The 5 best AEW matches of 2020
AEW has a long list of accolades to be proud of in 2020. From their new television contract to their one-year anniversary of Dynamite to the way they handled the pandemic era of wrestling, All Elite Wrestling had a stellar year on many levels. Probably above all else, the company excelled in the ring with some truly exceptional matches.
AEW Dynamite featured many classic bouts from Cody and Wardlow's epic inside a steel cage to the first encounter between Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho. On pay-per-view, the promotion consistently delivered with at least one great match on every single major event.
With the past 12 months in the rearview mirror, compiling the very best in-ring contests can be a challenging endeavor. In this article, let's take a closer look at the five best AEW matches of 2020.
Honorable mentions:
- Hangman Page & Kenny Omega vs. Lucha Brothers (AEW Dynamite 2/19)
- FTR & The Young Bucks vs. The Butcher, The Blade & Lucha Brothers (AEW Fyter Fest Night 2)
- Brodie Lee vs. Cody Rhodes - Dog Collar Match (AEW Dynamite 10/7)
#5 Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz - Parking Lot Fight (AEW Dynamite 9/16)
In a blowoff to their underrated rivalry this year, Trent and Chuckie T of Best Friends faced Santana and Ortiz of Proud N Powerful in a Parking Lot Fight on the September 16th episode of AEW Dynamite. This physically intense brawl concluded a feud that started with the Inner Circle duo destroying Trent's mom's minivan.
Their series of in-ring matches did not prepare anyone for the insane lengths that these two teams were willing to take in an effort to inflict pain on one another. This was a brutal war that featured some of the craziest bumps of the year, including Trent taking a back first bump into the windshield of a vehicle.
There was blood, broken glass and a certain grittiness to this encounter that was not matched by any other bout for AEW or across the wrestling landscape this year. The conclusion saw Best Friends getting the victory after Trent hit the Crunchie on the back of a pickup truck on a wooden table.
The Parking Lot Fight received almost universal praise, from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newslette,r giving the match a five-star rating, to Mick Foley making a video calling it "one of the best street fights he has ever seen." Best Friends and Proud N Powerful are two of the best teams in AEW and put on great matches throughout 2020, but this was unquestionably the best from either team.