If there’s one thing that 2020 taught us it’s that wrestling is one of the lone consistencies in sports. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, we had professional wrestling every week of the year and for the most part it was in an empty arena. Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to silence. The Undertaker retired in front of a bunch of screens rather than getting a much deserved standing ovation. AEW is allowing some fans, but lord knows when there’ll be full capacity at wrestling shows again. Here’s my look back at the year that was 2020 with some superlatives. And a reminder, these are just my opinion. If you agree or you disagree, that’s perfectly fine but just keep in mind, these awards are just my opinion.
Note: Oh, and before we begin, rest in peace to all the wrestlers that have passed away this year. It’s been a rough year with the deaths of Kobe Bryant, Alex Trebek, Chadwick Boseman, and Eddie Van Halen to name just some of the celebrities we’ve lost this year. Unfortunately, a lot of professional wrestlers passed away this year. Rocky Johnson, Howard Finkel, Hana Kimura, Kamala, Road Warrior Animal, and Pat Patterson to name a few, as well as Brodie Lee. The man formerly known as Luke Harper passed away on December 26, and my prayers are with the families of everyone I named, as well as the ones I didn’t. This is as grim a reminder as any to cherish your time with loved ones. Tell them you love them because we’ll never know when it’ll be the last time that you’ll be able to say it to them and that life’s too short to hold grudges. Now, on with awards.
Wrestler of the Year: Jon Moxley, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns
Winner: Drew McIntyre
This year has been the year of McIntyre. Yes, Randy Orton’s had a career renaissance, but WWE have done something they haven’t done in a long time, and that’s make a new megastar. From the moment he eliminated Brock Lesnar from the Rumble, we knew that Drew was on the fast track to superstardom. Drew dominated 2020, having great matches with Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Randy Orton. He had a hiccup at Hell in a Cell, but won the belt right back.
Woman of the Year: Sasha Banks, Asuka, Bayley, Charlotte Flair
Winner: Bayley
What a year for Bayley. She spent most of it being the best heel on friday nights before Roman showed up, and her heel team with Sasha Banks was one of the most consistent and entertaining acts in WWE. Her Hell in a Cell match against Sasha Banks was one of the best matches of the year, and I can’t wait to see what 2021 brings for Smackdown’s Role Model.
Tag Team of the Year: FTR, The Street Profits, The New Day, The Young Bucks
Winner: The Young Bucks
I was tempted to give this one to the Street Profits, but WWE’s tag division is anemic. On Raw, if you include Retribution there are five tag teams currently active. The Young Bucks, are the brightest stars of one of the best tag divisions in the world, having great matches against the likes of TH2, FTR, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, and the Dark Order. Simply put, they’re the best tag team in the world today, and I think they’ll hold on to that crown for a long time.
Feud of the Year: Edge vs Orton, Jon Moxley vs Eddie Kingston, Hangman Page vs The Elite, Sasha Banks vs Bayley
Winner: Edge vs Orton
Although their last man standing match at Mania was super long, this feud was brilliant, and darn near perfect. Fueled by their history from Rated RKO, this feud had all the raw emotion like that of pure hatred. Edge getting taken out right after his triumphant return was one of the biggest gut-punches in wrestling. Yes, this feud never got a proper blow off, but the promos from these two men are some of the best they’ve had in their entire combined 40+ years in the business.
Breakout Star of the Year: Keith Lee, Orange Cassidy, Karrion Kross, Brodie Lee
Winner: Orange Cassidy
Orange Cassidy is brilliant. Now, I know that people would think it’s weird how his gimmick is that he doesn’t really try but when he does he’s great, but Cassidy is incredibly over with the fans and got put over strong in his feud with Chris Jericho. Cassidy’s been a mainstay in Dynamite’s midcard, and we can hope that Cassidy can get a run with the TNT title or maybe a main event push.
Most Disappointing Year (Male): All of retribution, Samoa Joe, Aleister Black, Keith Lee
Winner: RETRIBUTION
Gosh. Retribution started off interesting. An Aces & Eights-Nexus hybrid filled with chaos, dudes dressed in black and wearing masks, as well as destroying everything. Then it all went wrong. Shane Thorne, Mia Yim, Mercedes Martinez, Dominick Dijakovic, Dio Maddin and Mustafa Ali got super cheesy new names as part of Retribution. Mace, T-Bar, Reckoning, Retaliation and mother effing slapjack. Slapjack. All Retribution has done in 2020 was get teabagged by the Hurt Business, and don’t get me wrong. Ali’s heel turn was a good shock and twist, but Retribution has fallen apart.
