasis on everything he hit and extra in between it all that it came off like it’s always been his personal goal to face El Generico – first the Ladder Match, now the singles main event.
13. Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso (SmackDown 10/30/20)
14. Jey Uso vs. AJ Styles (SmackDown 10/2/20)
Two very cool matches with Jey Uso treated like a main eventer and doing ALL the stuff with first an AJ Styles with his working boots on and second a returning and fired up Daniel Bryan. In both cases they did their usual match like seasoned pros and added a few tricks, like Styles doing a superplex off the apron onto the commentary table or Bryan charging into the corner for his clothesline only to have a superkick shoved down his throat.
15. Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez (NXT 10/28/20)
Rhea Gonzalez is one of those capable NXT roster members that has had like 5 TV matches but on a Halloween Havoc against Rhea Ripley she’ll just show up and deliver everything needed. Good brawl, good showcase, good match.
16. Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode (SmackDown 10/30/20)
Whether it is 2015 on Main Event or 2017 on SmackDown or 2020 in the Thunderdome, Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler can pull off some near falls.
17. SmackDown Tag Team Title: Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura [c] vs. Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (SmackDown 10/9/20)
This was Kofi & Woods’ return to TV and they just seamlessly slotted back into epic tag match mode, winning the belts in a very fun match that would’ve gotten the biggest pop live. Credit to Cesaro & Nakamura for just always hanging too.
18. WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax [c] vs. Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan (RAW 10/5/20)
The Riott Squad are good babyfaces in need of a role and seemed to find that role as Nia & Shayna delivered some of the straight-up meanest arm work you’ll see in WWE: Nia driving Ruby’s shoulder directly into the apron or cutting off Liv’s hot tag with a big clothesline was a tease of what could be possible if anybody actually cared.
19. TLC Match – NXT Women’s Title: Io Shirai [c] vs. Candice LeRae (NXT 10/28/20)
20. NXT Women’s Title: Io Shirai [c] vs. Candice LeRae (NXT TakeOver 31 10/4/20)
I wish the first didn’t didn’t feel like such meandering Ladder-Match-in-a-Thunderdome stuff early, because Candice’s bumps at the end of some of the craziest you’ll see all year. It was good but lacking something, which was similar to the title match which had a spectacular finish and snug work but felt too long and had dumb referee Johnny Gargano.
21. Falls Count Anywhere: Big E vs. Sheamus (SmackDown 10/9/20)
More a ridiculous match than a grudge match, but that can work sometimes. Michael Cole also has an all-time great call here, just losing it over and crowbars and car stunts. Worth seeing, if not actually better than anything above it.
22. The New Day’s Farewell Match: The New Day vs. Sheamus, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown 10/16/20)
With Kofi & Woods headed to RAW and Big E staying on SmackDown, the New Day had one more Very Solid 6-Man Tag with some old foes. There aren’t any surprises here but you have to appreciate the consistency, and if you can’t appreciate that then at least take in the well-intentioned farewell.
23. NXT Tag Team Title: Breezango [c] vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (NXT 10/21/20)
An exciting sprint of a tag team match followed by an unexpected finish – fine.
24. Ricochet vs. Angel Garza (Main Event 10/28/20)
If you have Hulu, you can watch Ricochet and Angel Garza kill time on Main Event before they hopefully do more interesting things one day.
25. Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens & Street Profits vs. Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode (SmackDown 10/23/20)
The usually fun WWE multi-man tag, with the addition of Daniel Bryan selling a leg and a Thunderdome.
Honorable Mentions: Triple Threat Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles (RAW 10/12/20), Street Profits vs. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown 10/30/20), Matt Riddle, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik vs. King Corbin, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown 10/2/20), KUSHIDA vs. Tommaso Ciampa (NXT 10/7/20)
Mansoor & Brian Kendrick vs. Ever-Rise (205 Live 10/30/20), Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Brian Kendrick (205 Live 10/16/20), Mansoor vs. Brian Kendrick (205 Live 10/23/20), Ricochet vs. Gran Metalik w/ Lince Dorado (Main Event 10/21/20)
