10 Best Wrestling Feuds Of 2020
2. Cody Rhodes Vs. MJF
The best thing about the masterful build towards Cody Rhodes vs. MJF at AEW Revolution was that it was just the first act in a rivalry that will take years to unravel, leaving plenty of unresolved issues for 'The Prince of Pro Wrestling' and his former protege to put together.
Cody's journey through the gruelling, demeaning, and downright humiliating terms set out by 'The Salt of the Earth' just to get his hands on the villain drew real, heart-in-mouth emotion. In particular, 10 Lashes will go down as one of this era's greatest segments. Nobody invested in this story wanted to see Rhodes treated this way, but that investment was easy, and everyone wanted to see Maxwell pay the price in the end. In this era of extreme jadedness, where it's "cool" to consider yourself above being worked, 10 Lashes stands tall for drawing such impassioned responses, like blood from a stone.
Rhodes' Steel Cage match with Wardlow was played excellently, too, as Cody was forced to leave his comfort zone with a cage-top Moonsault to slay the beast and leap that final hurdle. By the time Revolution came around, he was impossible to root against.
Perhaps hindered by astronomical expectations, the bout didn't quite hit to the anticipated level - but that would have been impossible. Nonetheless, it was a first bout befitting a potentially generational feud.