2020 has been an exceptionally challenging year for pro wrestling. For most of the year, WWE has had to put on its biggest shows without a live audience in attendance. While the move to the Thunderdome is definitely a step up from the Performance Center, it pales in comparison to the electric energy of an actual live audience.
As the promotion struggled to adjust to the 'new normal.' several wrestlers in the promotion stepped up, injecting programming with energy and excitement. There are a number of wrestlers who have consistently delivered, and could believably claim to be WWE's MVP in 2020.
10 Asuka
Heading into 2020, The Kabuki Warriors were the Women's Tag Team Champions, and Asuka was targeting Becky Lynch's Raw Women's Championship. After they dropped the titles, Asuka returned to singles action. She won the Money in the Bank briefcase, which gave her the championship.
In Becky Lynch's absence, WWE turned to Asuka to pick up the slack. Despite not being given the best championship feuds, she has consistently delivered. Not only are her matches great, but Asuka is also ridiculously entertaining in backstage segments. As the Raw women's division floundered for direction in Lynch's absence, Asuka kept delivering.
9 Sasha Banks
Heading into the Royal Rumble, Sasha Banks was the overwhelming fan favorite to win the women's match, setting up a massive showdown at WrestleMania 36. But WWE ultimately decided to take its time with the storyline. For the last several months, Banks has been absolutely fantastic, as WWE sowed the seeds for her eventual split from Bayley.
When she did eventually turn face, it was far more believable than any of her other face runs. That led to an awesome match at Hell in a Cell, which also won her the SmackDown Women's Championship. Over the course of the year, Banks has blossomed into the role of the face of the blue brand's women's division, and she is primed for the best run of her career.
8 AJ Styles
After failing to win the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles headed to Super ShowDown and was on the cusp of winning the Tuwaiq Trophy. But then The Undertaker emerged to win the trophy, setting up a mammoth match at WrestleMania. Their Boneyard Match was amazing and was a fitting send-off to one of the greatest of all time.
He almost won the Money in the Bank briefcase, before having a fun run in the Intercontinental Championship scene. Now, Styles appears to be having the time of his life as a major heel on the red brand. Like always, Styles has consistently delivered on the mic and in the ring, putting together another banner year.
7 Seth Rollins
Most of Seth Rollins' 2020 has seen him feuding with the Mysterio family. While that rivalry has continued way past its expiration date, there is no denying that The Messiah has been one of the best parts of WWE programming. His unhinged violence has been shocking but entertaining, while he seems to be having a blast on the mic.
He led Dominik Mysterio to a great match at SummerSlam and could potentially set up Murphy for a mammoth babyface run. It has been refreshing to see him embrace his roots as a heel, and all of it has led to one of Rollins' finest runs, despite him being stuck in the same feud for ages.
6 MVP
When MVP made a surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble, most fans assumed it would be a one-off. But soon after, MVP began making regular appearances on Raw, before rescuing Bobby Lashley from his painful storyline with Lana.
Over time, he added Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to his ranks, forming The Hurt Business. For the last several months, The Hurt Business has been one of the best parts of Raw. They are cool heels that can function as anti-heroes, in addition to being some of the most compelling characters not named Bray Wyatt. They are a backbone of the red brand, led by MVP, who is having the best run of his career right now.
5 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was the last man to be eliminated at the Royal Rumble. After Goldberg won the Universal Championship in a truly disastrous match, Reigns established himself as the number one contender. But then he stepped away from programming, before returning after the main event of SummerSlam.
Since then, Reigns has turned heel and repackaged himself as the Tribal Chief. He has been fantastic as the Universal Champion, doing the greatest work of his career. His feud with Jey Uso has been superb. Despite being absent for a large chunk of the year, Reigns has made a massive impact during his time on programming.
4 Bray Wyatt
'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt worked a fun match at the Royal Rumble, but things went sideways for him the next month when he dropped the Universal Championship to Goldberg. He bounced back though, working a surreal, wildly entertaining Firefly Fun House match against John Cena at WrestleMania 36.
After that, he worked an above-average feud with Braun Strowman, and now, his alliance with Alexa Bliss is one of the most intriguing parts of WWE. Wyatt has been consistently awesome on the mic and worked some entertaining matches as well.
3 Randy Orton
Randy Orton turned heel on the Raw after the Royal Rumble and embarked on perhaps the greatest run of his career. His feud with Edge was simply outstanding and Orton quickly became the most compelling performer in the promotion. Once Edge got injured, he targeted the WWE Championship, finally winning it at Hell in a Cell.
When motivated, there are few who are better than The Viper, and he has managed to remain exceptionally motivated for the entirety of this year, much to the delight of fans around the world.
2 Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre's year got off to a perfect start when he won the Royal Rumble; setting up a huge match with Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 36. McIntyre won the gold and had a great stint as champion, putting on strong matches, while cutting great promos and proving that he was the right man to be the face of the red brand.
Even though he lost the championship to Randy Orton, McIntyre has been positioned as one of the biggest stars on Raw. Considering his work over the course of the year, that position is more than warranted.
1 Bayley
2020 has been Bayley's year. She spent the year defending her SmackDown Women's Championship against pretty much everyone on the blue brand. In addition to that, she has been great on the mic and her character work has been unparalleled.
She managed to be a regular presence on Raw and SmackDown (and sporadically NXT as well) but stayed fresh as a character. This has undoubtedly been the greatest time of her career, and even though she has lost the SmackDown Women's Championship, her stock in the promotion is higher than it has ever been.