Looking at the first six months of 2020, we take a look back at which AEW wrestlers have shined the most throughout this calendar year so far.
We have officially dove headfirst into June. Granted, with everything that’s happened this year, it feels like the year has been dragging for much longer, but we have officially seen six months of AEW TV.
While we coast through the road to AEW Fyter Fest, let’s take a look at the best wrestlers on the roster who have been nothing but stellar all year round so far.
But first, let’s look at some honorable mentions who just barely made the cut.
Honorable Mentions
Nyla Rose won the AEW Women’s Championship this year, but because of the novel coronavirus pandemic wound up missing several weeks of action. By time she came back, she lost the belt to Hikaru Shida within a matter of weeks. The pandemic ultimately resulted in Rose having a less than memorable reign, but her presence as a character both on TV and on social media has been entertaining to witness.
Orange Cassidy, with one of the roster’s most original characters, has surprisingly become must see TV. Literally. Ratings go up whenever he’s on TV, apparently.
Matt Hardy – It feels too soon to rate his run in AEW thus far, but so far, he’s done superbly in continuing to evolve his ever growing character and try new things like Stadium Stampede.
10. Big Swole
Prior to the pandemic, Big Swole was starting to gain a large following, kickstarting feuds with Nyla Rose and Britt Baker that put her firmly in the title picture. It seems as though the pandemic has slowed or postponed her push as she hasn’t wrestled on Dynamite since defeating Leva Bates in early March (though she’s set to wrestle Rose tonight).
Yet, miraculously, she’s continued to grow her following through social media and in other ways on AEW TV; more recently by participating in the crowd at Double or Nothing and being a memorable addition at that. From her cheers and jeers alone, some believed that she stole the show, which says a lot about the charisma she’s wielding through her fingertips. Just imagine the next time she gets a microphone in her hands in the middle of that ring.
Had her momentum from last March not been halted, Swole may be higher on this list, but expect her to get right back on track starting tonight.
9. Brodie Lee
Ever since making the jump from WWE to AEW, Brodie Lee has been the big man on campus in just a short amount of time. High expectations rested on the former Luke Harper’s shoulders from the moment he debuted as The Dark Order’s Exalted One.
At first, a bizarre Vince McMahon parody had us scratching our heads, but the more Lee settled into the role, the more we grew to accept it and he started to shine.
An undefeated streak and a surprisingly effective two week World Championship storyline placed him at the forefront of AEW’s main event picture, while an arguably show stealing title match with Jon Moxley at Double or Nothing helped solidify his spot. We haven’t seen him since the PPV, but expect the character to return with a vengeance as an even bigger threat.
8. Cody
While his TNT Championship win has divided audiences, he spent most of 2020 and especially 2019 as one of AEW’s most beloved babyfaces. Despite being in the position to push himself in the promotion’s top angles, the EVP inspired genuinely positive receptions from the crowd and his booking took a humbling approach; suffering big losses when necessary.
Cody has afforded a genuine connection with the audiences not only thanks to his performances in the ring, but for his ability to cut promos that evoke the utmost burst of emotions in his viewers. It’s an impressive feat that has now afforded him a championship that he plans to defend every week. For as good as he’s been in 2020 so far, expect him to get even better with each match every week.
7. Sammy Guevara
If anyone has benefitted the most from being apart of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle, it’s Sammy Guevara. Beyond just having a newfound spotlight on him, Guevara character work has improved immensely and he has become at his utmost charming in 2020.
Not to mention, Guevara has found himself being part of one viral hit after another from AEW. Even though it always comes at his expense (be it from getting hit by a golf cart by Matt Hardy, getting chased by Hangman Page on a horse, or crashing off an NFL stadium platform), the spotlight continues to be firmly on Guevara.
Guevara has made the most out of every opportunity given to him and if he keeps it up, there’s nowhere to go but up.
6. MJF
It is truly scary to think of how good MJF is both in the ring and on the mic with only five years worth of experience. Did I also mention that he is only 24 years old? In 2020 alone, he has cut some fiery promos and won what we may look back on years from now as a star making feud with Cody Rhodes.
By all accounts, MJF in the last six months has successfully established himself as a made man in AEW and a locked in main eventer for years to come. The ceiling is exponentially high for him and one has to wonder and be excited for what the rest of his year could look like.
5. Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley would actually be higher on the list, if not for the fact that like Rose, he missed a lot of in-ring time thanks to the current pandemic. Which could not have come at a worse time for Mox, happening mere weeks after he won the World Championship.
In Moxley’s case, he’s had a few more opportunities to make up for lost time and did so with flying colors. Not only did he have a pair of memorable title defenses against Brodie Lee and Jake Hager, but he managed to sell us all on a hot Lee vs. Mox title feud for Double or Nothing that only had two weeks worth of build before the PPV. That takes skill.
4. Britt Baker
Despite the doctor immediately being appointed as the future face of the women’s division from the moment she signed to the company, fans were struggling to care about Britt Baker. Mostly because she failed to encompass a character beyond just “I’m a dentist.”
So at the start of 2020, AEW finally caught on and decided to allow Baker to tweak her moveset and her character. What we have now is a character – yes, an actual character – who we love to hate. Even now that she’s injured and bound to a wheelchair, she continues to be a joy to watch, unloading bounds of charisma of every turn.
While we still have a long ways to go before she’s the “face” of the women’s division, she’s already fitting right at home as the division’s top heel.
3. Chris Jericho
As much as I hate this recent “All Lives Matter” campaign he’s been adamant on riding till the wheels fall off without bothering to be educated on why that phrasing is so problematic, I must give credit where credit is due: Chris Jericho successfully put the AEW brand on his back and helped her grow into a global success.
As the first AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho was immediately appointed at the forefront of the brand as its flagbearer since last summer. He’s used his platform – be it TV promos, social media, or his own podcast – to steer audiences in the direction of AEW and it has paid in dividends ever since. He’s continued to ride that wave into 2020 and has been one of the roster’s most consistent sources of entertainment.
2. Hangman Page
Who would have guessed that all Hangman Page needed to win us over was a beer in his hand and a horse to ride?
Hangman’s 2019 was not so stellar. He failed to win the inaugural World Championship at All Out and continued to suffer monumental loss after monumental loss before settling on rebuilding himself as a tag team wrestler with Kenny Omega.
Instead, struggling with the rebuild, Page became an alcoholic cowboy and somehow managed to be an oddly endearing, lovable evolution for Page. The character rebrand became immensely popular for Page, on top of him winning the Tag Titles. 2020 has been kind to Hangman and the best part is it’s still only just starting.
1. Hikaru Shida
For all of the hype that she received as one of the first women to sign on to the company’s roster, Hikaru Shida’s early beginnings in AEW were off to a rocky start after losing her shot at the inaugural Women’s Championship at All Out to Riho, but she bounced back in the fall. Since then, she managed to slowly build a fanbase while picking up win after win.
Ever since entering 2020, Shida has been virtually undefeated, suffering only one loss that stands incomparable to her 10 wins and counting. She has also managed to be one of the show’s most popular faces without needing an over the top character to stand out. Instead, she demanded our attention by having stellar matches.
Some of the year’s best matches featured Shida – most notably the ones pitting her against Britt Baker and Nyla Rose, the latter of whom she beat for the Women’s Championship at Double or Nothing.
Now that she has gold around her waist, it looks like Shida’s 2020 is bound to get a whole lot better.