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!)
WWE had one of its best months in a long time as both NXT and SmackDown led the charge to make the product not only watchable but must-see on multiple occasions. Mix in a fantastic NXT TakeOver: 31 show and excellent Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and you have the makings of the strongest month yet in terms of matches. Here are the best matches of the month for October 2020.
NXT has been getting to the point where Johnny Gargano‘s face being on TV and TakeOver’s every week and month has been getting stale. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a bad wrestler. He’s still quite good in the squared circle, babyface or heel, and he put on a show when he faced off with Damian Priest for the North American Championship. These two kicked off NXT TakeOver: 31 in an excellent way and set the precedent for the rest of the night. They were ultimately outdone, but this show is a must-see for any wrestling fan, much like this match.
Rating: 74/100
NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar (c) vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
(NXT TakeOver: 31, 10/4/2020)
It feels like it took way too long, but we finally got an NXT Cruiserweight Championship match on a TakeOver event. And Santos Escobar and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott did everything in their power to put on one incredible showing for the division. The former El Hijo del Fantasma/King Cuerno brought his rugged, yet flashy style to the right to try and walk out #AndSTILL. For “Swerve,” it was an opportunity to finally capture gold in his NXT career. The near falls in this one were top-notch, as it seemed “Swerve” was going to walk out with the championship before Escobar managed to cleanly walk out with the win. The night got better and better from the first to the last match, making this one for you to see.
Rating: 77/100
NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Candice LeRae
(NXT TakeOver: 31, 10/4/2020)
There are some wrestlers who can go in there with one another and never connect. And then, there’s those who cannot have a bad match, but instead must-see matches anytime they go head-to-head. This is one of those situations, as Io Shirai and Candice LeRae have shown that they are a guaranteed classic when they step in the ring. The match at NXT TakeOver: 31 happened to be their best of the two this month, as it showed how good they can be against each other. Shirai managed to fend off the help of Johnny Gargano to show that this is still her NXT and you will have to go the extra mile to put her down. The second best match of the night and one of the best of the month and year in NXT.
Rating: 81/100
NXT Championship: Finn Balor (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
(NXT TakeOver: 31, 10/4/2020)
A true contender for the match of the month and even WWE’s match of the year. Finn Balor defended his NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly at NXT TakeOver: 31 and they had one of the most old school matches we have seen in a long time. These two beat the life out of one another, trying to get one foot up and working body parts to hopefully create a weakness. For Balor, it was his leg that O’Reilly continuously worked over and almost finished him off with a devastating heel hook. And for O’Reilly, it was his stomach that was clearly in pain following a swift kick from Balor. These two went to war, Balor broke his jaw and managed to walk out still champion following the ultimate Coup de Grace. It was the impressive exclamation point to the best TakeOver of the entire year.
Rating: 86/100
Big E vs. Sheamus in a Falls Count Anywhere
(SmackDown, 10/9/20)
There’s something to be said about a good stipulation match. At times, WWE feels as though they do too many that they don’t necessarily mean much. This time was not one of those, as it felt right. Big E and Sheamus had been in a real blood feud for months and this was the final chapter, one way or another. The two men fought on SmackDown in a Falls Count Anywhere match, wrestling all throughout the WWE Thunderdome and eventually into the parking lot. It was there that Big E managed to finish off Sheamus, winning the feud and furthering his solo run all the more.
Rating: 78/100
Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae
(NXT, 10/14/20)
What a month it was for Candice LeRae. She did everything in her power to walk out of October with the NXT Women’s Championship. In this match against Shotzi Blackheart, it was shot to get one more match against Shirai while it was Blackheart’s chance to earn her first title match in her NXT career. LeRae managed to steal the win thanks to Indi Hartwell supplying her with brass knuckles to take Blackheart out. It was one of three great matches for LeRae and one of the best TV matches of the month.
Rating: 70/100
Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
(Hell in a Cell, 10/25/20)
One month ago on the September version of WWE’s best matches of the month, Jey Uso and Roman Reigns earned my highest rating to this moment as their match told a story we had not seen in years. So, when the rematch would mean the heights of an I Quit match inside Hell in a Cell, I figured as though they could deliver once again. And that they did, executing another story based classic that gave you all the emotions. While it was not as good as their first, it was one to go back and watch as Reigns vs. Uso was a rivalry that became a massive highlight of WWE for 2020. It was a vintage WWE feud.
Rating: 83/100
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks
(Hell in a Cell, 10/25/20)
MATCH OF THE MONTH: There wasn’t anything better in all of WWE this month… scratch that. There hasn’t been anything better from an in-ring basis this entire year in WWE. It should not come as a surprise either, as Sasha Banks and Bayley have always created such incredible, real magic inside the ring when they faceoff. It was a long build to this moment as well, putting the pressure on the former tag team champions to show up and deliver that much more. And they did everything in their power to use the Hell in a Cell stipulation to their advantage. Banks and Bayley had multiple impressive maneuvers never seen before in the match, ultimately resulting in the perfect finish that saw Banks tap out Bayley in the middle of the ring to finally win the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
It was the end of the historic reign for Bayley, the final piece for Banks to be a Grand Slam Champion, and the beginning of a long-deserved reign for “The Boss.” After being on this list multiple times in past months, they delivered what is WWE’s match of the year to this point.
Rating: 93/100
NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Candice LeRae in a TLC Match
(NXT Halloween Havoc, 10/28/20)
Their second of the month took a different road to be great. Rather than precision and technical prowess, they enjoyed destroying each other through brutality and jaw-dropping moments. As they spun the wheel and made the deal, they were forced to fight for the NXT Women’s Championship in a Tables, Ladders, and Scares match. The biggest highlight, of course, was watching LeRae crash and burn from the top of a ladder down through the ladder laying ringside. It was a stunning moment that saw Shirai recapture the title and LeRae run out of chances for the time being.
Rating: 78/100
NXT United Kingdom Championship: WALTER (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov
(NXT UK, 10/29/20)
The final match of great quality this month was perhaps the most brutal. And it didn’t involve a Cell or a ladder or any you can name. All it needed was two men vying for the NXT United Kingdom Championship. WALTER, the champion, and Ilja Dragunov, the challenger, beat one another within an inch of their lives it felt like to walk out with gold. It was that brutal. The chests of both men were beet red as the chops would make anyone quiver in their seats watching. This was one of the best of the month, and any match of the year quality bout as WALTER walked out #AndSTILL. Check it out, you won’t be upset.
Rating: 88/100
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