2020 Pro Wrestling Mid Year Report Card

 

The evaluation period for these wrestlers wrapped up from before Slammiversary. Not everyone is still at the given grade, this is merely where everyone was at during the mid-way point.

 

 

They Get an ‘A’

A+  : The North; When you’re the tag team champions for a year in a company that has had the best tag team wrestling for 15 years, you get an A.

A: Jordynne Grace has been a steady presence in the Knockouts division and has been champion all year.  Like the North, when you’re a champion for over 400 days like Alex Hammerstone, you more than deserve this grade.

A- :  Nick Aldis, Jon Moxley, and Adam Cole also follow suit with the big title reigns and title wins.

 

They Get a ‘B’

B+  : Ken Shamrock continues to impress at 56. Sami Callihan won the IMPACT world title and continues to put on great matches. Rosemary continues to be the best promo in the show.  Despite aging hard, Chris Jericho was a world champ and still has the goods. The NWA Tag Team Champions, James Storm, and Eli Drake continue to impress. Thunder Rosa tasted major gold before the NWA went on hiatus. Bayley has had a career year with wins and gold. As has Keith Lee. Madison Rayne has found new life as the best wrestler/color commentator in wrestling. Davey Boy Smith won the Opera Cup and was set for a major feud with Jacob Fatu. Moose is the “TNA World Champion” and putting on some of the best segments on the show. Eddie Edwards, Rhino, Mance Warner, and Aleister Balck aren’t winning titles but they are reliable for every match they wrestle. He’s the champion of the UK but no one is watching WALTER‘s WWE matches outside of a few dedicated groups of fans. Nyla Rose suplexes past expectations as AEW women’s champion. MJF continues to be one of the best heels in wrestling and can go with the best of them. Lance Archer made a huge move from NJPW to AEW. Aron Stevens may not be the best worker but can entertain as NWA National Champion.

: Allysin Kay is one of the better workers for the NWA brand. Tim Storm and PCO continue to work past the restrictions of age. Trey has emerged as one to watch in IMPACT, while Taya Valkyrie is one of the best characters in the company. Tom Lawler and Jeff Cobb are pulling double duty for some promotions, and both may face off against each other in NJPW. Jonathan Gresham won tag gold.   Hikaru Shida and Io Shirai won the big one finally.   Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Ryle are the best tag team in NXT while Daniel Bryan continues to wrestle with zest after having unretired.

B- : Despite hardcore fans not liking her, Alexa Bliss continues to prove her versatility as a performer. Drew McIntyre won the big one but hasn’t made an impact. Ace Austin has started to ascend to the top of the card but needs more of a look. No one is more fun than Otis. Charlotte Flair needs a new gimmick but can still deliver. Rhea Ripley is good but not quite there yet. Alex Shelley has returned from retirement as good as ever. Myron Reed and Richard Holliday are two of the best young prospects in the MLW.

 

They Get a ‘C’

C+: Apollo Crews finally won gold in the WWE. Chris Bey is rising up the ranks of IMPACT with a catchy style and character. It may shock some but Cody Deaner has become can’t miss T.V. Seth Rollins found a new gimmick, too bad he’s not a good talker. Braun Strowman won world title gold but is too far damaged as a brand for it to matter. Bobby Lashley with MVP is rebounding after a disastrous start to the year. The pure gold comedy act of R-Truth never gets old. Dez, Wentz, The Von Erichs, Ricky Starks, Zicky Dice, Orange Cassidy, Kris Statlander, and Shotzi Blackheart are making waves for their respective organizations as rising stars. The Question Mark became a star for the NWA against all odds. Erick Stevens is enjoying a nice resurgence with MLW after eight years off.

