2020 Match of the Year List

I updated my match of the year list every month to make sure it reflects what I was thinking in real time as I watched my beloved professional wrestling.

This list reflects the notable matches I enjoyed during 2020. I’m sure I’m missing a ton of things and it’s always a work in progress. Please educate me—links appreciated.

Especially excellent matches appear in bold.

1. Darby Allin vs. Cody Rhodes II (AEW, 1/1)
2. The Elite Vs Lucha Bros/Pac (AEW, 1/1)
3. Kento Miyahara vs. Jake Lee (AJPW, 1/3)
4. Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer (NJPW, 1/4)
5. Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White  (NJPW, 1/4)
6. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW 1/4)
7. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 1/4)
8. Takashi Sugiura vs. Masa Kitamiya (NOAH, 1/4)
9. Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 1/5)
10. Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 1/5)
11. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 1/5)
12. Tomohiro Ishii/Hirooki Goto vs. Evil/Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 1/6)
13. Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT UK, 1/12)
14. Gallus vs. Imperium vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Andrews/Webster Ladder Match (NXT UK, 1/12)
15. Walter vs. Joe Coffee (NXT UK, 1/12)
16. Hangman Page/Kenny Omega vs. SCU (AEW, 1/22)
17. Jordan Devlin vs. Angel Garza (c) vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Travis Banks (NXT, 1/25)
18. Mustache Mountain vs. DIY (NXT, 1/25)
19. Imperium vs. Undisputed Era (NXT, 1/25)
20. Men’s Royal Rumble (WWE, 1/26)
21. Shingo Takagi vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW, 2/1)
22. Will Ospreay vs. Zach Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 2/2)
23. Kazuchika Okada vs. Taichi (NJPW, 2/2)
24. Jon Moxley vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 2/9)
25. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee (NJPW, 2/9)
26. Riho vs. Nyla Rose (Women’s Championship) (AEW, 2/12)
27. Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Rev Pro, 2/14)
28. Dakota Kai vs. Teegan Knox (Street Fight) (NXT Portland, 2/16)
29. Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor (NXT Portland, 2/16)
30. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Hideki Suzuki (NOAH, 2/16)
31. Cody vs. Wardlow (Cage Match) (AEW, 2/19)
32. Kenny Omega/Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros (AEW, 2/19)
33. Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 2/20)
34. Masato Tanaka vs. MAO (DDT, 2/23)
35. Kenny Omega vs. PAC (Iron Man Match) (AEW, 2/26)
36. Young Bucks vs. Page/Omega (AEW, 2/29)
37. Tom Lawlor vs. Dominic Garrini (Prestige, 3/6)
38. Drew Gulak vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, 3/8)
39. Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Lloyd Social Distancing Match (GCW Acid Cup II, 3/20)
40. Go Shiozaki vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (NOAH, 3/29)
41. Undertaker vs. AJ Styles WrestleMania Boneyard Match (WWE, 4/4)
42. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE, 4/5)
43. John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt Firefly FunHouse (WWE, 4/5)
44. Omega/Hardy vs. Jericho/Guevara Street Fight (AEW, 5/6)
45. Takashi Sugiura vs Katsuhiko Nakajima(NOAH, 5/9)
46. Drew Gulak vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, 5/15)
47. Jungle Boy vs. MJF (AEW, 5/23)
48. Elite/Hardy vs. Inner Circle Stadium Stampede (AEW, 5/23) 
49. Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (WWE, 5/26)
50. Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle Fight Pit (NXT, 5/27)
51. Yoshihiko vs. Takeshita (DDT, 6/6)
52. Io Shirai vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (NXT IYH, 6/7)
53. Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (WWE, 6/12)
54. Randy Orton vs. Edge (WWE Backlash, 6/14)
55. Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 6/17)
56. Shingo Takagi vs. Sho (NJPW, 6/22)
57. Fred Yehi vs. Jeremy Wyatt (STL Anarchy, 6/28)
58. Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks (NXT, 7/1)
59. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 7/2)
60. FTR/Young Bucks vs. Butcher and the Blade/Lucha Bros (AEW, 7/8)
61. Walter vs. Kushida (NXT UK, 7/9)
62. Shingo Takagi vs. Sho (NJPW, 7/12)
63. FTR vs. Lucha Bros (AEW, 7/15)
64. Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (WWE, 7/19)
65. Young Bucks vs. Butcher/Blade (AEW, 7/22)
66. Cody vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 7/22)
67. Calvin Tankman vs. Tom Lawlor (Paradigm Pro, 7/24)
68. Blake Christian vs. Alex Zayne (GCW, 7/25)
69. Chris Dickinson vs. Calvin Tankman (GCW, 7/25)
70. Joey Janela vs. Lio Rush (GCW, 7/26)
71. Lee Moriarty vs. Wheeler YUTA (Beyond, 7/26)
72. Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (Raw, 7/27)
73. Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW, 7/31)
