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WWE promos are a vital part of any storyline. It can make and break a character within seconds. The promos undeniably have the power to get the fans excited over the feuds and controls how invested the crowd can be in those segments. While some Superstars fail to make the best use of this opportunity, others rely on good promos to take them far ahead in the business.
In this article, we will take a look at the five best promos in WWE this year that will live in our memory for years to come. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Roman Reigns gets honest with Drew McIntyre (WWE SmackDown)
2020 was finally the year that saw WWE Superstar Roman Reigns turn heel. He returned after spending months away from the television and went straight after the Universal Championship. The Tribal Chief then got his hands on the coveted title after defeating both ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman and aligning himself with business veteran Paul Heyman.
In the weeks that followed, Reigns established himself as a dominant heel and gained everyone’s attention. His brutal feud with Jey Uso played a huge role in establishing Reigns as an arrogant villain. All of this allowed Reigns to gain a lot of momentum ahead of the WWE Survivor Series, during which he crossed paths with Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship on the RAW before Survivor Series and arrived on SmackDown later that week for signing the contract of the Champion vs. Champion match at the pay-per-view. The meeting between the biggest heel and the biggest face of WWE accounted for a highly entertaining segment that certainly lived up to its hype.
Reigns had the opportunity to assert his dominance, and he made the best use of the same. He maintained a calm demeanor, but his words were far from polite. From calling McIntyre a ‘secondary Superstar’ to referring to the WWE Champion as a ‘backup on the roster’, Reigns did not hold back from proving his superiority in the war of words.
The creative did well in booking this entire segment that established Reigns as the best heel in WWE and the whole business. Reigns would eventually win his match against McIntyre with an interference from Jey Uso. It would be fair to say that this promo turned out to be one of the defining moments in Reigns’ current as a heel, and its subtlety deserves a lot more credit.
#4 The Undertaker gets personal with AJ Styles (WWE RAW)
As fans of WWE, many would agree that watching legends suffer inside the ring is one of the worst sights in the business. It destroys the legacy that they have crafted over the years. The same was happening with The Undertaker, and he finally got a chance to bid farewell to WWE this year on his own terms, after competing in a memorable match against AJ Styles.
The Undertaker wanted to face AJ Styles in his last WWE match, and the two started feuding in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania. The Phenomenal One took things a little too far when he started bad-mouthing Undertaker’s wife and former WWE Superstar, Michelle McCool. An irked ‘Taker then returned as The American Badass and decided to school Styles.
Watch the promo here:
Undertaker, who is known for maintaining the kayfabe for all these years, broke his character and directed his promo at Styles’ real name instead. The Phenom made it clear that Styles has crossed a line, and the latter would be punished accordingly. It was a compelling promo that set the stage for the Boneyard Match at WWE WrestleMania.
It was clear that The Undertaker was disheartened after seeing his performance over the last few years. He wanted to make the most of his opportunity and poured his raw emotions into this promo. Styles also deserves a lot of credit for helping The Undertaker throughout this feud that finally ended with arguably the best cinematic match in WWE history. Styles accused Michelle McCool of buying The Undertaker’s career. At WrestleMania, The Deadman buried Styles (literally) before driving off to sunset. Now, who doesn’t love a good irony?
#3 Randy Orton’s response to Beth Phoenix (WWE RAW)
Randy Orton was easily one of the best performers in WWE this year. From feuding with Edge to taking his Legend Killer gimmick on a whole new level, Orton helped carry RAW for a better part of the year. Orton's decision to attack Edge after the latter made his return to the business from a career-ending injury accounted for a jaw-dropping moment in 2020.
Following his attack on Edge, Beth Phoenix arrived on RAW to address Orton’s actions against her husband. The Viper did not respond too kindly as he believed that he was right in hurting The R-Rated Superstar. Orton argued that he wants to keep Edge out of in-ring action and continue his attacks on his former friend for the sake of Edge’s family.
Orton was passionate in his speech and effectively controlled the emotions of every single viewer during this segment. Despite being on the wrong side of the storyline, Orton managed to deliver one of the best performances in WWE this year, and it all comes down to this promo. Everything about his interaction with Beth Phoenix looked real.
Their conversation appealed to the fans who were heavily engrossed in the segment that finally ended with Orton delivering a devastating RKO on Phoenix. WWE executed every single detail of this interaction with utmost perfection. In the end, this promo allowed Orton to disclose his intentions in front of the WWE Universe, and it was as convincing as it could get.
#2 Edge gets real about his WWE return
If someone can return to business after almost a decade and immediately deliver one of the best promos in WWE’s recent history, it’s Edge. This segment took place on an episode of RAW after Backlash where Randy Orton had managed to defeat Edge. The rivalry had started to saturate itself on WWE RAW until Edge’s pre-recorded promo rolled out.
In this video, Edge questioned Orton’s entire career in WWE and pointed out the people who are actually responsible for The Viper’s success. Despite losing against his former friend, Edge took the matter into his own hands and argued how Orton is still far from reaching the ‘greatness’ he claims to have. Needless to say, Edge’s intensity throughout this promo accounted for a convincing dialogue.
This promo single-handedly got the fans invested in this long-running feud once again. It also showed how much we missed Edge’s destructive promos that could steal the show on a weekly basis. "Make you wish Cowboy Bob was firing blanks on the night you were conceived." Edge, as social media would say, really has zero chills.
#1 Jey Uso’s career-defining promo on WWE SmackDown
Edge’s promo would have topped this list if not for one particular WWE Superstar – Jey Uso. 2020 was the year when this former tag team champion established his legacy as a singles competitor. After Roman Reigns won the Universal Championship, WWE teased a possible rivalry between him and his cousin. Eventually, we saw how The Tribal Chief started bullying his family member on SmackDown, week after week.
This led WWE into booking a title match between both the Superstars. Ahead of their battle Jey Uso took the mic and discussed how he has always been pushed into the dark. He talked about being in the background while Reigns got all the spotlight and argued how he didn’t even get a chance to provide for his family.
Roman Reigns’ response was also epic and it proved why everyone desperately wanted him to be a bad guy. Both Superstars delivered amazing promos in a segments that hyped up their title match.
It was one of the best segments that we had seen in WWE over the last few years and was instrumental in making SmackDown the ‘A Show’ of the promotion. The entire interaction between him and Reigns in the build-up to their match and things that unfolded beyond that is something that accounted for the best storyline in WWE this year.
There’s still a lot that can be explored in Roman Reigns and Jey Uso's relationship, thanks to the latter’s promising performance. He even managed to impress Paul Heyman, who worked well in ushing both Reigns and Jey Uso throughout this storyline.
