WWE was an absolute bitch this year, an untold amount of confounding and occasionally rage-inducing decisions both on screen and off, all in the middle of the trauma and chaos of a terrible year. On occasion wrestling was an escape, and on occasion it was somehow just as anxiety-inducing as everything else.
There weren’t a ton of great stories told by WWE in 2020, but the wrestlers themselves fought through the insanity to deliver something resembling good wrestling. Nothing was consistent, but watching them adapt to new surroundings was occasionally interesting – if you gather the good stuff.
First there were crowds, then there was nobody, and then there was a Thunderdome. We begin at #50.
Top 50 Best WWE Matches of 2020
A preview of the amazing WALTER/Dragunov match, with these four fighting through silence to have a layered match that a live audience would lose it for.
49. NXT UK Heritage Cup: A-Kid [c] vs. Tyler Bate (NXT UK 12/10/20)
It’s crazy how few NXT UK matches feel like they are being wrestled by actual wrestlers inspired by the UK, but Tyler Bate and A-Kid showed up.
48. NXT Title #1 Contender Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne (NXT 12/16/20)
The match you’d expect from two quality wrestlers, considering both their styles and how they’ve adapted to being guys trying to get by in WWE.
47. Strap Match – WWE Universal Title: The Fiend [c] vs. Daniel Bryan (Royal Rumble 1/26/20)
Making the improbable seems probable is what the best wrestlers do, and there were more moments here than I’d like to admit I thought Fiend was going down.
46. NXT North American Title: Keith Lee [c] vs. Johnny Gargano (TakeOver: In Your House 6/7/20)
Even without a TakeOver crowd, a big time TakeOver match. This has quality heel work from Johnny and a finish as exciting as any where he was the hero.
45. NXT Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Tommaso Ciampa (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
For better and worse, this is like Cole as HBK vs. Ciampa as HHH. It still stands out just for the sounds of a real audience biting on everything.
44. 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)
Four guys in various stages of WWE developmental purgatory (some maybe for good reason) get a spot and just go for it, an awesome bunch of crazy wrestling. Angel Garza looks like another human being here.
43. Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
A match that went from vaguely annoying to undeniably great, with a bunch of cool setups and twists on their signature moves that will remind you that these rich guys still think deeply about this stuff.
42. Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin (TakeOver: Blackpool II 1/12/20)
This has the drawbacks of a match promoted by WWE as a likely “Match of the Year,” but it does see two well-rounded pro wrestlers blend fundamentals, charisma, and an unreal athletic capability to put together a great match.
41. #DIY vs. Moustache Mountain (Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT UK 1/25/20)
All the good stuff, two teams of fan favorites competing with an intent to both win and remind everybody why they work babyface.
40. RAW Tag Team Title: Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods [c] vs. Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin w/ MVP (TLC 12/20/20)
Kofi & Woods returned towards the end of the year putting out reliably good tag matches at such a speed you just know they pay attention to year-end awards, while the Hurt Business brought a new flavor to that tag with a very cool beatdown.
39. Steel Cage Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez (NXT 9/8/20)
Finally, an NXT cage match all about the VIOLENCE!!! They kept this moving like a Stone Cold match and Martinez basically beats the ass-kicker into the dormant Ripley.
38. NXT Cruiserweight Title: Santos Escobar [c] vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (NXT TakeOver 31 10/4/20)
Two newcomers got a showcase and knocked it out of the park with a big time championship match. Hope we can see them again soon!
37. Loser Leaves WWE No DQ Match: Mandy Rose vs Sonya Deville (SummerSlam 8/23/20)
An actual good conclusion to their feud, less dragging each other around an arena to setup spots and more just 10 minutes of shit-kicking. Real pro wrestling.
36. Street Fight: Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
Back when WWE had attendees, Tegan Nox bumped like a crazy person in a sweet Street Fight with Tegan Nox. I can’t believe she got injured again this year but I’m glad these two got to have this chaotic brawl in a big spot.
35. Street Fight: Dominik Mysterio w/ Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins w/ Murphy (SummerSlam 8/23/20)
This hit all the notes: big debut, impressive flying by Rey Jr Junior, and… sure, an old school powerbomb. This went 20 minutes and rarely lost it.
