I update 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. That way, when we’re all choosing the best matches and moments of 2020 in December, I have a cheat sheet to help refresh my memory.
We are two-thirds of the way through 2020, so it feels like a good time to share this with you. This list reflects the notable matches I’ve enjoyed during the year. 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.
- Darby Allin vs. Cody Rhodes II (AEW, 1/1)
- The Elite Vs Lucha Bros/Pac (AEW, 1/1)
- Kento Miyahara vs. Jake Lee (AJPW, 1/3)
- Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer (NJPW, 1/4)
- Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White (NJPW, 1/4)
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW 1/4)
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 1/4)
- Takashi Sugiura vs. Masa Kitamiya (NOAH, 1/4)
- Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 1/5)
- Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 1/5)
- Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 1/5)
- Tomohiro Ishii/Hirooki Goto vs. Evil/Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 1/6)
- Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT UK, 1/12)
- Gallus vs. Imperium vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Andrews/Webster Ladder Match (NXT UK, 1/12)
- Walter vs. Joe Coffee (NXT UK, 1/12)
- Hangman Page/Kenny Omega vs. SCU (AEW, 1/22)
- Jordan Devlin vs. Angel Garza (c) vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Travis Banks (NXT, 1/25)
- Mustache Mountain vs. DIY (NXT, 1/25)
- Imperium vs. Undisputed Era (NXT, 1/25)
- Men’s Royal Rumble (WWE, 1/26)
- Shingo Takagi vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW, 2/1)
- Will Ospreay vs. Zach Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 2/2)
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Taichi (NJPW, 2/2)
- Jon Moxley vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 2/9)
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee (NJPW, 2/9)
- Riho vs. Nyla Rose (Women’s Championship) (AEW, 2/12)
- Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Rev Pro, 2/14)
- Dakota Kai vs. Teegan Knox (Street Fight) (NXT Portland, 2/16)
- Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor (NXT Portland, 2/16)
- Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Hideki Suzuki (NOAH, 2/16)
- Cody vs. Wardlow (Cage Match) (AEW, 2/19)
- Kenny Omega/Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros (AEW, 2/19)
- Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 2/20)
- Masato Tanaka vs. MAO (DDT, 2/23)
- Kenny Omega vs. PAC (Iron Man Match) (AEW, 2/26)
- Young Bucks vs. Page/Omega (AEW, 2/29)
- Tom Lawlor vs. Dominic Garrini (Prestige, 3/6)
- Drew Gulak vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, 3/8)
- Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Lloyd Social Distancing Match (GCW Acid Cup II, 3/20)
- Go Shiozaki vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (NOAH, 3/29)
- Undertaker vs. AJ Styles WrestleMania Boneyard Match (WWE, 4/4)
- Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE, 4/5)
- John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt Firefly FunHouse (WWE, 4/5)
- Omega/Hardy vs. Jericho/Guevara Street Fight (AEW, 5/6)
- Takashi Sugiura vs Katsuhiko Nakajima(NOAH, 5/9)
- Drew Gulak vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, 5/15)
- Jungle Boy vs. MJF (AEW, 5/23)
- Elite/Hardy vs. Inner Circle Stadium Stampede (AEW, 5/23)
- Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (WWE, 5/26)
- Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle Fight Pit (NXT, 5/27)
- Yoshihiko vs. Takeshita (DDT, 6/6)
- Io Shirai vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (NXT IYH, 6/7)
- Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (WWE, 6/12)
- Randy Orton vs. Edge (WWE Backlash, 6/14)
- Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 6/17)
- Shingo Takagi vs. Sho (NJPW, 6/22)
- Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks (NXT, 7/1)
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 7/2)
- FTR/Young Bucks vs. Butcher and the Blade/Lucha Bros (AEW, 7/8)
- Walter vs. Kushida (NXT UK, 7/9)
- Shingo Takagi vs. Sho (NJPW, 7/12)
- FTR vs. Lucha Bros (AEW, 7/15)
- Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (WWE, 7/19)
- Young Bucks vs. Butcher/Blade (AEW, 7/22)
- Cody vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 7/22)
- Calvin Tankman vs. Tom Lawlor (Paradigm Pro, 7/24)
- Blake Christian vs. Alex Zayne (GCW, 7/25)
- Chris Dickinson vs. Calvin Tankman (GCW, 7/25)
- Joey Janela vs. Lio Rush (GCW, 7/26)
- Lee Moriarty vs. Wheeler YUTA (Beyond, 7/26)
- Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (Raw, 7/27)
- Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW, 7/31)
- Kenoh vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH, 8/4)
- Dark Order vs. Elite/FTR (AEW, 8/5)
- Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai (NXT, 8/5)
- Tetsuya Endo vs. Minoru Tanaka (DDT, 8/10)
- Go Shiozaki vs. Kenoh (NOAH, 8/10)
- Calvin Tankman vs. Erick Stevens (BLP, 8/22)
- Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee (NXT, 8/22)
- Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai (NXT, 8/22)
- Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher (NXT, 8/22)
- Chris Dickinson vs. Priscilla Kelly (Beyond, 8/23)
- Sasha Banks vs. Asuka (WWE, 8/23)
- Bayley vs. Asuka (WWE, 8/23)
- Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton (WWE, 8/23)
- Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW, 8/29)
- Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks (WWE, 8/30)
- Big E vs. Sheamus (WWE, 8/30)
- Rey/Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/ Murphy (WWE, 8/30)
- Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa Ironman (NXT, 9/1)
- Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks (WWE, 9/4)
- FTR vs. Page/Omega (AEW, 9/5)
- Jon Moxley vs. MJF (AEW, 9/5)
- Britt Baker vs. Big Swole Tooth and Nail (AEW, 9/5)
- Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa (AEW, 9/5)
- Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez Cage (NXT, 9/8)
- Best Friends vs. Santana/Ortiz (AEW, 9/16)
- Io Shirai vs. Shotzi Blackheart (NXT, 9/16)
- Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenoh (NOAH, 9/18)
- Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 9/19)
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 9/20)
- Eddie Kingston vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 9/24)
- Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 9/27)
- Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 9/27)
- Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy Ladder Match (WWE, 9/27)
- Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton Ambulance (WWE, 9/27)
- Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (WWE, 9/27)
- Will Ospreay vs. Jay White (NJPW, 9/30)
- Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin (AEW, 9/30)
- FTR vs. SCU (AEW, 9/30)
- Warhorse vs. Joshua Bishop (BLP, 10/2)
- Io Shirai vs. Candace LaRae (NXT, 10/4)
- Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly (NXT, 10/4)
-Jonathan Snowden
