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The year 2020 has been bizarre in general and not just for WWE. Several wrestling promotions around the world have struggled to keep up with the frequency of shows amid the pandemic.
However, WWE have managed to stick to their level of consistency to deliver week in and week out. So much so, that Vince McMahon and his team even pulled off this year's WrestleMania with no crowd in attendance in the WWE Performance Center.
Despite being forced to make enormous adjustments amid the on-going global pandemic, WWE, in terms of creativity, have outdone themselves on several occasions. Throughout these past seven to eight months, the company has elevated some of their top Superstars to a new level, including those who carried a championship around their waist or shoulder.
WWE has crowned several champions within these 10 months, and while several title changes have occurred so far, some of the names on this list have almost been booked to perfection in 2020. This article takes a look at the five champions WWE have booked perfectly so far this year.
#5 Former WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole
At this year's historic NXT: The Great American Bash, Adam Cole lost the WWE NXT Championship to then-North American Champion Keith Lee in a "Winner Takes All" match.
The loss brought an end to Adam Cole's historic 403-day reign in the seventh month of 2020. Despite that, it will go down as one of the greatest title runs in WWE history.
Adam Cole's title defense resume in 2020 has seen him defend his belt against the likes of Tommaso Ciampa and The Velveteen Dream. Both of whom Cole defeated on two different occasions to cement his dominance as NXT Champion. He eventually surpassed Finn Balor's legacy as arguably the greatest champion in NXT history.
Ironically enough, in the aftermath of Cole's title loss to Lee, he once again found himself in contention of winning the title, but the challenger in his way was Finn Balor himself.
With an injury forcing new champion Karrion Kross to vacate the NXT title, Adam Cole and Finn Balor wrestled each other in a classic, with the latter winning the belt for the second time in his career.
Overall, it can well and truly be said that Adam Cole was not only one of the best-booked champions in WWE this year, but also one of the best-booked WWE Superstars in 2020.
#4 Former WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews
In 2020, WWE elevated both the United States Championship and Apollo Crews at one go. After being traded to the red brand of Monday Night RAW, Apollo competed in a career-turning match when he and Aleister Black went 27 minutes against one another on a weekly episodic show. That, of course, was his most competitive match to date.
Within the same month of April, Apollo Crews also defeated MVP and qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match. However, the following week, the former injured his knee in a US Championship Match against Andrade. However, it was almost a blessing in disguise for Apollo Crews.
After returning to action in a tag team match on May 18th, Apollo Crews eventually won the WWE United States Championship a week later by defeating Andrade. The win earned Apollo Crews' first title in WWE.
During his reign as champion, Apollo successfully defended the belt against Andrade, ending their feud in the process. He soon followed up with a defense over MVP, after the leader of The Hurt Business defeated Crews in a non-title match and also failed to convince him to join the group.
With MVP declaring himself as the "real" champion, Crews would put the former in his place and eventually cemented his place as the rightful champion. However, at the Payback pay-per-view, Apollo Crews would go on to drop the US title to Bobby Lashley, ending his first title reign at 97 days.
#3 Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
At WrestleMania 36, Drew McIntyre finally reached the pinnacle of his WWE redemption journey. The Scotsman won the WWE Championship by slaying Brock Lesnar, of all people.
After initially being let-go by WWE, Drew McIntyre made his way back into the company, won the Royal Rumble, and was then rewarded for his outstanding performances with an emphatic world title reign.
During his reign as WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre had several impressive world title defenses. One of the primary reasons why his reign as champion stood out than most is because WWE invested in every single feud and match McIntyre was involved in as champion.
Feuds against Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Dolph Ziggler, and Randy Orton all had a big fight feel to them. At the recently concluded Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, McIntyre's reign came to a beautiful end, with him dropping the title to Randy Orton.
#2 Former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley
It could well be argued that in 2020, Bayley was WWE's strongest booked champion. Bayley's first reign as SmackDown Women's Champion lasted about 140 days, indicating the fact that she initially cemented her place as the blue brand's top female Superstar.
However, after dropping the title to Charlotte Flair at last year's Hell in a Cell, Bayley underwent a massive change in character, switched up her look, and WWE finally invested in her heel turn.
Shortly after regaining the title from Charlotte, Bayley's historic 380-day reign as champion finally began. While defending her title left, right, and center against the likes of Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, and Naomi, Bayley even added the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to her resume alongside her former best friend, Sasha Banks.
As a double champion, Bayley dominated the women's division. Dropping the SmackDown Women's title to Sasha Banks, of all people, inside a Hell in a Cell can surely be labeled as a poetic finish to an iconic reign.
#1 WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
The fact that Roman Reigns missed the majority of 2020 and still tops this list only proves the fact that WWE has outdone themselves with his second reign as WWE Universal Champion.
Returning at this year's SummerSlam pay-per-view, Roman Reigns put newly-crowned Universal Champion Bray Wyatt and former arch-nemesis Braun Strowma on notice.
At the following Payback PPV, The Big Dog, this time with Paul Heyman by his side, won the Universal Championship and turned heel in the process.
Since winning the Universal title, Roman Reigns has been involved in a feud with his cousin, Jey Uso. Within his first feud as champion, The Tribal Chief has already proved his dominance in WWE.
Having beaten Jey in one of the best matches of 2020 at Clash of Champions, Roman Reigns followed it up with one of the best performances of his career at this year's Hell in a Cell.
Now having cemented his place as the rightful heir to his family throne, Roman Reigns pretty much sits at the top of the WWE throne, as well. And come Survivor Series 2020, The Tribal Chief will have the opportunity to cement his place as the dominant world champion by putting away new WWE Champion, Randy Orton.