34. Cage Fight: Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher (Special Guest Ref: Kurt Angle) (NXT 5/27/20)
Back when he was still Matt, Riddle and Tim Thatcher did the best job of introducing a new WWE match type: nasty strikes, sweet suplexes, and a sense of legitimacy even as they climbed platforms.
33. NXT Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 36 Night 2 4/5/20)
Charlotte Flair’s big title match approach was one of the first things that seemed to actually translate to the pre-Thunderdome empty arena, with a physicality and general seriousness that stood out above a lot of things. She actually roared at one point, like a lion.
32. Gauntlet Eliminator Match – NXT Title #1 Contender’s Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs. KUSHIDA vs. Bronson Reed vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Cameron Grimes (NXT 9/23/20)
In the middle of a busy concept, Kyle O’Reilly (finally) breaks out and does awesome individual work with everybody.
31. RAW Tag Team Champions vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions: Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Street Profits (Survivor Series 11/22/20)
The only match on a show called “Best of the Best” where I felt like either side believed they were and wanted to prove it. Kofi & Woods can do a fun PPV tag match in their sleep, but them playing bullies added a whole new layer.
30. Winner Takes All – NXT Title & NXT North American Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Keith Lee [c] (NXT 7/8/20)
Fun character dynamic, big bumps, and plenty of ridiculous but quality WWE main event “awwww what the HELL” reactions – great match and moment.
29. WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax [c] vs. Bayley & Sasha Banks (SmackDown 9/4/20)
The catalyst for Bayley’s turn on Sasha Banks was a great TV match that blew away the one they had on PPV, with a fun beatdown by Shayna and Nia that Sasha sold like a champion for.
28. WWE Intercontinental Title Tournament – Round 1: Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak (SmackDown 5/15/20)
It’s quiet, but this is Bryan and Gulak doing 15 minutes of the coolest most complex matwork you may ever see on WWE TV. Wristlocks and waistlocks turn to elbows and other assorted violence, and these are the two who know how to make it all legit.
27. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 36 Night 1 4/4/20)
It’s tough to read wrestling drama when people aren’t audibly responding to it, but this felt very dramatic. Owens and Rollins deliver the match they’re good at with extra sauce for Mania. A gem in the very awkward few months after COVID.
26. RAW Women’s Title: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka w/ Kairi Sane (Royal Rumble 1/26/20)
Great match overshadowed by their even better one at Rumble ‘19, but still great. These two make it competitive and bring all the excitement for the close.
25. NXT Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Bianca Belair (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
Big time title match, with great selling and a wild finish. A match that takes a little time but 1000% delivers.
24. WWE Title: Drew McIntyre [c] vs. Seth Rollins (Money in the Bank 5/10/20)
Another match where two wrestlers impressively overcome the no crowd atmosphere by just going ahead with their kickass match anyways.
23. Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy (RAW 1/13/20)
A flashback to a lifetime ago when these two were (re)introduced to the masses with squash matches that showcased their ability then a promoted singles match live on Monday Night RAW. It’s very good.
22. Triple Threat Ladder Match – WWE Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy [c] vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn (Clash of Champions 9/27/20)
These three nutjobs just couldn’t do the usual WWE Ladder Match, instead delivering a bunch of bumps no guys in their middle or even young age should be taking followed by an insane over-complicated gimmicky finish that totally worked.
21. The Undisputed Era vs. Imperium (Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT UK 1/25/20)
WALTER is a monster in this 8-man tag that had big interpromotional rivalry vibes. Alexander Wolfe is legitimately KO’d a couple minutes into this and it’s terrible and awkward but also gives the the match a creepy feel of legitimacy, like yeah that was totally bound to happen.
20. SmackDown Women’s Title: Sasha Banks [c] vs. Bayley (SmackDown 11/6/20)
Even in the Thunderdome, Sasha and Bayley make it work – Hell in a Cell (coming) was the big match, so they skipped any table-setting and delivered all the coolest stuff they possibly could while maintaining the combo of hatred and fun that makes wrestling awesome. Check the form on Bayley’s elbow drop. Legends.
19. Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Round 1: Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster (NXT 1/15/20)
Epic on top of epic, a match where I actually bought Flash Webster was pinning Matt Riddle. This starts pretty wild and just stays that way. Dunne vs. Andrews remains awesome too.
18. NXT Tag Team Title: Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish [c] vs. Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
The brief BroserWeights run continued with this insane tag match that had all kinds of crazy modern wrestling spots in between work Katsuyori Shibata would likely approve of.
