Top 10 Matches Of The Year – WrestleTalk Awards

8. Men’s Royal Rumble – 2020 WWE Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble match is all about surprise appearances, returns, showdowns that you wouldn’t otherwise see, and hopefully a new star overcoming the odds and walking away with a guaranteed WrestleMania title match.

If that’s your criteria, then the 2020 Royal Rumble match will be near perfect.

The match saw appearances from stars lika Matt Riddle and Keith Lee from NXT, the return of MVP, the dominance of Brock Lesnar, the amazing return of Edge, and was topped up off by a Drew McIntyre victory.

McIntyre winning the Rumble after eliminating Brock Lesnar, who was on an impressive 13-elimination streak, and the return of Edge will undoubtedly go down as two of the best moments of the year.

All of that, coupled with the hot crowd, something that has been sorely missed in 2020, and you don’t struggle to see why this match was voted the eighth-best of the year.

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7. Inner Circle vs. The Elite – Stadium Stampede Match – AEW Double or Nothing

Unlike any of the other technical masterpieces that will feature on this list, the Stadium Stampede match was one of the most entertaining and gripping pieces of wrestling that many fans have watched all year.

In a time where wrestling companies were looking for out-of-the-box ideas to keep fans engaged with the ongoing pandemic, AEW opted to have the two top factions work a cinematic match all over Daily’s Place, and it was honestly a joy to behold.

The match featured such iconic moments as Hangman Page chasing Sammy Guevara while riding a horse, and Guevara being northern lights suplexed from one side of the football field to the other.

Like many things in AEW this year, the match featured some great physical action as well as some neat storytelling. If you are to watch any cinematic match from this year, with the exception of one to feature later on in this list, then I’d recommend the Stadium Stampede.

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6. Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso – I Quit Hell In A Cell Match – Universal Championship – WWE Hell in a Cell

If you told me at the end of 2019 that one of wrestling’s best matches of the year would be a Hell in a Cell match between a heel Roman Reigns and Jey Uso over the Universal Championship, I’d have probably called out crazy.

This match capped off a fantastic feud between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. The match was incredibly emotional, and while it didn’t feature the insane moves like some of the other matches on this list, you’ll struggle to find another that was this gripping.

The story of the match was simple yet complex, with Jey Uso refusing quit, no matter how much Roman brutalised him. Jey only quit when Roman started attacking his brother Jimmy. It was a fantastic finish.

The closing shot of the match was great too, with Roman Reigns standing at the top of the ramp with The Wild Samoans, finally being recognised as the Head of the Table and the Tribal Chief.

The emotional story and great ending mean this match is rightfully ranked as one of the best matches of the year.

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