Most Disappointing Year (Female): Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Riho
Winner: Shayna Baszler
This one really hurts me. If y’all know me then y’all know that Shayna Baszler is my favorite female wrestler in wrestling and I was a big fan of her all powerful destroyer gimmick she had in NXT. She killed the entire Raw Women’s division in an elimination chamber match and then… she lost. Although Becky lobbied for Baszler to win and rule Raw with an iron fiest, Shayna lost to Becky, came up short at MITB, then just disappeared for a few months before resurfacing and teaming with Nia Jax. It breaks my heart how Shayna’s run on the main roster fell apart, and I can only pray she has a better 2021.
Shocking Moment of the Year: Edge returns at the Rumble, Becky announces her pregnancy, Black Wednesday, Otis winning the ladder match
Winners: Edge returns at the Rumble & Black Wednesday
Even though there were rumors that Edge was going to come back, nobody expected Edge’s music hit when he came out at #21. When Edge’s music did hit, it was one of the loudest pops in wrestling history. I wish i could’ve been able to buy tickets because even sitting at home, it was euphoric. I’m glad to see that Edge after nearly nine years from being forced into retirement has a chance to end his career on his own terms, and I’m looking forward to when he comes back. Now from a moment of triumph to a moment of sadness. April 15. Normally a day associated with doing your taxes, this year it has a different meaning amongst wrestling fans. It was on that day that WWE fired/furloughed more than forty percent of their workforce just so this can be the most profitable year in company history. The names included are the good brothers, EC3, the former Edgeheads, Kurt Angle, Aiden English, the man formerly known as Rusev, and Drake Maverick, although he got his job back as part of a storyline. While most of those people I named went on to impact and AEW, Mike Chioda was among the ones that got their pink slips and he’s been employed for more than thirty years. Honestly, Black Wednesday was one of the saddest days in recent WWE history, and the sad times may rear its ugly head again as there are more releases rumored for the new year.
Emotional Moment of the Year: Edge’s return, Becky announces her pregnancy, The Undertaker’s retirement, Black Wednesday
Winner: Taker’s retirement
I’m not going to lie to y’all, I teared up a little bit when Taker said goodbye. It’s no secret The Undertaker is my favorite wrestler ever, and I spent pretty much my entire life watching him wrestle and despite me being in my mid twenties, it’s going to be weird knowing I’m not going to see him wrestle again. We got to see more than just a man announce his retirement that night. We got to see a piece of our childhoods as well as the last remnant of a bygone era of wrestling. What breaks my heart about this is that Taker should’ve said goodbye in front of an actual crowd instead of a virtual one at the Thunderdome. Because what would’ve made this moment more iconic is that as the deadman walks back up the stage one last time, he’s showered with a standing ovation and chants of thank you taker like he should have. On behalf of every wrestling fan that’s watched the WWE for the past thirty years, thank you Taker. For everything.
Best Pay Per View: AEW Revolution, Double or Nothing, Royal Rumble, WrestleMania
Winner: Double or Nothing
Once again, Double or Nothing was once again the best show of the year. The Casino Ladder match was fantastic and there wasn’t a bad match on the card. Although he lost, Brodie Lee looked like a bonafide main event badass in defeat against Jon Moxley, Cody beating Lance Archer was a great moment although in many eyes the wrong man won. Shida was a great underdog to overcome the monstrous Nyla Rose, and then there was the bonkers masterpiece that was the Stadium Stampede between The Elite and the Inner Circle. There aren’t words to describe how much fun of a match it was to watch, but go seek out the match yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Promo of the Year: Any Randy Orton or Eddie Kingston Promo, Jake Roberts ‘Hail Caesar’ (3/4 Dynamite), AJ Styles calls out Undertaker (3/9 Raw), Edge’s Last Man Standing Promo (3/16 Raw), Sonya calls out Mandy Rose (4/17 Smackdown), Heath Slater’s Where were you promo (7/6 Raw), Head of the Table (9/25 Smackdown),
Winner: kingston and mox (11/4 dynamite)
Wow. Eddie Kingston may not be the greatest in-ring performer but I’ll be damned if he isn’t the best talker in wrestling regardless of the promotion. Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley’s match at Full Gear only had a month and a half’s build, but this segment made it feel like it was the biggest showdown of the year. The intensity from Kingston and him talking about how he’d hand the title to his mom and tell her the belt is why he doesn’t have any children….. God. It was brilliant. Eddie Kingston was willing to sacrifice everything including his friendship with Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Championship. And Jon Moxley cut the best promo he did all year, talking about how Eddie was his friend and that he promised Eddie’s mom that he’d be there for him. Watch this promo on YouTube, it’s honestly one of the best promos of all time.