17. 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 bring the David/Goliath theme with little dead space, and the back-and-forth in the end sure looked like it hurt.
16. TLC Match – WWE Title: Drew McIntyre [c] vs. AJ Styles w/ Omos (TLC 12/20/20)
The best way I can describe this is a weirdly smart championship match in the confinements of a TLC Match and Money in the Bank cash-in. Drew is a killer while AJ not only uses the weapons for some crafty limb work, he shows he still has a few absolutely lunatic bumps left in him.
15. RAW Women’s Title: Asuka [c] vs. Sasha Banks (The Horror Show at Extreme Rules 7/19/20)
A crowd would’ve been nice, but this was great. Sasha works as stiff as she used to in NXT while Asuka was just on the run in 2020. Nobody wrestles more seriously while making sure to show a range of emotions like her.
14. RAW Women’s Title: Sasha Banks [c] vs. Asuka (SummerSlam 8/23/20)
They kick each other’s ass then try to tap the other out and then somebody gets caught – what else can you want? Asuka’s second PPV title match in one night was a graceful slugfest with one of the craziest sunset flip powerbombs ever delivered.
13. SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley [c] vs. Asuka (SummerSlam 8/23/20)
This kicked off SummerSlam with all the good vibes: big fight feel, intensity, creative offense, twists and turns, high drama – all the good stuff.
12. Men’s Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 1/26/20)
The Brock Rumble was both a frustrating exercise to watch play out minute-by-minute and a brilliant finished product, so many great bits and a tremendous payoff. Brock went at Rey and New Day, reunited with Shelton, and practically got a homer from Keith Lee. Oh yeah, Edge returned and the audience lost their minds.
11. Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak (Elimination Chamber 3/8/20)
Sometimes, once in a while, before it all shuts down, 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 Bryan and Gulak open a show trading holds, but they delivered.
10. 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 anxiety-ridden dad of 2 year old COVID-era early 30s. Styles isn’t as consistent as he once was, but he trusts the American Dragon: aggressive matwork, unique limb work, complex signature move setups, call backs; drama – ALL OF IT.
9. Boneyard Match: The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles (WrestleMania 36 Night 1 4/4/20)
For a company normally pretty tone deaf, WWE completely nailed the tone for whatever this needed to be. It is more extended movie scene than wrestling match, but what an experience: 20 minutes of fully edited and scored hand-to-hand combat, henchman attacks, and explosions at an abandoned house by a graveyard.
8. NXT Title: Finn Balor [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly (NXT TakeOver 31 10/4/20)
Don’t want to encourage this type of thing considering they got legitimately injured and all but what a wrestling match. This felt like a fight from the bell: they locked up and kept at it, only pausing if somebody got plastered.
7. NXT North American Title: Keith Lee [c] vs. Dominik Dijakovic (TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20)
The boys finally got a TakeOver match and delivered all the spectacular they’re known for. I assume they have higher heights, but these two freaks of nature bring out the best in each other.
6. The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever: Edge vs. Randy Orton (Backlash (6/14/20)
I’ve watched quite a bit of WWE so I can tell you a little bit about their main event formula, and it is typically about doing just about everything: chain wrestling, brawling, crashes through tables, finishers, kickouts at the last second – and so forth. Edge and Randy took the silly moniker their match was given and actually delivered, a wild match that sometimes felt like a video game cut scene but in a way that actually complemented this 45 minutes of old school(ish) pro wrestling. They spanned styles and approaches but in the end it all just worked.
5. TLC Match – WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Kevin Owens (TLC 12/20/20)
Reigns and Owens made the most out of a sleepy winter, turning a solid story into the most compelling match. They were either keeping it moving or selling huge, and above all made it seem like Owens had more than a chance.
4. 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)
The Roman/Jey feud continued – and maybe closed – with another flawlessly executed piece of business, a brilliant angle within a wrestling match that was better than many matches I’ve ever watched. Roman hits a spear early and they work an epic out of that, a family saga wrapped up in Jey Uso selling and Roman Reigns being evil.
3. WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Jey Uso (Clash of Champions 9/27/20)
A flawlessly executed match, even with all the camera cuts and close-shot dialogue it felt less like WWE making movies and more just two pro wrestlers with a story to tell. A classic story was followed by a classic match that put both of them over and made me feel actual things.
