10 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2020

4. Kenny Omega Vs. PAC - AEW Dynamite February 26

Daniel Bryan AJ Styles
AEW

A structural masterclass of match that adapted Kenny Omega's trademark epic to the TV format without ever undermining its awesome heft, this was overflowing with brilliance and drama.

A blowoff to a subplot that enriched the main storyline - Omega's labrum was brutalised here, and Matt Jackson took advantage to his own disgust days later - that it was a MOTYC in itself underscored the staggering all-time form AEW developed in February.

The action in the first 15 minutes was off-the-charts incredible.

Omega and PAC worked a furious and brutal counter-driven pace. In one awesome sequence that built on the knowledge they had gathered from their previous battles, PAC attempted to level Omega with a springboard moonsault. He got caught. Before Omega could even devise a counter, PAC countered back with a sick DDT to put forth the idea that he had spent weeks in Newcastle doing nothing but strategise deep into the night.

The pacing was unreal. They killed each other at a frenetic speed - top-rope brainbusters, Falcon Arrows to the outside, a majestic Terminator dive even by Omega's standards - leaving an awestruck viewer wondering how they'd maintain it.

In a great twist that elicited rare, earnest dismay at PAC's lack of sportsmanship, he brained Omega with a chair to mount a protracted heat sequence. This was placed so well; it allowed Omega's plight to register, elevating a thriller with a strong emotional core, at a moment when there was zero chance of anybody changing the channel.

And they said Kenny Omega didn't "get" TV.

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!