1. 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 sad sleepy winter, turning a solid story into the most compelling match. They either kept it moving with brawling and crazy spots or were selling like top guys the ridiculous punishment of those crazy spots. This goes 25 minutes but doesn’t falter because all of Owens’ comebacks just feel like natural extensions of the match, like he really just wasn’t staying down and you didn’t want him to. Above all they made it seem like he had more than a chance too.
2. 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. This opened TLC and was a wild one-two punch with the Reigns/Owens main event.
3. 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 formula with more exciting (Cedric) and kickass (Shelton) beatdowns than usual. They had a few good matches in 2020 and this was the best.
4. NXT Title #1 Contender Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne (NXT 12/16/20)
The match you’d expect from two great wrestlers, considering their technical high-impact styles and how they’ve adapted to being guys trying to get by in WWE. So it was a great match.
5. 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 here Tyler Bate and A-Kid showed up: holds and strategy, all flowing with a logic and beauty Ya Just Don’t See Much Anymore.
6. Steel Cage Match – WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Kevin Owens (SmackDown 12/25/20)
Christmas Day Steel Cage rematch of the TLC match above, just good old-fashioned TV wrestling. Roman took a super fisherman’s buster because he’s the coolest, and by the end Owens seems like the coolest too.
7. WarGames: Shotzi Blackheart, Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley & Ember Moon vs. Candice LeRae, Toni Storm, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez (TakeOver: WarGames 12/6/20)
NXT WarGames has jumped the shark for me, and the action here early on didn’t make it feel necessary but once The Match Beyond started they provided some fine Sunday night chaos that was highlighted by Io Shirai jumping off the cage with a trash can on top of her head. Big bumps, nasty weapon shots, and a great Raquel González performance.
8. WarGames: Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish vs. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (TakeOver: WarGames 12/6/20)
Another one that didn’t feel necessary, though it had its moments: mainly Pat McAfee jumping off things. Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne threw down a few times too, but that doesn’t feel like enough. A wild bunch of forgettable wrestling.
9. SmackDown Women’s Title: Sasha Banks [c] vs. Carmella (TLC 12/20/20)
Proof that great selling and a few awesome bumps can overcome the lamest story. Sasha’s X-Factor bump and the dive catch by Carmella’s sommelier REGINALD were legendary, and they traded submissions at the end like they were auditioning for RINGS. Mercedes Varnado, folks.
10. Mansoor vs. Raul Mendoza (205 Live 12/25/20)
Mansoor (with a haircut!) put in his monthly good match here and I thought it was worth highlighting the purple or yellow or black or whatever brand as the year comes to an end. Mendoza takes a wild shoulder bump into the corner, the near falls rule, and Mansoor does a tope suicida with his dick.
Honorable Mentions: NXT North American Title: Johnny Gargano [c] w/ vs. Leon Ruff (NXT 12/30/20), Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong (NXT 12/30/20), Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso (SmackDown 12/25/20), Lumberjack Match – WWE Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn [c] vs. Big E (SmackDown 12/25/20), Big E vs. Sami Zayn (SmackDown 12/11/20), Sheamus vs. AJ Styles (RAW 12/14/20)
Pat Patterson Tribute Match: Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio & Big E vs. Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler & Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown 12/3/20), Bianca Belair vs. Bayley (SmackDown 12/18/20), Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali w/ Retribution (RAW 12/28/20), Akira Tozawa vs. Angel Garza (Main Event 12/30/20)
Leon Ruff vs. Timothy Thatcher (NXT 12/23/20), Ember Moon vs. Raquel Gonzalez (12/9/20), Killian Dain vs. Pete Dunne (NXT 12/9/20), Triple Threat Match – NXT North American Title: Leon Ruff [c] vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano (TakeOver: WarGames 12/6/20), Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm (NXT 12/16/20), Jake Atlas vs. Ashante “Thee” Adonis (NXT 12/9/20), Tommaso Ciampa vs. Cameron Grimes (NXT 12/9/20)