74. Kenoh vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH, 8/4)
75. Dark Order vs. Elite/FTR (AEW, 8/5)
76. Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai (NXT, 8/5)
77. Tetsuya Endo vs. Minoru Tanaka (DDT, 8/10)
78. Go Shiozaki vs. Kenoh (NOAH, 8/10)
79. Calvin Tankman vs. Erick Stevens (BLP, 8/22)
80. Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee (NXT, 8/22)
81. Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai (NXT, 8/22)
82. Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher (NXT, 8/22)
83. Chris Dickinson vs. Priscilla Kelly (Beyond, 8/23)
84. Sasha Banks vs. Asuka (WWE, 8/23)
85. Bayley vs. Asuka (WWE, 8/23)
86. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton (WWE, 8/23)
87. Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 8/29)
88. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks (WWE, 8/30)
89. Big E vs. Sheamus (WWE, 8/30)
90. Rey/Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/ Murphy (WWE, 8/30)
91. Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa Ironman (NXT, 9/1)
92. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks (WWE, 9/4)
93. FTR vs. Page/Omega (AEW, 9/5)
94. Jon Moxley vs. MJF (AEW, 9/5)
95. Britt Baker vs. Big Swole Tooth and Nail (AEW, 9/5)
96. Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa (AEW, 9/5)
97. Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez Cage (NXT, 9/8)
98. Best Friends vs. Santana/Ortiz (AEW, 9/16)
99. Io Shirai vs. Shotzi Blackheart (NXT, 9/16)
100. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenoh (NOAH, 9/18)
101. Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 9/19)
102. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 9/20)
103. Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 9/24)
104. Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 9/27)
105. Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 9/27)
106. Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy Ladder Match (WWE, 9/27)
107. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton Ambulance (WWE, 9/27)
108. Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (WWE, 9/27)
109. Will Ospreay vs. Jay White (NJPW, 9/30)
110. Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin (AEW, 9/30)
111. FTR vs. SCU (AEW, 9/30)
112. Warhorse vs. Joshua Bishop (BLP, 10/2)
113. Io Shirai vs. Candace LaRae (NXT, 10/4)
114. Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly (NXT, 10/4)
115. Cody vs. Brodie Lee (AEW, 10/7)
116. Kota Ibushi vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 10/10)
117. Jonathan Gresham vs. Lee Moriarity (Joey Janela Spring Break 4, 10/10)
118. Lio Rush vs. ACH (JJSB4, 10/10)
119. Ricky Morton vs. Joey Janela (JJSB4, 10/10)
120. Tom Lawlor vs. Homicide (Bloodsport 3, 10/11)
121. Jon Moxley vs. Chris Dickinson (Bloodsport 3, 10/11)
122. Pete Dunne/Ilya Dragunov vs. WALTER/Alexander Wolfe (NXTUK 10/15)
123. Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi (NJPW, 10/16)
124. Kota Ibushi vs. Sanada (NJPW, 10/18)
125. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley Hell in the Cell (WWE, 10/25)
126. Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso Hell in the Cell (WWE, 10/25)
127. Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus (WWE, 10/26)
128. Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez (NXT, 10/28)
129. Candace LaRae vs. Io Shirai (NXT 10/28)
130. WALTER vs. Ilya Dragunov (NXT UK, 10/29)
131. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (WWE, 11/6)
132. Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 11/7)
133. Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Adama Page (AEW, 11/7)
134. Young Bucks vs. FTR (AEW, 11/7)
135. Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White (NJPW, 11/7)
136. Mance Warner vs. Alex Colon Boards of Fuckery (GCW, 11/7)
137. Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush (GCW, 11/8)
138. Juicy Finau vs. Jordan Oliver (GCW, 11/8)
139. Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley (NXT, 11/18)
140. Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso (WWE, 11/20)
141. Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE, 11/22)
142. Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (WWE, 11/22)
143. New Day vs. Street Profits (WWE, 11/22)
144. Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH, 11/22)
145. Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 12/2)
146. Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush (GCW, 12/5)
147. Jacob Fatu vs. Matthew Justice (GCW, 12/5)
148. Women’s War Games (NXT, 12/6)
149. Go Shiozaki vs. Takashi Sugiura (NOAH, 12/6)
150. Kenny Omega vs. Laredo Kid (AAA, 12/12)
151. Pagano vs. Chessman Apuesta match (AAA, 12/12)
152. Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens Cagematch (WWE, 12/25)
153. Daniel Bryan vs Jey Uso (WWE, 12/25)
154. Manders vs. Shlak Deathmatch (GCW, 12/31)

-Jonathan Snowden