5 Breakout Superstars in WWE this year (2020)
To say that 2020 has been a challenging year for WWE Superstars would be an understatement. Despite everything that was going on in the world, they showed up and did their job to keep the fans entertained. Amidst the struggles of coping up with the changing reality, there are a few names that announced their arrival in a promising manner and compelled the fans to get behind them.
In this article, we will take a look at five breakout Superstars in WWE this year. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Keith Lee (NXT, WWE RAW)
In all honesty, Keith Lee’s rise to prominence in WWE kickstarted last year when he allied with Tommaso Ciampa and helped him take on The Undisputed Era. His performance at WarGames and his appearance during Survivor Series won him the trust of several backstage personalities, including Vince McMahon.
Fast forward to January 2020; Lee was one of the participants in WWE Royal Rumble. During the match, he came face to face with Brock Lesnar and both Superstars shared a great moment of mutual respect inside the ring. In that instance, it was clear that Lee will soon find himself on the main roster. He would then go on to become the NXT Champion and enjoy a decent run before dropping it to Karrion Kross.
Lee then made his main roster debut and faced Randy Orton on the RAW after SummerSlam. Lee lost the match due to DQ caused by Drew McIntyre but got the biggest win of his main roster career when he defeated The Viper at Payback. Keith Lee was then booked in a segment alongside McIntyre. The WWE creative capitalized on the history shared between both these Superstars and used it to push Lee directly into the world title picture. Even though Lee’s possible challenge for the WWE Championship was jeopardized by RETRIBUTION, his overall booking on RAW made a huge statement.
Soon after that, Lee was booked in a feud with Braun Strowman. Both these giants were involved in altercations for weeks, which led to a match between them. Even though Strowman walked out victorious from this rivalry, Lee managed to hold off on his own. After this storyline, Lee’s push slowed down a bit until Survivor Series.
In November 2020, Lee was a part of the team that represented WWE RAW in the traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match and annihilated their counterparts form SmackDown. That pay-per-view also marked the beginning of a feud between him and Sheamus – something that picked pace in the last few weeks of the year. Despite a slight slump and backstage reports about doubts over Lee’s immediate future, he had a great year in WWE.