2. Hell in a Cell – SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley [c] vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell 10/25/20)
Bayley/Sasha was a bright spot in dark year, and though I don’t think Bayley’s win in Brooklyn can be topped they came close here even in the Thunderdome. Awesome Hell in a Cell match, awesome big babyface match.
1. NXT UK Title: WALTER [c] vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT UK 10/29/20)
WALTER and Ilja hit 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 that felt very 2020 but also could’ve easily fit in 1993 or something… let’s go with: Hansen vs. Kobashi with less quirkiness but more nastiness. WALTER has had a lot of great opponents already, these two have wrestled already, but this is up there with all of it. Dragunov sold WALTER’s punishment like he was on fire and threw his entire self into every single move – 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.
25 Other WWE Matches Worth Watching in 2020
2. WWE Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn [c] vs. Daniel Bryan (SmackDown 11/27/20)
3. Big E vs. Sheamus (Payback 8/30/20)
4. Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee (TakeOver: XXX 8/22/20)
5. NXT Cruiserweight Title #1 Contender’s Match: Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza (NXT 2/12/20)
6. NXT Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin [c] vs. Lio Rush (NXT 2/19/20)
7. Tyler Breeze vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT 2/5/20)
8. No DQ Match: Ilja Dragunov vs. Alexander Wolfe (NXT UK 1/2/20)
9. Oney Lorcan vs. Timothy Thatcher (NXT 7/1/20)
10. Oney Lorcan vs. Timothy Thatcher (NXT 7/22/20)
11. Kevin Owens vs. The Fiend (SmackDown 10/9/20)
12. RAW Women’s Title: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka w/ Kairi Sane (RAW 2/10/20)
13. Kairi Sane w/ Asuka vs. Bayley w/ Sasha Banks (RAW 7/20/20)
14. WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: Bayley & Sasha Banks [c] vs. The Kabuki Warriors (RAW 7/13/20)
15. Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus (RAW 10/26/20)
16. KUSHIDA vs. Velveteen Dream (NXT TakeOver 31 10/4/20)
17. Kalisto vs. Cesaro (SmackDown 8/28/20)
18. RAW Tag Team Title: Street Profits [c] vs. Andrade & Angel Garza w/ Zelina Vega (SummerSlam 8/23/20)
19. RAW Tag Team Title: Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods [c] vs. Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander w/ MVP and Bobby Lashley (RAW 11/16/20)
20. Winner Advances to Triple Threat for a WWE Title Opportunity: Keith Lee vs. Bobby Lashley (RAW 11/23/20)
21. Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Rey Mysterio w/ Dominick Mysterio vs. King Corbin (SmackDown 11/6/20)
22. Mansoor vs. Raul Mendoza (205 Live 12/25/20)
23. SmackDown Women’s Title: Sasha Banks [c] vs. Carmella (TLC 12/20/20)
24. NXT Tag Team Title: Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher [c] vs. Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish (NXT 4/15/20)
25. WarGames: Shotzi Blackheart, Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley & Ember Moon vs. Candice LeRae, Toni Storm, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez (TakeOver: WarGames 12/6/20)
10 WWE COVID Curiosities of 2020
2. Daniel Bryan & Drew Gulak vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro (SmackDown 3/20/20)
3. Daniel Bryan w/ Drew Gulak vs. Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Cesaro (SmackDown 4/3/20)
4. Firefly Fun House Match: John Cena vs. The Fiend (WrestleMania 36 Night 2 4/5/20)
5. Aleister Black vs. Apollo Crews (RAW 4/6/20)
6. Triple Threat Match – SmackDown Tag Team Title: The Miz [c] vs. Big E vs. Jey Uso (SmackDown 4/17/20)
7. NXT Women’s Title: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Io Shirai (NXT 5/6/20)
8. Money in the Bank: Daniel Bryan vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Aleister Black vs. Otis vs. AJ Styles vs. King Corbin and Asuka vs. Carmella vs. Dana Brooke vs. Lacey Evans vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax (Money in the Bank 5/10/20)
9. Ambulance Match – WWE Title: Drew McIntyre [c] vs. Randy Orton (Clash of Champions 9/27/20)
10. Ashante “Thee” Adonis vs. Brian Kendrick (205 Live 10/9/20)
