Those That Did What They Could: The WWE Roster of 2020

The wrestling part of WWE improved over the last decade as they reloaded their roster with talent, but there was also McMahon and COVID.

They had a rough 2019 and early 2020 that became rougher when it lost one of the most interesting things about it: a live audience.

The WWE Universe was a complicated bunch, but they were at least… there. Reacting. Providing some kind of barometer on if any of this was clicking or not, week after week.

There were a lot of weird (or bad) adjustment periods both in-ring and presentation-wise as WWE adapted (mostly ignored) COVID-19, but weirder than almost anything is that besides the dropped RAW Underground they really didn’t adapt one bit – they just powered through it.

Some folks got away with more on promos and Daniel Bryan definitely bullied Vince into showcasing more grappling (one of the only styles that still worked without an audience), but overall The Formula reigned.

The actual wrestling was a mixed bag, more impressive for who was able to adapt and stand out in this deranged year. Everything was inconsistent: matches, roster, even wrestler’s ability to just train. For some reason, I watched it all. Here’s who stood out.

Last Year (2019)

Even before the traveling aspect of WWE was locked down, it was challenging for anyone on the roster to overcome not feeling either underutilized or overexposed. Daniel Bryan and Asuka are the only wrestlers who have remained consistent MVP’s here, while most of the other MVP’s last year didn’t have much of a chance to rank.

Bayley had a spectacularly unproductive 2019, but she came roaring back in 2020 and places high on the MVP list. Brodie Lee, then known as Harper, topped the list of occasional appearances with only TWO matches, both of which were among the best of the year. Respect.

WWE’s Best Wrestlers in 2020

This list of MVP’s is based on no statistical analysis other than the general vibes of a person who watched and rated all of it, the latter usually based off of general vibes. Great matches and promos are the best, but I also tried to factor in who just made the year their own despite all the everything.

10. Sami Zayn
It was a late rally, but Sami Zayn provided some of WWE’s best stuff the last few months of the year. At the start of the year he seemed ready to check out, then after returning from a the chaos of COVID he was given the ball and delivered some kind of socialist Honky Tonk Man-esque IC Champ run. It ruled. He may not move like El Generico anymore but he’s adapted to deliver both in and out of the ring.

Key Match: vs. Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles (IC Title Ladder Match, Clash of Champions 9/27/20)

9. Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is good at this or he probably wouldn’t have been WWE Champ most of the year, but being WWE Champ also put him at the forefront of a very bad year. The PPV matches ranged from good to great, but the TV could be no less than putrid. He’s the dude, but it’s complicated.

Key Match: vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Title, Money in the Bank 5/10/20)

8. The New Day – Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Big E
Had them as just Kofi & Woods and thought, this might be the last year I can do this. Kofi had a big singles run last year and Big E is warming up for one, but 2019 was all about the tags and these guys have the WWE formula down so well they will make you think the WWE formula is actually good. Xavier Woods post-injury seems even quicker in the ring after an Achilles injury too, which doesn’t seem right.

Key Match: Kofi & Woods vs. Street Profits (Survivor Series 11/22/20)

7. Jey Uso
The Usos were good early in the year, but when Jimmy Uso was injured in May and WWE actually decided to run with Jey Uso as a singles wrestler in August, it created such great stuff it might be hard to go back to tags. Jey was in the best story and two of the best matches of the year with Roman Reigns as well as plenty of fresh singles matches where he went toe-to-toe with greatness: Bryan, Styles, Owens.

Key Match: vs. Roman Reigns [c] (Universal Title, Clash of Champions 9/27/20)

6. Io Shirai
She’s stuck in the cobwebs of NXT’s so-big-it’s-bad women’s division, but any time Io Shirai actually wrestles she is so blatantly among the best in the world. Cool, believable, spectacular… lots of people do dives, but her moonsault to the floor remains incredible every time. Great wrestler.

Key Match: vs. Candice LeRae (NXT Women’s Title, TakeOver 31 10/4/20)

5. Roman Reigns
The Big Dog has returned to this list and had his best in-ring year since 2016 when he was having everybody’s best singles matches weekly on live TV. This run is completely different but revitalized a career, a twist on his character that provided a great angle or promo nearly every week – not to mention three of my top five WWE matches of the whole year. I supported babyface Roman until around the third Brock match, but his performances show the heel turn should’ve happened years ago.

