The Most Shocking Wrestling Moment Of 2020 & Honorable Mentions

Since the end of the year is drawing near, WrestleNewz picked the best male, female wrestlers and match of 2020. 

Finding the most shocking wrestling moment of 2020 was no easy feat. After all, 2020 has been a shock in its entirety. 

But which moments were to memorable that we still remember them now? And which most shocking wrestling moment is the most unbelievable of them all?

You are about to find out!

The Winner: Edge Returns To Pro Wrestling

The return of WWE legend Edge was undoubtedly the most shocking moment of 2020. After all, it was believed the wrestler would never be able to return.

But before we elaborate, let’s have a look at the actual return. 

WWE veteran Edge made this the most shocking wrestling moment of 2020. And it is not difficult to see why. 

The sheer joy and relief of being in a WWE ring again as a wrestler was quite noticeable upon his return. Even near the end of the year, this is the moment we remember most. 

Of course, there have been a bunch of other moments that were quite memorable. Fortunately, we lined them up nicely in the overview of honorable mentions coming next!

WrestleMania?

This shocking wrestling moment of 2020 made our honorable mentions for all the wrong reasons. Of course, the reasons behind it were pretty much out of everyone’s control.

In 2020, we saw an empty arena at WrestleMania. Evidently, this has never happened before as it is the most popular wrestling event of the year. 

Due to the coronavirus, WWE was forced to hold the event in an empty arena. But to make the night special, the company decided to hold the event over two nights.

Still, this particular shocking wrestling moment of 2020 did have a happy ending. Drew McIntyre finally captured the title he very much deserved. 

Sting Returns To TNT

This particular moment only happened recently. After more than a decade, Sting made his triumphant return to the media channel that made him great, TNT.

The icon Sting appeared during a special edition of AEW Dynamite, Winter Is Coming. Before this appearance, Sting had not wrestling since Night of Champions in 2015.

Imagine everyone’s surprise at WWE headquarters when Sting suddenly popped up again at TNT. And even though the wrestler is 61-years-old, his arrival lured many people to AEW.

Sting gave an interview after his appearance, stating he would be more than willing to do some cinematic matches. Needless to say, he is one of the main reasons we look forward to another shocking wrestling moment in 2021.

Finally Heel

Roman Reigns turning heel has been a discussion topic for years. But in 2020, it finally happened.

Reigns managed to capture a shocking wrestling moment in 2020 by aligning himself with the Beast’s manager Paul Heyman. And fortunately for him, the move paid off.

Roman Reigns had one of the better storylines of the year, something he desperately needed after boring bookings. However, question remains if he can repeat his great year in 2021 as well.

Dumped!

One of the moments that almost rivalled the return of Edge were the mass releases in the WWE earlier this year. However, I wanted to end this awful year on a happier note.

Despite the fact that Edge got my most shocking wrestling moment of 2020, it does not take away from the fact that the mass releases rocked the wrestling world.

Some of the most loyal wrestlers, referees and even management lost their job at the hands of Vince McMahon. Some of the most notable names to leave include Heath Slater, Rusev, and Gallows and Anderson.

AEW came to the rescue for Rusev, while the other released wrestlers ended up on promotions such as Impact and Ring of Honor.

To date, WWE is heavily criticised for the releases. One of the heaviest criticisms came when Mike Chioda, a referee with 30 years in the company, was shown the door.

Fortunately, Mike found a new home at AEW. That being said, this was one of the awful moments WWE created this year.

The Death Of Brodie Lee

Another shocking wrestling moment in 2020 happened a mere couple of days ago. Unfortunately, we received news that wrestler Brodie Lee had died at the young age of 41.

The details surrounding his death were scarce in the beginning. However, it was soon revealed that the wrestler died of a non-covid lung condition.

Countless wrestlers paid tribute to Brodie Lee on their social media accounts. Tributes crossed brands from WWE to AEW.

Every wrestler who shared a story about Mr. Brodie Lee states how caring and kind the man was. Unfortunately, his death makes an already crappy 2020 the worst year in pro wrestling history.

Otis Wins And Loses MITB Briefcase

The MITB briefcase has been through a hell of a lot this year. While WWE was looking to make it a shocking wrestling moment for 2020 for all the right reasons, it very much became the opposite. 

Otis won the MITB briefcase at WWE headquarters. Evidently, the company wanted to make it special because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Even though Otis was a fan favorite at the time, nobody believed he could possibly win the  contract at that time. Of course, fans were shocked when the man with a penchant for heavy machinery stood tall with the briefcase held over his head.

But this is not where the story ends. Before Otis had the chance to cash in his briefcase, he lost it to none other than the Miz.

Losing the briefcase was unprecedented enough, but still it did not end. In fact, Miz got his contract back after a failed cash in.

Needless to say, the MITB contract does not mean a lot at the moment. Recent storylines could have reduced the value of the contract overall as well.

So, this shocking wrestling moment sees the MITB contract devalued in 2020. It could have been and should have been better!

The contract was potentially the only exciting thing fans had to look forward to due to the empty arena. Unfortunately, the idea was poorly executed and made little sense in the overall sense of things.

Let’s hope next year is better.