C :  Crazzy Steve, Fallah Bahh, and Johnny Swinger continue to be great characters for IMPACT, while Reno Scum is being underutilized. King Mo is trying, which is enough to give him a passing grade as a rookie. LA Park isn’t what he once was but he’s still entertaining. Pete Dunne can deliver but his shine is off. Sasha Banks had a bit of a comeback in 2020 after a down 2019. She may be the Mom now, but Becky Lynch wasn’t the draw she was praised as. He’s good in the ring, but TJP isn’t a promo guy.  Kiera Hogan is showing development.  Susie/Su Yung has proven she’s not great in the ring but is too entertaining to take off TV.  Dominic Garrini provides a good solid prospect for MLW. Even before the injuries, Brian Pillman Jr. was treading water. Winning the ROH Women’s title is akin to winning fourth-runner up in a bake-off, so Angelina Love is here.  Bandido and Brody King were getting lost in the ROH card. Dan Maff was a good get but has no real upward movement. Mark Haskins is a great guy and Shane Taylor is putting in the work. The Wild Cards won gold, and Colt Cabana is now All Elite. Mr. Anderson quit the NWA, but  Outlaw INC got back together. Defying age is nothing new for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. If he left the WWE six months earlier, Brodie Lee would be much higher on the list. Brian Cage did just enough despite his injuries to be graded, he just didn’t’ do enough to be graded higher.  Dustin Rhodes defies age. Luchasarus defies time travel. Matt Hardy‘s body might be Broken but he’s as entertaining as ever. Drew Gulak got some real-time but it didn’t amount to much. You’d be forgiven for thinking  Finn Balor was hurt. Mia  Yim can go, she just needs the opportunity.

C-  : Tommaso Ciampa, Ricochet, Roderick Strong, and The Fiend used to be hot properties.  Karrion Kross fails to do anything new since leaving IMPACT.  Nikki Cross remains the “other girl” in her tag team with Bliss. Johnny Gargano was never really must-see TV.  Bianca Belair is getting lost in the shuffle. From world champ to comedy mid-card act describes John Morrison’s WWE return. The New Day and The Young Buck have lost their luster after failing to reinvent themselves. The Imperium has no audience to see them. Damien Priest used to be booked well. Tenille Dashwood can’t seem to make an IMPACT wherever she goes. Rohit Raju actually went up from last year. He can still work but Low Ki needs to shut up. Maria Manic, and Sumie Sakai are the only highlights for a down ROH women’s division it feels like. CW Anderson had a nice send-off.  Adam Page is no longer has the hype. She’s gorgeous but Penelope Ford has work to do.  The Street Profits can go but aren’t given anything worth going to. Kay Lee Ray is stuck and Cesaro is on a hamster wheel of mediocrity. The Briscoes and Flip Gordon are not guys to build around. #FTR has already rubbed fans the wrong way after haggling with an established tag team over naming rights. Wasn’t SCU, and the Best Friends supposed to be huge acts for AEW? Chelsea Green, Dakota Kai, and Dominik Dijakovic are largely forgettable affair. Veterans like Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam, AJ Styles, and  PJ Black haven’t been that dynamic this year. Kudos for Silas Young, and Tommy Dreamer for still being relevant. He left NJPW to be stuck in a tag team in AEW, so yeah, Kenny Omega is here.

 

They Get a ‘D’

D+: The Miz, and Shanya Baszler were poised for big things in 2020. He tries but Cousin Jake doesn’t pop as a Deaner. Savio Vega is still going. Good for him. Ruby Riot, Trey Murdoch, Jungle Boy, Viking Raiders, and Cedric Alexander deserve more screen time. Riho spent half of her matches losing and hasn’t been able to get on TV to rectify that. Rey Horus is best known as Rey Mysterio’s relative. ODB showed up but didn’t do much. Melina was cut some great promos but didn’t impress in the ring. Private Party and Rey Fenix are lost in the AEW shuffle. Britt Baker got interesting after she broke her leg. Winning the Cruiserweight title from Spud isn’t something to write home about in 2020, Santos Escobar.  Andrade and Angel Garza have nothing going for them. Fans are not taking to  Dexter Lumis as they should.  Elias deserved better. Not so much  Tyler Breeze. The Usos were cool once. Remember Kushida? Mandy Rose is merely eye candy right now.

,,

D  :  Overshadowed by his teammate, Tucker has become an afterthought.  The least impressive member of Injustice, Jordan Oliver has work to do. Scarlett isn’t much of a wrestler and in WWE her attributes will be tamped down compared to her IMPACT run. Alisha Edwards still has to find her hook. Talented yet forgettable Douglas James needs to finish 2020 strong. ROH’s shut down affected Josh Woods, and Tracy Williams a lot. Caleb Konley was little more than a jobber in NWA, same with Ashley Vox and Marti Belle. Darby Allin had some decent matches in AEW but little else. Jake Hager is a glorified bodyguard.  The Butcher and the Blade were interesting but even Allie left them. Big Swole is lost in the shuffle, so are The IIconics. No one seems to talk about Cameron Grimes anymore.  Dana Brooke started off the summer in some big spots. Dolph Ziggler is going through the motions. The Lucha House Party has not made a single moment there’s yet. Sheamus is still Sheamus.