Key Match: vs. Jey Uso (Universal Title Hell in a Cell I Quit Match, Hell in a Cell 10/25/20)

4. Daniel Bryan
At some point over the last few years Daniel Bryan and WWE seemed to finally agree on what they had in each other, for better or worse. In 2020 it allowed him room to make matwork (and Drew Gulak!) captivating on WWE TV, both in front of a live crowd and empty arena. Bryan continues to just casually be the best in the world, not always in the big spots but pulling it off no matter how and with who: Drew, AJ, Sami, Sheamus, Jey, even the Fiend. It’s a longevity we are blessed to have.

Key Match: vs. Drew Gulak (Elimination Chamber 3/8/20)

3. Sasha Banks
Got bless Sasha Banks for taking pity on Vince McMahon and returning to WWE, because she not only made the empty arena era her own but every time she worked pay-per-view it was among the best matches of the year. Nobody brings the spectacle and mystique to big and small matches alike like The Boss. Note that the top two did their very best work with her too.

Key Match: w/ Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax [c] (Women’s Tag Titles, SmackDown 9/4/20)

2. Bayley
Ding dong! HELLO! For a while there, Bayley was the only thing holding this company together. Her banter with Michael Cole was one of the lone bright spots of a dark springtime, and as the year progressed she found a character that worked and delivered greatness no matter the situation: promos, title matches, and great stuff with some unusual suspects like Carmella and Nikki Cross. Her team and feud with Sasha Banks carried the year too.

Key Match: vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women’s Title, SummerSlam 8/23/20)

1. Asuka
Whether it was a squash match or stupid RAW TV match or 3-way tag match or (ideally) working Bayley and Sasha Banks, Asuka not only made it work but made it great. She adapted to the environment, whether working like a psychotic silent film star in the PC early on or giving her matches a credibility like nobody else. She’s been with WWE 5 years now and hasn’t let anything get in her way. The main event.

Key Match: vs. Sasha Banks (RAW Women’s Title, Extreme Rules 7/19/20)

The Best Seen the Least

A lot of these folks are really good at wrestling, but just didn’t have enough footage or big hits, even if in some cases the big hits were among the best matches of the year.

1. WALTER
2. Kevin Owens
3. Kyle O’Reilly
4. Ilja Dragunov
5. Timothy Thatcher
6. Adam Cole
7. Mercedes Martinez
8. KUSHIDA
9. Johnny Gargano
10. Finn Balor

Best Acts

Beyond the wrestling stuff, these people and the stories they told made wrestling fun this year.

1. “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns
2. Bayley and Sasha Banks
3. The Hurt Business
4. 24/7 Keith Lee
5. Pat McAfee
6. IC Champion Sami Zayn
7. Bianca Belair
8. Singles Star Big E
9. Main Event Kyle O’Reilly
10. The Way (Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae)

Best Adapted

The MVP’s of the empty arena, the styles and approaches that worked best in the middle of the worst.

1. Asuka
2. Bayley
3. Sasha Banks
4. Roman Reigns
5. Daniel Bryan
6. Street Profits
7. Sheamus
8. Charlotte Flair
9. Shotzi Blackheart
10. John Morrison

The Backbone of WWE

Probably crass to call these “essential” workers, but these folks held things together even if they didn’t headline every show.

1. Candice LeRae
2. Cesaro/Nakamura
3. Tony Nese
4. Andrade/Angel Garza
5. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch
6. Kay Lee Ray
7. Legado del Fantasma
8. Kairi Sane
9. R-Truth
10. Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik

Most Potential

Curious to see where all these folks go under a Joe Biden Administration.

1. Mustafa Ali and Retribution
2. Ashante “Thee” Adonis
3. Dominik Mysterio
4. Piper Niven
5. Cameron Grimes
6. Jake Atlas
7. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
8. Jordan Devlin
9. Ever-Rise
10. Leon Ruff

Worst of the Worst

Sometimes you’re overexposed; sometimes you’re bad.

1. Velveteen Dream
2. The Fiend
3. Braun Strowman
4. Damian Priest
5. The entire NXT UK roster
6. Matt Riddle
7. King Corbin
8. Seth Rollins
9. AJ Styles
10. Randy Orton