10 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2020

10. Jon Moxley Vs. Minoru Suzuki - NJPW New Beginning

Daniel Bryan AJ Styles
NJPW

Like a fight at the back gates the lads were as up for as the bloodthirsty throng, this beast of a match played out like a celebration of war.

The dynamic was f*cking amazing. Jon Moxley and Minoru Suzuki worked the match with pure relish. A mutual respect, hatred - and crucially, enjoyment - drove an almost joyful narrative. This was such a unique approach. It felt as if they were born to fight one another, and that core beat in turn made this feel momentous. It was the match they most wanted - and therefore the match you most wanted - and the personality it was brimming with felt utterly infectious.

It was a brutal swagger of a match that played to the strengths of both men. Mox's love of pain and his unparalleled chest-puffing machismo is so perfect for the intoxicating rhythms of strong style that it's a wonder nobody didn't fantasy-book a New Japan run for all those years. The match made awesome use of Suzuki's sadistic and mischievous wit and movie villain body language. He was a riot mocking Mox's signature Mox Pose after braining him in the cheekbone with his trademark squelcher of a forearm.

An '80s b-movie fight drenched in charisma, this was as cool as it was funny as it was brutal.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!