Who have been WWE’s best women’s wrestlers in 2020 thus far?
It’s safe to say this year has been a peculiar one for the world as a whole, and WWE has not been immune to this, yet it’s wrestlers still strive to be at the top of the wrestling food chain. Even still, the WWE has done it’s best to survive amidst a worldwide pandemic in the hopes of keeping the fans entertained through this hardship the world is facing.
In doing so the WWE has given its wrestlers the opportunity to shine in 2020 and several women wrestlers have come out on top this year. Let’s begin with number five on the list of the current Top Five Women in WWE.
5. Sonya Deville
Although this year has been so detrimental to so many, Sonya Deville has really had nothing short of a breakout growth year within the WWE. For the greater half of her time within the WWE, Deville has been best known for her time as being a part of Fire and Desire. From being blurred out on screen to put more emphasis on her former best friend, Mandy Rose, to giving up quintessential matches to Mandy, Sonya Deville has constantly gotten the short end of the stick.
2020 is a breakout year for Deville because she has finally stepped out from underneath the shadow of Mandy’s contagious glow. In doing so, Sonya even called Mandy out for being “the most selfish human being”…”with no talent.”
Although it is unfortunate and heart wrenching to know that Fire & Desire never received an adequate (and well deserved) women’s tag team title run, Sonya’s new fiery attitude and heel turn may have lasting residual effects for the superstar’s career.
Breaking away from Rose may be proving to be a bit harder than anticipated for Deville as the two have been in a feud for the greater part of this year, however, this feud allows both women to have the opportunity to let their wrestling styles and individuality shine.
If Sonya Deville plays her cards right (and keeps Mandy out of her head) she can very well show the entire WWE Universe as well as the SmackDown roster why she is deserving of a SmackDown Women’s Title match opportunity against the current champion, Bayley.
Sonya Deville has been having a solo breakout year within the WWE, and there is no doubt that she is on her way to being the female representative across all WWE platforms, however, Deville needs to keep her head in the game. Sonya’s “Put Your Hair Up and Square Up” catchphrase has always shown that she is a woman who is about her business and in order to keep this persona alive, Deville needs to also leave Mandy in the dust in order to focus on the bigger picture at earning a singles championship match opportunity.
If Sonya wants to stay on top of the charts as one of the Top Five Women Wrestlers in WWE for the latter half of 2020, she has got some refocusing to do, however, the stellar solo breakout year that Deville has been having currently explains precisely why she was able to make the cut as one of the top five women in WWE.
4. Asuka
Asuka has the tendency to light up every wrestling arena that she steps foot in, and it is safe to say that many superstars see her as the woman to beat. This comes partly from the fact that Asuka is the current Raw Women’s Champion, a title she rightfully earned after beating five other women at the Money in the Bank ladder match. This also comes from the fact that Asuka had an impressive undefeated streak for nearly two and a half years until it was ended by The Queen, Charlotte Flair, at WrestleMania 34.
Whatever the case, Asuka is still the woman to beat. For the first few months of the year, Asuka held WWE Women’s Tag Team Gold alongside her partner Kairi Sane. As of now, these two women hold the longest reign with the tag team belts at 180 days.
While The Kabuki Warriors did end up losing the titles to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WrestleMania 36, it didn’t take long for Asuka to get back up on her feet and go after more gold. This time her eyes were set on the prize of the WWE Raw Women’s Championship and man oh man did she blindly hit the bullseye!
Typically the individual who wins a Money in the Bank ladder match wins a contract to a title match of the winner’s choosing, that can be cashed in any time and anywhere. Fortunately for Asuka, the stakes were a little higher at this past MITB as the WWE Universe would later find out that the winner of this year’s MITB ladder match actually won the Raw Women’s Title, because Becky had to relinquish the belt as she discovered she was expecting her first child.
Asuka is notorious for putting on an amazing performance which is exactly why she is one of the top five women in WWE currently. Month after month, and opponent after opponent Asuka has given each match her all, and has generally come out the victor.
As the current Raw Women’s Champion, Asuka has a massive target on her back, and Sasha Banks is taking steady aim as the two women are scheduled to face off for the gold at Extreme Rules on July 19, 2020.
Will Asuka once again show the WWE Universe why she is the Empress of Tomorrow or will The Boss, The Blueprint, Sasha Banks take her rightful throne as a double champion alongside her best friend and current SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bayley?
Only time will tell, however, one thing that time has already told time and time again is that Asuka is a force to be reckoned with and is leaving her mark in the WWE as one of the top five women in WWE.
3. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch currently holds the record for being the longest-reigning WWE Raw Women’s Champion with a title reign of 398 days, which is well over a year of sheer domination. While this reign was cut short since Lynch relinquished the championship to Asuka upon telling the entire WWE Universe that she was expecting, the time that Becky spent as champion will be a memorable one. If not for the blessings of motherhood, it is debatable as to whether or not Lynch would still be the reigning champion.
She certainly has the heart and tenacity to still be a reigning champion, even if her body cannot currently keep up.
Nevertheless, the time that Becky Two Belts did spend in the WWE ring this year was nothing short of unprecedented.
Lynch’s year started off with a bang after she successfully defeated Asuka via submission at the 2020 Royal Rumble to retain her Raw Women’s title. This feat alone was a tremendous accomplishment, as Asuka was the stepping stone that Lynch just could not seem to surpass for a long time. Lynch would go on to defend her title in another match against Asuka on Monday night Raw in February, where Becky would once again come out victorious, which would only cement in stone that Lynch was the better woman.
