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We need to be honest; the AEW women’s division did not have the best 2020. While many AEW stars thrived in 2020 with some exciting feuds and matches, the women’s division was constantly lost in the shuffle.
Most of their matches were relegated to AEW Dark or the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament on YouTube. Even if female wrestlers could get on AEW Dynamite, it was always in one short match or segment per show. It has been rough going for the division.
Despite those obstacles, a few female wrestlers did truly shine in 2020 and will need a chance to grow and show their talent in 2021. As we look forward to a stronger future for the AEW women’s division, here's our five best female wrestlers of AEW in 2020.
#5 AEW's Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb didn’t officially join AEW until September of 2020. She began the year as a trainer for the WWE, but was part of the massive pandemic layoffs in April 2020.
She had not wrestled a televised match in nearly three years upon her first AEW appearance. That just made it all the more remarkable seeing what she did in the final four months of 2020 in All Elite Wrestling.
Serena Deeb quickly became the solid veteran the division desperately needed. In a division filled with inexperience, her skill level quickly shined through the rest of the roster.
She had one of the better female televised matches of the year in her debut against Thunder Rosa in September. On October 27, she won the NWA Women’s Title on a UWN/NWA Primetime Live show.
She followed that by successfully defended the title against Leyla Hirsch, Allysin Kay, and Thunder Rosa in some excellent matches.
Here is hoping she gets a chance at a meaningful feud in 2021.
#4 AEW's Big Swole
Big Swole had a big breakout year in 2020 in AEW. When she returned to the wrestling ring during the pandemic in May, she was constantly one of the most successful and active wrestlers in the entire AEW women’s division.
She went on an impressive streak from June until October where she didn’t lose a singles match. That streak sadly ended in a solid performance against AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida on the Chris Jericho 30th Anniversary show. But it was another feud that put Big Swole on this list in 2020.
She was involved in an entertaining feud with Britt Baker for the majority of the summer of 2020. It was a constant game of one-upmanship where Big Swole found new and entertaining ways to embarrass our favorite dentist.
It led to Big Swole being “suspended” for literally stealing Baker on an episode of AEW Dynamite. She returned and was part of an interesting cinematic “Tooth & Nail Match” at AEW All Out that she won.
It was likely the best AEW women’s feud of 2020, and it didn’t even involve the title. Let's hope that Big Swole can build on her breakout success in the coming year.
#3 AEW's Nyla Rose
Nyla Rose had an interesting 2020, to say the least. She finally overcame her rival Riho to win the AEW Women’s Champion for the first time on the February 12, 2020 edition of AEW Dynamite.
She successfully defended her title at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view against Kris Statlander at the end of February. It seemed like the beginning of a very dominant year for Nyla Rose, but the pandemic had other ideas.
She vanished from AEW television until a title defense against Hikaru Shida in a No Disqualification match at AEW Double or Nothing. She lost the title in a brutal match, and it seemed she lost her title before her reign had truly begun.
On a July episode of AEW Dynamite, Nyla Rose introduced Vickie Guerrero as her manager. You would assume with Vickie, one of the best heel managers in the business, the partnership would lead to greater things. But Rose seemed to spin her wheels, squashing random opponents on AEW Dark.
She suddenly got thrust back into the title picture and lost a good rematch against Hikaru Shida at AEW Full Gear. Here is hoping she gets a meaningful feud again in 2021.
#2 AEW's Hikaru Shida
It is strange to think that Hikaru Shida was the AEW Women’s Champion for the majority of 2020. She was the most active female talent in a unique year.
She began the year on a hot streak when she won 10 of 11 matches on her way to becoming the No. 1 contender. She even had a famous and physical match against Britt Baker that led to some memorable, bloody moments.
One of her biggest moments of 2020 was a No Disqualification match against Nyla Rose at AEW Double or Nothing, where she won the AEW Women’s World Championship for the first time. It sure seemed like it would be a great year for a talented champion, but it didn’t quite work out that way.
Shida was a credible champion but didn’t have a meaningful feud during the entire summer. Other than a good match with Penelope Ford at AEW Fyter Fest, she disappeared for a long period of time. That was until NWA talent Thunder Rosa arrived and gave Shida the best women’s match of 2020 at AEW All Out.
She ended the year with some solid title defenses over Big Swole on AEW Dynamite and Nyla Rose again at AEW Full Gear. As the year came to a close, she began a strange feud where she was scared of Abadon.
For such a dominant year for the champion, it was an interesting choice, to say the least. We should all hope she gains a meaningful feud in 2021.
#1 AEW's Britt Baker
Britt Baker had quite the transformation in 2020. She began the year in the same boring, babyface role she had since joining AEW. Did you know she was a Dentist?
That all dramatically changed for the better in January on the Chris Jericho cruise when she berated Tony Schiavone and the fans for the very first time. It was the beginning of her heel turn. She was the “Role Model” who would tell you how great she was at all times.
She had a great match during the early days of the pandemic against Hikaru Shida when she busted her nose and continued to fight. As she recovered from an injury, she gained a new assistant, Rebel, and built on her obnoxious persona.
This irritated Big Swole and led to the most entertaining non-title women’s feud in AEW history. It ended with a unique “Tooth & Nail” match at AEW All Out, which Baker lost.
In the later months of 2020, Britt Baker went back to being completely healthy and has dominated her competition to end the year. It seems like she is at the beginning of a feud with the very talented Thunder Rosa. Britt Baker was the most entertaining and obnoxious heel in All Elite Wrestling in 2020.
Hopefully, she will get that AEW Women’s Championship opportunity she so richly deserves very shortly.
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