10 Best Wrestlers Of 2020
4. Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes was already AEW's proof of concept heading into 2020, having spent the previous three years of his career justifying the lofty 'Star That Left Them in the Dust' nickname Brandi introduced him with on the independent circuit, becoming a beloved company ace and a draw in his own right in 2019.
His post-WWE upward trajectory has continued in 2020.
Rhodes' rivalry with MJF was one of the year's finest, spinning believable, organic hatred through set pieces like the flawless 10 Lashes angle and the dramatic Wardlow cage match. On a similar level was the Brodie Lee feud, which yielded 2020's most shocking squash and a Dog Collar Match the brutality of which Dynamite had never seen before. Cody was as instrumental in both of those as he was in building towards Darby Allin's star-making TNT TNT victory at Full Gear.
That TNT belt - the 'Ace Championship - stands as Cody's biggest triumph. In taking a "secondary" strap and treating it with the same respect any pro would show a World Title, Rhodes crafted compelling wrestling television every single week, elevating everyone he came into contact with. Sonny Kiss, Jungle Boy, Marq Quen, and more, were all lifted up. Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston earned jobs on the back of their Cody matches. The run was a complete success from AEW's king of sport-centric pro wrestling.