Every month, our own Scott Edwards compiles his own list of the best WWE matches of each month. From Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, the options are seemingly endless. The matches will include ones you may not think about as well as one’s you hear about on social media as soon as they finish. PPV or TV, these matches will be the best of the best from the previous month of WWE action and receive a rating out of 100. (DISCLAIMER: This list is subjective and is compiled exclusively by Scott Edwards; there will obviously be matches he may have missed that you may feel deserve credit – we encourage you to list some of your best matches of the month in the comments section below to help add to the list!)
September proved to be one of WWE’s best months in all of 2020 and that is noticeable from the start as nine matches make the best of the month list here. With one PPV and no NXT TakeOver, that is even more impressive looking back. Here’s the best of the month from WWE in September.
NXT Championship: Fatal Four-Way Ironman Match (NXT, 9/1/20)
The month started off with a doozy, as the injury to Karrion Kross forced him to relinquish the NXT Championship, thus leading to four former champions getting the chance to fight for it in a first-time-ever Fatal 4-Way 60-minute Iron Man Match. Finn Balor, Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano all came close to winning the match, but it was Balor and Cole who earned falls in the final minute to ultimately tie and move on to one final match the week after to decide the champion. For a 60-minute Iron Man match, this was full of entertainment.
Rating: 73/100
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (c) vs. Bayley & Sasha Banks (SmackDown, 9/4/20)
When I started this list, I definitely did not expect to have Nia Jax on here as her matches tend to go down the same road. But it was a change to that tune as her team with Shayna Baszler has proven to be a true blessing. They were forced to give the former champions, Bayley and Sasha Banks, a chance to regain those championships and delivered one of the best WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship matches since the titles were introduced. What follows the match maybe even better, but this was seriously good action with two of the best in WWE today teaming on final time.
Rating: 76/100
NXT Championship: Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole (NXT, 9/8/20)
Finn Balor and Adam Cole advanced via tie to one final match to determine who would be the NXT Champion. And they delivered, as the two longest-reigning champs in the history of the championship did all they could to call themselves 2-time champions. Eventually, Balor managed to squeak out the win as they showed respect to each other following the match. This is a good one to go back and enjoy, as it’s one of Finn’s best since returning to NXT.
Rating: 71/100
Battle of the Badasses: Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez inside a Steel Cage (NXT, 9/8/20)
Maybe the lead up was going to be too good to be true, but Rhea Ripley has been monster hunting as of late. And when I say monster hunting, it means that she wants to be the only dominant woman in NXT moving forward. That leads us to the “Battle of the Badasses” Steel Cage match that had about everything you could ask for in a cage match like this. Mercedes Martinez and Ripley tore each other apart to walk out as the only badass left in NXT, and “The Nightmare” managed to be victorious. One of the best of the entire month by far.
Rating: 75/100
Io Shirai vs. Shotzi Blackheart (NXT, 9/16/20)
Perhaps September can be renamed to Shotztempber because this was the month of Shotzi Blackheart. The wild, ballsy Blackheart faced off with the best of the best in all of WWE, that being NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. And what she did was show the world that not only can she hang with the “Joshi Judas,” but that title should be hers someday. This one was the second-best match of the entire month and anyone that claims to be a fan of professional wrestling should go back and watch it.
Rating: 81/100
Samoan Street Fight: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Sheamus & King Corbin (SmackDown, 9/18/20)
Everything about the feud between cousins was money. Including this match. For a few weeks there, it seemed that Jey Uso and Universal Champion Roman Reigns would be on good terms heading into their match at Clash of Champions. And while that didn’t happen, it was one night only where they seemed to mesh the best. In a Samoan Street Fight, Reigns and Uso brought the fight to Sheamus and King Corbin in one of the most physical matches of the entire year.
Rating: 74/100
Gauntlet Eliminator (NXT, 9/23/20)
The Gauntlet Eliminator was an interesting match made by William Regal, who wanted a brand new competitor for the NXT Championship. And what made this match worthy of this list was the performance of Kyle O’Reilly, who eventually won the match by eliminating three of the other four competitors and showing that he can be and should be a singles star moving forward.
Rating: 70/100
Intercontinental Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles in a Ladder Match (Clash of Champions, 9/27/20)
Ladder matches have seen almost everything by now. But when Jeff Hardy is in them, you hold your breath because you know that he could do something crazy. And that he did as he attempted to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn and AJ Styles. The uniqueness of this match and the way Zayn won it makes it worthy in itself, but add in the physical toll it took on each man and you appreciate this as the best ladder match in some time.
Rating: 79/100
Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso (Clash of Champions, 9/27/20)
MATCH OF THE MONTH: All hail “The Tribal Chief.” It’s rare that a match some could consider a squash due to how one-sided it is can tell the story that this one did. Roman Reigns and Jey Uso were bound to have a great match after the lead up to it was the best writing WWE has had all year. But the story told in the match was far superior to anything leading up to it, proving how good it was. It was old school WWE style, as it was the story and not a flurry of high-flying moves between two indie darlings that go them to the point of this being the absolute best match of the month and possibly the year so far. Reigns is on another level from everyone else in any men’s division, whether it’s NXT, Raw, or SmackDown. Go back and watch this one. It’s top-notch.
Rating: 90/100
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