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2020 has been a tumultuous year for the WWE. Amid a global pandemic, nothing has come easy or as expected for the biggest promotion in professional wrestling. Despite the booking highs and lows of 2020, WWE can hang its hat on how a few competitors engaged the WWE Universe with high-profile feuds.
On both WWE RAW and SmackDown, WWE has delivered quite a few rivalries that have been truly compelling in 2020. Between former friends fighting over a personal grudge to top stars competing for gold, fans have witnessed some memorable moments, promos and matches this year.
With that being said, determining the best rivalries WWE has offered in 2020 is a tricky endeavor. In this article, let's try to do just that.
#5 Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville - WWE SmackDown
Ahead of WWE WrestleMania 36, Mandy Rose was stuck in the middle of a love triangle. She showed affection towards Otis, but Dolph Ziggler swooped in on a Valentine's Day date to steal her away. However, it was later revealed by the SmackDown hacker that Sonya Deville plotted against Otis and Mandy to keep them apart.
Deville then stated that her true intention was to take the spotlight off her attractive best friend. Although Deville was a hard worker, Rose regularly got more attention throughout their run as a tag team. As a result, Deville planned to ruin the life of her former best friend out of sheer jealousy.
The two enemies got involved in the WrestleMania 36 match between Otis and Dolph Ziggler. They also fought a few times on SmackDown. Things really heated when Deville cut Rose's hair. The feud culminated in huge showdown at WWE SummerSlam. Real life interrupted what would have been a Hair vs. Hair Match, so fans got a No Disqualification Loser Leaves WWE match instead.
This contest was short, but the rivals threw everything they had at each other. Rose emerged victorious, and Deville hasn't been seen on WWE programming since. This feud featured two relatively young performers really shining in a deeply personal rivalry.
They brought thrived with stellar promos and remarkable character work. What the two ladies lacked in in-ring skill, they more than made up for with the delivery of their animosity.
#4 Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton - WWE RAW
Following the return of Edge, Randy Orton betrayed his former friend and brought back his "Legend Killer" persona. Orton took out his former best friend. He then attacked Christian, Big Show and his former mentor, Ric Flair, in the weeks that followed. With those legends out of the way, the 13-time World Champion set his sights on the WWE Championship.
"The Viper" challenged Drew McIntyre for the title at WWE Summerslam 2020. An entertaining buildup featured Orton adding Shawn Michaels to his list of victims. Then, McIntyre defeated Orton in a thrilling contest at the biggest party of the summer. This victory did not slow things down between the two fierce rivals, though.
The two men fought in a fun Ambulance Match at WWE Clash of Champions. This WWE Championship Match was highlighted by the aforementioned victims of the "Legend Killer" coming back to get some revenge. But "The Apex Predator" went on to defeat McIntyre to win his 14th world title at WWE Hell In A Cell.
The rivalry reached another level when McIntyre challenged Orton in a No Disqualification, No Countout Match on the November 16 episode of WWE RAW. This match ended with McIntyre hitting the Claymore and regaining the WWE Championship.
The length of this rivalry and its run of enjoyable bouts makes McIntyre vs. Orton one of the best feuds of the entire year. Their encounters over the WWE Championship gave McIntyre a legitimate feud that solidified his spot as the top babyface in the entire company.
#3 Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso - WWE SmackDown
No one on the WWE main roster made a bigger breakthrough this year than Jey Uso. The former 6-time Tag Team Champion saw himself all alone following the injury suffered by his brother, Jimmy. Upon the heel turn of his cousin, Roman Reigns, Jey received the biggest opportunity of his career.
Jey earned a chance to face Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Clash of Champions. Leading up to the pay-per-view, the two men got increasingly emotional about their upcoming bout. With Reigns being almost dismissive of his cousin, Jey expressed frustration in his quest to be taken seriously.
Their WWE Universal Championship Match at WWE Clash of Champions was one of the most impassioned encounters of the year. The two men told a truly enthralling story that saw Reigns wanting his cousin to acknowledge him as "The Tribal Chief". In the end, it was Jey's brother, Jimmy, who threw in the towel. As a result, Reigns won the match.
