'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Cody Rhodes - Former AEW TNT Champion
Cody Rhodes came into 2020 with the obstacle of being a top babyface star who could not vie for the AEW World Championship. Although this ceiling could have been insurmountable for some, the American Nightmare thrived in his roles this year. He started things out in the emotionally driven saga against MJF. The segments leading up to their AEW Revolution clash were among the most stirring on Dynamite.
Following his loss to Friedman at the pay-per-view, Rhodes was confronted by Jake The Snake Roberts, who foreshadowed the introduction of Lance Archer. Cody and Archer met in the TNT Championship Finals with Rhodes winning at AEW Double Or Nothing.
From there, Cody went on quite the successful run of solid TNT Championship matches against the likes of Sonny Kiss, Jungle Boy and Marq Quen. He even used the title as a vehicle to introduce new stars to AEW in Eddie Kingston and Ricky Starks. "The Ace Title" was a consistent highlight of Dynamite throughout the summer.
His loss of the gold and subsequent feud with Dark Order's Brodie Lee was enthralling and led to a dramatic payoff. The Dog Collar blowoff was a beautifully brutal war that had hard chain shots, broken tables and massive amounts of blood. The old school nature of this brawl made for one of the most unforgettable TV matches of 2020.
Cody Rhodes closed out the year with a refined storytelling battle against Darby Allin at Full Gear. His elevation of the younger star once again displayed that the Prince of Pro Wrestling was a master in making future stars in AEW. 2021 should be a standout for the former TNT Champion with his role in the Sting storyline, but 2020 was yet another year that proved himself as the top star WWE denied him to be.
