20 Greatest Matches In WWE's Empty Arena Era

It’s easy to assume that Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles are incapable of putting on a bad match, but it took a global pandemic to prove it indisputably. After Sami Zayn was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship, a tournament was held to crown the new holder. WWE tournaments are hit and miss, but when they see these two guys in the final, it’s a concept we can all get behind.

This match is everything you could possibly expect. Bryan would level up in intensity a few months down the line, but here he’s as technical and slick as ever, running through an array of suplexes and holds, but chucking in the high impact stuff, too. Moments in, he’s diving through the ropes, and he shows his pragmatic side when stomping AJ’s elbow before applying a lock.

Styles, meanwhile, is flashy and cocky but with a veteran’s savviness. He knows precisely when to play to the crowd and when to go for the jugular. These two have an underrated chemistry, and the ending sequence could go either way before a Phenomenal Forearm grabs the belt for AJ. For a free TV match, especially, it’s exceptional stuff.