By Brian Argabright
The year 2020 will be one pro wrestling fans will remember, for better or for worse.
There were plenty of good moments and bad moments in pro wrestling this year. Even if the fans weren’t there to watch most of them, there were still plenty of amazing matches in 2020. This is a small list of some of the best of 2020, and my hope is you read this and take the time to find these matches somewhere online and check out what you might have missed.
I’m not going to rank these 10 matches, but I promise you that if you see them you won’t be disappointed and if you took a step back from the business this year, this is just a taste of what you missed.
I’m going to do five this week and the final five next week.
The match – Will Ospreay versus Hiromu Takahasi, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 14, Day 1: New Japan has always been lauded for its storytelling ability, and Wrestle Kingdom, typically held the first weekend in January, is the place where many of their best storylines get wrapped up. Takahashi had been out of wrestling for nearly two years after a serious neck injury, but he returned to face Ospreay, one of the best wrestlers in the world, for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, a belt Takahasi was forced to relinquish due to injury. Takahasi got his belt back and helped set the tone for a wild weekend in New Japan.
The match – The Undisputed Era versus Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, NXT Takeover: WarGames 2020: McAfee was a former punter in the NFL, but he’s also a huge wrestling fan who takes the business very seriously. He teamed up with the NXT Tag Team champions in Lorcan and Burch and WarGames veteran Dunne to face off against the Undisputed Era, four of the best in pro wrestling today. It was violent, it was dangerous and it was personal and it was a blast to watch.
The match – The Young Bucks versus FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, AEW Full Gear: This match was born on Twitter when FTR was in the WWE and competing as The Revival. The letters “FTR” stood for something else entirely, according to the Young Bucks, and when the men who made up the Revival signed with AEW, the countdown to this match was born. The biggest complaint people have about this match was the lack of build-up, but when old school met new school, it gave us a modern classic.
The match – Cody versus Brodie Lee in a Dog Collar Match for the AEW TNT Title, AEW Dynamite: This was the rematch between Cody and Lee for the TNT title and the last match of Lee’s professional career. An old school type of match, with one of the more violent gimmicks out there, this match showcased two of AEW’s best and looks even more special in retrospect as Lee would pass away four months later due to a lung illness.
The match – The Undertake versus AJ Styles, Boneyard Match, WrestleMania 36: This match divided wrestling fans because it was a cinematic match, meaning it was shot like a short film. There were edits, special effects and hours of filming. It was also the official WrestleMania send off for one of pro wrestling’s most iconic figures, The Undertaker. Seven months later, Undertaker would officially retire from the business, ending a career that spanned nearly 40 years.