 

D-  : Katie Forbes is on everyone’s nerves. MLW hasn’t done a great job showcasing Ikuro Kwon. Shelton Benjamin has fallen far from his time in NJPW. Poor Chad Gable. He may be getting pushed but Randy Orton’s in-ring work is boring. Kenny King and Vincent weren’t having the best 2020 before the pandemic. Kip Sabian is getting pushed out of the way for ex-WWE stars. Marko Stunt has no real business on television. Pride and Powerful went from the top tag team in IMPACT to be part of AEW’s watered-down tag division. Shawn Spears has no charisma. Know who Gallus is? No? Thanks, NXT:UK. Akira Tozawa used to be fun to watch. Candice LaRae has even less charisma than her husband. Where’s Carmella? Danny Burch is still around. Maybe staying in retirement would’ve been better for Edge who has yet to have a match worth tuning in for.  Fabian Aichner and The Forgotten Sons are still employed somehow. Hopefully Kairi Sane can find success again in Japan. Lacey Evans has a great gimmick and a solid wrestling style, they just don’t mix. Murphy has no style.  Shinsuke Nakamura has killed his legacy by going to the WWE. XXXL is big but needs to do better.

 

They Get an ‘F’

–  Madman Fulton isn’t over as a monster. Raj Singh and Shera disappeared. Tessa Blanchard proved she’s not worth anyone’s time. Havok was once a good hand, once. Dalton Castle has lost his mojo. Mandy Leon has no business being on television. Why is Rhett Titus? The Dawsons exist. Brandon Cutler has job thanks to nepotism. Same with Evil Uno and Stu Grayson. Joey Janela left GCW for this? No one cares about Luther. The always gimmicked Michael Nakazawa is still around. We want Norv Fernum, not Peter Avalon. ROH had a whole angle where no one wanted to book QT Marshall and there’s a reason for that. Pick a reason for Sammy Guevara to be here.  Sonny Kiss is eh. Wardlow us ehh.  Anna Jay is ehhh. Another IMPACT star in Allie used better elsewhere. At least Leva Bates is getting paid.  Alexander Wolfe is collecting a check, that’s about it. Same with Ariya Daivari. Austin Theory isn’t it. Where oh where has my little Bo Dallas gone. Jeff Hardy is beginning his 74th redemptions storyline. Baron Corbin is so bad that “X-Pac heat” is now “Corbin Heat”. Ugh, Kona Reeves. WWE screwed Lana and not in a fun way. Liv Morgan had a weak 2020 but at least it wasn’t Mojo Rawley‘s. Injuries curtailed an already unimpressive run for Mustafa Ali. Boooo, Nia Jax. Ther’es nothing glorious about Bobby Roode anymore.  Sonya Deville and Tamina are just people to beat in matches anymore. How is Titus O’Neil still employed? You to Cheeseburger? Humberto Carrillo exists.

Cody and Brandi Rhodes failed as leaders when their own talent were accused of sex-based crimes, made worse by Brandi when she started posting “thirst-traps” on the same day women came forward about sexual abuse against AEW wrestlers.

Marty Scurll, Jimmy Havoc, Jay Lethal, Velveteen Dream, Dave Crist, Matt Riddle, Joey Ryan, and Michael Elgin are scumbags.

 

 

They Get an ‘Incomplete’ – Due to injuries or time off, did not log in enough time to warrant a grade.

The NJPW Roster, Daga, Jake Crist,  Rich Swann, Kylie Rae, Tasha Steelz, Logan Creed, Joe Hendry, Matt Taven, Jax Dane,  The Hybrid2, CIMA, PAC,  Bea Priestley, Awesome Kong, Deonna Purrazzo, Big Show, Brock Lesnar, Ember Moon, Fandango, Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens, Lars Sullivan, Naomi, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe,

Awards of the Mid-Year

Match of the Mid-Year

  • Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee vs Jushin Thunder Liger and Naoki Sano

Feud of the Mid-Year

  • Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Non-Wrestler of the Mid-Year

  • Madison Rayne

Tag Team of the Mid-Year

  • The North

Breakout Star of the Mid-Year

  • Chris Bey

Comeback of the Mid-Year

  • Eddie Edwards

Male Wrestler of the Mid-Year

  • Jon Moxley

Female Wrestler of the Mid-Year

  • Jordynne Grace

News Story of the Mid-Year

  • the Speaking Out Movement