The feud that popped off between Lynch and The Queen of Spades, Shayna Bazsler helps to prove why Becky belongs on the top five women in the WWE list.
Being able to say you defeated Shayna Bazsler is no easy feat as this woman has dominated virtually every time that she has stood in a WWE ring. This is backed by the fact that Baszler is only one of two women (the second woman being Charlotte Flair) who can say that they have held the distinct honor of being a two-time NXT Women’s Champion. Tacking on to this already hefty accolade, Baszler also has the longest combined NXT Women’s Championship reign than any other woman.
The Queen of Spades yet again showed her sheer dominance at the Elimination Chamber when she single-handedly defeated all five of her competitors while simultaneously tying the record for most eliminations during an EC match with Braun Strowman.
Even with a wrestling performance of this stature, Becky Lynch was still able to be victorious against such a dominant force in Shayna Bazsler at WrestleMania 36. Although Shayna was deemed as an unstoppable force, Becky was able to pull out all the cards to come out on top and remain the undisputed Raw Women’s Champion.
The confidence, poise, heart, and tenacity alone that Lynch has, speaks to why she still managed to end up on this list even after relinquishing her championship to Asuka, after she won the unorthodox, 2020 Money in the Bank match.
The Man, Becky Lynch, had to give up the title because she had the greatest gift on Earth on the way in the form of a baby. Lynch let the entire universe know that she was with child shortly after handing the title over to Asuka, and it was evident that this was both one of the saddest and happiest moments of Becky’s career. Giving up something she had worked years to obtain in order to become a mother.
Even though it is uncertain if or when Lynch will return, like the man on the moon, Becky has definitely left a lasting mark within the WWE as one of the top five women in WWE.
2. Bayley
Bayley Dos Straps is currently dominating the WWE Women’s division as a whole which makes her one of the top five women in WWE. Some may say this is thanks in part to her best friend Sasha Banks while others will say it’s thanks to her heel turn, but whatever the case, there is still no denying that Bayley has been on fire this year.
Currently, Bayley is the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion (and currently the longest reigning) and is one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, alongside her BFF Sasha Banks. Let’s not forget that Bayley is also the inaugural Grand Slam Champion, meaning the first Women to hold all belts currently available to the WWE women’s wrestlers.
Furthermore, Bayley Dos Straps has been the reigning and defending WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion since 2019 after she dethroned The Queen for the title. Being the reigning Champion for over nine months puts Bayley at the top of the food chain, and she has proved just how untouchable she is after successfully defending her title against the likes of Tamina, Naomi, Dana Brooke, and Lacey Evans. Let’s not forget to mention that one of these successful title defenses was in a 6-Pack Elimination match at this past WrestleMania.
What’s more is the fact that The Role Model continues to prove exactly why she is the woman to beat by going on to become a part of the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions after defeating Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross on an episode of SmackDown. This win is also what propelled Bayley to become a double champion, which is an accolade that many see as an impenetrable. This fact is further proven when it is taken into account that very few women in WWE have this same accomplishment outside of Becky Lynch and Paige.
Bayley is one of the top five women in WWE so far this year as she has been flying across every WWE brand as of recent. From carrying the SmackDown Women’s division on her back, to beating up Asuka on Raw, and showing Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart who the dominant tag team is, Bayley has been mopping the floor with her competitors.
With this heel turn, it looks like the sky’s the limit for the Role Model, and with Banks by her side, it looks like this is exactly where they are headed.
1. Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair has proven that she is The Queen time and time again, this year alone. Her list of accolades run literally a mile long by being a former SmackDown, NXT, Raw, and Diva Women’s Champion, with her most recent accomplishment being gaining the WWE NXT Women’s Champion for a second time at WrestleMania 36.
Now, The Queen has shown the entire WWE Women’s division who is in charge after winning the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble, which provided her with the opportunity to face a champion of her choosing at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania.
However, as The Queen, competitors always see Charlotte as the woman to beat. Perhaps this is what compelled Rhea Ripley to muster up the courage to challenge Charlotte Flair to a match for Ripley’s then NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36.
So, the long story short for those who don’t know the ending, while The Nightmare, Rhea Ripley did defend her champion in her first ever WrestleMania match, The Queen ultimately came out as the new NXT Women’s Champion.
Importantly, her WrestleMania win now makes Charlotte Flair a 12 time Women’s Champion, which is somewhat of an anomaly within the industry.
To demonstrate, if you take a look into the WWE history books, there is no woman who has had more than ten total title reigns except for Charlotte Flair. To further prove that Charlotte is a true trailblazer in the industry, her 12 title reigns are followed by a three-way tie for second place with seven total title reigns each for the Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus, The Blueprint, Sasha Banks, and Alexa Bliss.
As the new NXT Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair went on to live up to her name by showing the entire roster that she is a force to be reckoned with. If winning the NXT title at the grandest stage of them all against such a powerhouse like Rhea Ripley wasn’t enough, Flair went on to be a fighting Champion after successfully defeating Mia Yim in her ring return after capturing the title.
While this NXT reign was only 63 days long, it still helped to solidify Flair’s place in WWE history and ensures that she stands apart from her illustrious father, Ric Flair. This title reign made one point very clear and that is that Charlotte Flair is one of the top five women in WWE, not only this year but of all time.