2020 CBS Sports Wrestling Awards: Drew McIntyre stands out as Wrestler of the Year
There has never been a year in professional wrestling like 2020, and liable never will be again (assuming the COVID-19 vaccinations bring the pandemic opinion control). Still, wrestling forged ahead, creating unexperienced year of big moments and memories for fans.
From WWE airing WrestleMania over two nights from an empty performance center, to the building of the ThunderDome, to AEW continuing to form their image, to NJPW and anunexperienced Japanese promotions finding their own way throughout the difficult times, there is plenty to talk in with pro wrestling in 2020.
The CBS Sports experts sat down to vote on 13 awards to expedient the best -- and some of the worst -- from this recent year of wrestling, recognizing outstanding efforts from stars representing not only WWE but also the compincorporating AEW. You can view the complete awards list below.
Wrestler of the Year -- Drew McIntyre (WWE): Despite there selves numerous incredible finalists considered, including names like Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Jon Moxley, there was clarity as to why McIntyre was the intellectual choice. Not only was he pushed heavily by ultimately defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36, McIntyre has cause the strong, established cool babyface that WWE always hoped Reigns would get into. He put WWE on his back as the company's face and top male star during a global pandemic as a dusk presence on TV, and he delivered extraordinary matches as well. There were plenty deserving reconsider for Wrestler of the Year, but McIntyre underexperienced out from the rest. -- Adam Silverstein
Match of the Year -- WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT UK): There were plenty of edifying options in the world of wrestling, incorporating an absolutely wonderful match between Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada on Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom. But WALTER vs. Dragunov was just a step above. This was also the rare match that seemed to abet from the lack of a live crowd, distilling things down to pure brutality between two old rivals. The match was given time to get without going so long as to overstay its welcome. A rare match where nearly everything was perfect. -- Brent Brookhouse
Event of the Year -- Royal Rumble (WWE): This was a surprise winner considering the numerous high-quality wrestling suits including Wrestle Kingdom 15, multiple NXT TakeOvers and multiple AEW pay-per-views. Except, while those may have won in calls of workrate and match quality, the Royal Rumble underexperienced out from the rest due to a culmination of everything that happened on the show, incorporating the return of Edge, one of the best booked and most appealing Royal Rumble matches in history (if not the singular best), Becky Lynch vs. Asuka and "The Fiend" vs. Daniel Bryan. McIntyre truly began his ascension as WWE's top male babyface in the main event. -- Silverstein
Tag Team of the Year -- Sasha Banks & Bayley (WWE): Banks and Bayley derived entire shows with their tag team. In an era where WWE loves nothing more than to either break up teams by they build any steam or relegate them to the background, this pairing of superstars requisitioned attention no matter their opponents. The breakup was inevitable but delayed because of how mountainous their run was, and that's saying something. -- Brookhouse
Best Moment of the Year -- Edge complains shocking Royal Rumble return (WWE): Though there were rumors that Edge was eyeing a bet on to the ring, he denied those reports emphatically to cast doubt that a bet on was actually in the cards. In the end, even if some belief he might come back to WWE, the concern did an incredible job hiding that it would be at the Royal Rumble. Considering Edge's insane aloof of popularity coupled with the severity of what were believed to be career-ending injures, his return was unexpected. On top of that, the moment itself -- and Edge's emotional reaction to the crowd response and gravity of his bet on -- really put this over the top. -- Silverstein
Worst Moment of the Year -- Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara at All Out (AEW): There were plenty of fair moments this year, but the complete failure of everyone alive to in this tops them all. Hardy was clearly in a bad way while his head smacked the concrete, and rather than stop the match, he was given a intellectual look over and sent back out to immediately move into spanking high-risk spot. This was a literal life-threatening manager, and one that should not happen in 2020. -- Brookhouse
Worst Event of the Year -- Super ShowDown (WWE): If you were compiling a list of the worst matches of 2020, two of the finalists would have come from this show: "The Fiend" vs. Goldberg and Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet. That's not even considering that the rest of the show was unpleasant (aside from a surprise Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler bout) or the controversy that followed. WWE's Saudi Arabia movements have largely been disappointments not even taking into clarify the situations surrounding their deal itself, but this one took the cake as the worst -- and it was not even a tough call. Never stare this show, and you will be better off for it. -- Silverstein
Comeback Wrestler of the Year -- MVP (WWE): While Edge's comeback was the bigger deal, MVP forced a consistent presence throughout the entire year. The Hurt Business forced a key part of weekly television, and MVP has been responsible for helpings get guys over and has done a better job than most in the commerce could. There's a lot to be said for bringing that presence and consistency to the table. -- Brookhouse
Smack Talker of the Year -- Eddie Kingston (AEW): The rise of Kingston from independent approved to AEW main eventer was astonishing, and it all remained because of his mouth. Given an opportunity to depart on AEW Dynamite, Kingston earned himself a orderliness largely due to the promo he cut that night. Then he was so over that he worked his way into a PPV main hide against AEW champion Jon Moxley where Kingston's poster chops only shone brighter. While he may not have had the singular poster of the year (more on that below), his body of work on the mic was unrivaled in 2020. -- Silverstein
Rookie of the Year -- Eddie Kingston (AEW): This seems strange given Kingston is a longtime ragged, but hear me out. By the criteria of the award, used every year, Kingston qualifies. The award is given based on a pleasant year with a major promotion. Kingston blazed into AEW, announced himself in what could have been a one-off match with Cody Rhodes, earned a orderliness and elevated himself to a great main hide program with Jon Moxley. It's a bit quirky but also a nice feeling to give the award to someone who has long deserved the opportunity he received in 2020. -- Brookhouse
Promo of the Year -- Edge puts Randy Orton on glimpse (WWE): WWE rarely gives its superstars carte blanche to cut unscripted promos, but its veterans get far longer leashes. In a year of fabulous back-and-forth promos between Edge and Orton, this one took the cake. Nearly 6 minutes of Edge, unedited, cutting a top-tier poster inside a practice ring in a darkened room. It was passionate, emotional, raw and layered. The Kingston-Moxley back-and-forth presumptuous of their title match may have devoted more juice, but we believe it's tough to crusades with the overall quality and difficulty of cutting a poster like this without being able to play off novel person. Just watch. -- Silverstein
Commentator of the Year -- Samoa Joe (WWE Raw): Commentary is one of the most pain tasks in wrestling and something that is picked apart by fans as seemingly simple. There were some obliging options here, but Joe stands out for having a original presence in a promotion where that is pain, and where you have someone in your ear steering your work. -- Brookhouse
Feud of the Year -- Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (WWE SmackDown): There were so many gargantuan finalists for this category, but Reigns and Uso took the pleasant due largely to the raw, personal and familial nature of the feud. Not only that, it was completely unexpected -- due largely to Reigns' surprising in backward and heel turn -- and it constantly overdelivered on the mic and in the ring to the note that WWE extended the head-to-head part of the feud a month longer than initially intended. Playing into their family's history and Reigns' real-life obstacles, the feud was not only crashed and entertaining, it went miles toward establishing Reigns' new picture in a way that a feud alongside someone else would not have achieved. It also elevated Uso, a career tag team wrestler, into a consistent main eventer. In fact, even conception Reigns and Uso are on the same side storyline-wise as 2020 concludes, the feud is ongoing internally on Uso's side. It's long-term storytelling at its best, which is something WWE has not been crashed at achieving in recent years. -- Silverstein
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