5 Biggest upset victories in WWE in 2020
2020 has been a rocky year for almost all of us. This includes the Superstars of WWE who’ve had to protect themselves from the pandemic while continuing to entertain the WWE Universe.
During the year, we saw Braun Strowman win his first major title in WWE, then he went on to win the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36. He wasn’t the only lucky Superstar, as Drew McIntyre also managed to win the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36.
Apart from major victories, the year also had a few major losses for the WWE Superstars in the squared circle. Some major upset victories of the year include Riddle’s SmackDown debut victory over AJ Styles and Lana’s Battle Royale victory on RAW. Apollo Crews also defeated Andrade to win the United States Championship in 2020.
In this article, we will look at the 5 biggest upset victories of the year from the Superstars of RAW and SmackDown in 2020.
#5 Sami Zayn pinned Braun Strowman at WWE Elimination Chamber (Mar 8, 2020)
Shinsuke Nakamura won the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules in 2019 and held the title on his way into 2020. On the January 31, 2020 episode of WWE SmackDown, Braun Strowman defeated The Artist to win the title from him.
This led to Sami Zayn booking a match for himself, Cesaro, and Nakamura at WWE Elimination Chamber against Strowman. The Monster Among Men was booked to compete in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match against the heelish trio, and it seemed like WWE was looking to show off Strowman’s strength during the match.
However, some fans were shocked when Zayn was allowed to pin Strowman during the match. The Great Liberator ended up winning the Intercontinental Championship in the process. This was an upset victory as WWE could have allowed Nakamura or Cesaro, two men who were more established in the storyline, to pin The Monster instead.
Not only was this Zayn’s first match in 2020, but it was also his first Championship victory on the main roster. The upset allowed Zayn's fans to get what they wanted, and even though no one can question Zayn’s skills in the ring, it was an upset given the storyline and the circumstances. Strowman soon went on to defeat Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 to become the Universal Champion.
Zayn has since proven himself to be a great heel and a great Champion and has managed to win the title again after defeating Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles at WWE Clash of Champions.