The rivalry continued in an I Quit Hell In A Cell Match. Inside the steel structure, Reigns and Jey used straps, steel chairs and steps to brutalize one another. The levels of emotion displayed were at an all-time high during this WWE Universal Championship match. Reigns was even brought to tears in the depths he was willing to go to make his cousin say "I Quit".
With Jimmy coming in to stop Reigns using steel steps on a defenseless Jey, Reigns' crying was a ploy to suck his other cousin in. He locked Jimmy in his Guillotine Choke submission before Jey said "I Quit" to save his twin brother. Since their Hell In A Cell match, Jey has been forced to be subservient to his cousin due to the pre-match stipulation.
This storyline remains active, so fans are sure to witness some more compelling work from the two men. But the family struggle between Reigns and Uso will definitely go down as one of the best feuds of the year.
#2 Edge vs. Randy Orton - WWE RAW
2020 has been a career year for Randy Orton. Between superb character work and incredible promos, "The Legend Killer" has been in rare form for a near 20-year WWE veteran. His magnificent year got kicked into high gear with his bitter feud with former friend, Edge.
The Rated R Superstar made his triumphant return to WWE at the Royal Rumble in January. Edge looked amazing in his return to the ring after a nine-year gap since his last week. The following night on WWE RAW, he cut a passionate promo where he described his time away and how his return came to be. He was then interrupted by Orton, his former teammate.
After he described how Edge has helped him in the past and teasing a reunion, "The Viper" brutally attacked the WWE Hall of Famer. A Conchairto to his former friend led to stellar promos from Orton over the next few months. Orton made the feud even more personal when he dropped Edge's wife, Beth Phoenix, with an RKO.
But their Last Man Standing Match at WrestleMania 36 didn't quite live up to its expectations. Thankfully, they followed things up with one of the best WWE matches of the year at WWE Backlash. In an encounter billed as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever", the two all-time greats produced a wrestling masterclass than ran for almost 45 minutes.
Orton came out victorious in this contest. By delivering a Punt Kick to "The Ultimate Opportunist," Orton closed this chapter of their feud. Edge's bicep injury at WWE Backlash led to a premature end to this deeply personal war. But it could restart if/when Edge returns.
No matter what, the marvelous work of these two former partners delivered a Match of the Year candidate. Every promo involved with this feud was remarkable, which is why this rivalry belongs on this list.
#1 Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - WWE SmackDown
Bayley and Sasha Banks came into this year as members of the acclaimed Four Horsemen of NXT. By the end of the year, the Golden Role Models separated their individual and paired legacies from their compatriots. For several months, they delivered excellent overall work across all three WWE brands.
Though they teased dissension from the beginning of the year, Banks helped Bayley hold on to the Smackdown Women's gold throughout the early portion of 2020. The duo then recaptured the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship in the summer, which gave them an opportunity to bring their successful act to RAW and NXT.
Through fabulous character and promo work, the Golden Role Models quickly became the highlight of WWE. They put on amazing television matches against teams such as The Kabuki Warriors and Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross.
Bayley then helped her partner regain the WWE RAW Women's Championship by defeating Asuka on two separate occasions in the summer. Bayley and Banks became the most dominant team on the main roster by holding all of gold in the women's division.
But all good things come to an end. Bayley brutally turned on Banks, so they finally clashed on pay-per-view inside Hell In A Cell. The former best friends battled in a fantastic encounter that was among the best matches of the year for WWE.
Innovative spots, brutal action and callbacks to their feud made this contest a memorable spectacle. Banks defeated Bayley to end her 380-day reign with the Smackdown Women's Championship. The rivals then had a rematch on the November 6 episode of WWE Smackdown. The bout delivered the show its largest rating of 2020.
From an entertainment, promo, character, story, in-ring and drawing standpoint, there was no other rivalry or storyline that consistently delivered quite like Banks vs. Bayley. So it's fair to argue that the Golden Role Models had the best WWE feud of the year.
