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2020 has been an extremely challenging year for the entire world. COVID-19, social distancing, restrictions, and more have made this year difficult for a lot of people, and industries. All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was already in a tough spot due to being a brand new company trying to get off the ground. But despite all the troubles this year, AEW has done very well.
AEW has held four PPVs in 2020, three of which have been under COVID-19 restrictions. With the year coming to an end, let's analyse and rank AEW's pay-per-view shows of 2020.
#4 AEW All Out
AEW All Out wasn't a bad show per se, but looking at all the shows at once, it was the weakest. The main event was Jon Moxley defending the AEW World Championship against MJF and it wasn't a bad match by any means. We also saw the Mimosa Mayhem Match between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy. Again, it wasn't a bad match at all. It was fun, innovative, and helped make Orange Cassidy a star.
However, Matt Hardy suffered a concussion in his match with Sammy Guevara, and instead of just calling off the match, AEW let Hardy continue the match. This definitely turned some fans off to the rest of this show. For days after the show, AEW received a ton of flak for their decision and the way they handled the media afterwards.
AEW also opened up the show with a "Tooth and Nail" match between Big Swole and Dr. Britt Baker. The cinematic match was very strange and just didn't work at all for a big show opener. As stated before, the show wasn't all bad. We got to see FTR capture the AEW World Tag Team Championship from Adam Page and Kenny Omega in a fantastic match.
#3 AEW Double or Nothing
AEW Double or Nothing, which was supposed to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, was impacted by COVID-19 and had to be moved to Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Much like All Out before it, Double or Nothing wasn't a bad show, but looking at the four from this year, it belongs third on the list with the strength of the other shows.
We saw the debut of Brian Cage and he won the Casino Ladder Match. We also saw Cody Rhodes become the very first AEW TNT Champion when he defeated Lance Archer in the finale, but the match wasn't as strong as some would have thought.
However, the Stadium Stampede match received many rave reviews on how entertaining it was. AEW was promoting a "Blood and Guts" match that was supposed to be AEW's version of a WarGames match. Due to COVID-19, AEW hasn't been able to give us that match yet, so the Stadium Stampede served as a fun replacement.
Double or Nothing had some great wrestling on it. Mr. Brodie Lee and Jon Moxley had a fantastic match where Moxley defeated Lee by submission. Hikaru Shida became the AEW Women's Champion when she defeated Nyla Rose in another very solid match. Even with all the great matches, AEW Double or Nothing 2020 will always be remembered for the Stadium Stampede match.
#2 AEW Full Gear
The most recent AEW pay-per-view, Full Gear, was a fantastic show. Every match, maybe with the exception of the AEW Women's World Championship match, was a great match. The opening match was the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament finale between Kenny Omega and Adam "Hangman" Page. The match wasn't exactly what one would expect from an Omega-Page match, but it was still a very good match.
Orange Cassidy and Jon Silver had a fun, entertaining match that pleased the home viewers and helped only elevate Cassidy even more. We saw the first "Deletion" match in AEW in the Elite Deletion match between Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara, that, much like the Cassidy match, was great fun to watch.
Even though many fans were upset that The Young Bucks defeated FTR for the AEW World Tag Team titles, the match was superb. The finish was one that nobody expected when Cash Wheeler unsuccessfully attempted a 450 splash that cost him and Harwood the titles. The storytelling was masterful; FTR deviated from their normal wrestling style and it cost them the match.
Darby Allin won the AEW TNT Championship, MJF earned his spot in The Inner Circle, and Moxley retained the AEW World Championship from Eddie Kingston. All in all, this show was fantastic, and was just barely beaten by our number 1 AEW show for 2020.
#1 AEW Revolution
The only AEW pay per view that was held in front of a full live crowd in 2020, is also number 1 on this list. AEW Revolution wasn't a perfect show, but when looking at all of AEW's shows in 2020, this one delivered much more than the others. The first match between The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) and SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) was a good opener and the show trended upwards from there.
Jake Hager had his first match in AEW against Dustin Rhodes, and even though It wasn't a five-star barn burner, it was a good introduction to Jake Hager. Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara brawled outside before their match, and the latter hit an insane 630 senton on Darby through a table.
Omega and Page defeated The Young Bucks to retain the tag titles, Nyla Rose defeated Kris Statlander to retain the women's title, and Pac and Orange Cassidy had a very entertaining match, showcasing both wrestling styles.
The main event, however was on another level, even before the bell rang. Chris Jericho had a choir sing Judas, which was breathtaking, and both wrestlers put on one hell of a show for the fans in attendance. Jon Moxley defeated Jericho, becoming just the second AEW World Champion in AEW history. AEW Revolution may very well be AEW's best show since their inception.
