Top 10 WWE ranking wrestlers of 2020

To understand the popularity of a professional wrestler, one generally doesn’t have to look past crowd reaction.

Who was the most popular wrestler in 1998? When you hear the glass shatter, and the crowd erupts, you know the answer was Stone Cold Steve Austin.

And how about in 2000? Listen for the three words – “If you smell” – and it becomes obvious The Rock stood above the rest.

While 2020 has been a unique year for wrestling by many standards, perhaps the most interesting of all is trying to figure out who is “over” in a year when fans have been barred from arenas longer than they were allowed into them. The business strategy of listening to the crowd is tough to gauge when there is no physical audience to listen to.

And so the task of ranking the top 20 wrestlers of 2020 within WWE was tougher than perhaps it would have been in years past.

These rankings are based on championships held across the core four WWE brands (Raw, SmackDown, NXT, NXT UK), time spent on television, and impact made on social media.

1) WALTER – NXT UK Champion

WALTER made a big impression on the WWE Universe at Survivor Series 2019, and his star continued to grow in 2020. While much of his work may not have been seen or showcased this year, he wrestled in what can be considered a match-of-the-year candidate in October when he took on Ilja Dragunov.

If you haven’t seen that match, go out of your way to watch it immediately. It is likely the match of the year in WWE and perhaps the best match of at least the past five years within the company.

2) Kevin Owens

This year, the native of Marieville, Que., made headlines at WrestleMania this year thanks to his leap off the WrestleMania sign, putting Seth Rollins through a table in the process. Owens didn’t hold any titles this year, but his run as an edgy babyface, along with consistently being on television, drives his value up.

3) AJ Styles

Styles held the Intercontinental Championship for 71 days this year and participated in one of the most memorable matches of 2020 in WWE – his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Since entering WWE in 2016, Styles has consistently been in the discussion for a best in-ring competitor, and that status will always keep his name elevated on “Best Of” lists.

4) Alexa Bliss

A tale of two halves of the year puts Alexa Bliss inside the top 20. Her run in the first half of the year as tag champion was solid if unspectacular, but her work alongside The Fiend in the latter half of the year has been extremely captivating. Since aligning herself with The Fiend and not looking one bit out of place in the process, Bliss has been part of interesting television every single week. Her metamorphosis into the role has been great, leaving plenty of runway for the character to develop, as well.

5) Finn Balor – NXT Champion

“The Prince” made headlines late last year when he returned to NXT as a full-time competitor, jettisoning the main roster in the process. Balor was expected to add star power to a brand competing for viewers on Wednesday nights in the United States with upstart All Elite Wrestling. Balor now occupies the top spot on NXT as the NXT Champion, capturing the title in September. At NXT Takeover 31, Balor competed against Canadian Kyle O’Reilly in what should be considered a match-of-the-year contender in NXT.

6) Bobby Lashley – United States Champion

His presence aids His presence aids Bobby Lashley’s place on this list alongside “Hurt Business” stablemates MVP Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander, which has become one of the best parts of Monday Night Raw in the late portions of the year.

Lashley has been absolutely dominant as United States Champion, a title he won in August, crushing anyone and everyone in his path. His spot on the list could have been higher had it not been for the extremely unfortunate storyline alongside Lana early in the year.

7) Braun Strowman

This is the first ranking where I received some pushback, hearing arguments that Braun Strowman should be higher. There is merit to the argument, as Strowman held both the Intercontinental Championship and the Universal Championship this year.

While he should be praised for the hardware, his championship reigns left something to be desired. The IC title run was just 36 days. His Universal Championship victory came from happenstance when Roman Reigns chose not to compete at WrestleMania due to the pandemic, leaving Goldberg without an opponent. The championship gold will be remembered, but the content surrounding the title wins and defenses may not be.

8) Adam Cole

BAY-BAY!

Sorry, it’s tough to even write Adam Cole without adding BAY-BAY afterward. And perhaps that’s as good a reason as any to elevate Cole on this list. Cole has been the face of NXT since 2017, establishing himself as a major star in the process. His astounding 403-day reign as NXT Champion ended in July, but he’s continued to stay in the main event picture.

9) Keith Lee

This is where I received more pushback than anyone other on the list, with several arguing (including fellow Sportsnet Aftermath panelists, former WWE Superstar Santino Marella,, and former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas) that Lee was ranked too high.

Lee’s impact over the last three months has been little to nothing. Still, Lee was NXT Champion and NXT North American Champion earlier in the year, he’s been on television every week, and he defeated Randy Orton on his first PPV as a member of the main roster. Lee was a star earlier in the year and remained a star despite being portrayed on television. These rankings don’t necessarily take into account star potential, but Lee certainly has that in droves.

Oh, and Lee was part of the best promo package of the year in WWE.

10) Sami Zayn – Intercontinental Champion

Montreal’s finest Sami Zayn had quite the roller coaster of a year but with far more peaks than valleys. Zayn began his year in more of a managerial role but successfully transitioned into wrestling following his Intercontinental Championship victory in March. Zayn then competed in a marquee match at WrestleMania against Daniel Bryan before stepping away from television for several months during the beginning of the pandemic. Zayn, though, returned with a bang, capturing the IC Championship once again.

Zayn has been shining in his role as a smarmy heel and has successfully defended his championship on multiple occasions in the process. Zayn has been a great part of WWE television every week he’s been around.