Worst Pay Per View: Elimination Chamber, Super ShowDown, The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, Money in the Bank, Backlash
Winner: Super ShowDown
Another year, another stinker of a pay per view hailing from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We got a pointless gauntlet match, the death of Ricochet, and Oldberg beating the unbeatable Fiend. It’s bad enough that WWE are dealing with the controversial ticking time bomb that is Saudi PR, but having consistent stinkers that damage the wrestlers is just… really bad.
Best Promotion: WWE, All Elite Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, NXT
Winner: All Elite Wrestling
Two years in a row, AEW has put on the best consistent wrestling product. I know I sound like a mark, but honestly, it’s not that hard to argue that AEW is riding a huge wave of great momentum. WWE’s ratings have been in the toilet, and New Japan hasn’t run shows for a majority of 2020, so really AEW wins by default. Despite that, AEW’s had some great wrestling this year, with Hangman Page, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes especially standing out. Support for AEW continues to grow and grow, and their future is brighter than ever. For Tony Khan and co., the sky is literally the limit.
Best Weekly TV Show: Monday Night Raw, AEW Dynamite, NXT, Friday Night Smackdown
Winner: AEW Dynamite
I know it looks like my AEW bias is showing, but it’s not really close. Raw’s ratings have been in the toilet. Smackdown has been on the upswing, but nothing’s really happened on the blue brand pre-tribal chief Roman. That may be in part to Dynamite being TV-14, but it’s also due to AEW having the most well utilized roster. They’ve also been dominating in the ratings, losing only six times at the time of writing, not counting the 11/25 week where they were tied with NXT and with the overall score since Dynamite’s debut is 49-9-2 in favor of AEW and sweeping the 18-49 demographic for the entire year when both shows were airing. 2021 looks to be an even more dominant year for TK’s wrassling show on TNT.
Worst Match of the Year: Goldberg vs The Fiend (Super ShowDown), Goldberg vs Braun Strowman (WrestleMania), Bobby Lashley vs R Truth (Money in the Bank), AJ Styles vs R Truth (Super ShowDown)
Winner: Goldberg vs The Fiend
Man, Dadberg quickly went from being well liked to being almost universally hated in the course of about nine months. He first became hated when he almost killed The Undertaker at Super ShowDown 2019. And he became even more hated when he squashed The Fiend at Super ShowDown and won the bluniversal title, and lost it to Braun Strowman. Once again, a ratings pop had Goldberg kill a young star and The Fiend hasn’t really recovered despite having a fantastic Firefly Funhouse match against John Cena.
Match of the Year: Keith Lee vs Donovan Dijakovic (NXT TakeOver: Portland), Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs the Young Bucks (AEW Revolution), Edge vs Randy Orton (Backlash), WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov (10/29 NXT UK), The Young Bucks vs FTR (Full Gear), The Boneyard Match and the Firefly Funhouse Match (WrestleMania)
Honorable Mentions: Adam Cole vs Tommaso Ciampa (NXT TakeOver Portland), Daniel Bryan vs Drew Gulak (Elimination Chamber) Kenny Omega vs PAC: 30 Minute Ironman Match (2/26 Dynamite)
Winner: Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs The Young Bucks, AEW Revolution
This was really hard. There was a lot of great wrestling this year from AEW, WWE, New Japan, and more but if I had to pick one match, it’d be this one. This match was very predictably, 100 mph from the start and was part of the well told story of Hangman Page’s exit from the Elite. And that’s not even getting into the wrestling itself. Three of the best in the world and an A-game Page set the world on fire for thirty minutes. In my opinion, this was the best tag match since DIY vs the Revival at TakeOver: Toronto or the Usos-New Day feud in 2017.
Breaking It Down With DKown 