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    2020 Contenders

    We’re back for a fifth year – it’s our ever-growing list of Match of the Year contenders. If it’s on here, you probably ought to make time to hunt it down!

    All of these matches either got ****¼ and above in our reviews, our would have (if we reviewed it, for shows we don’t fully cover).

    • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay (New Japan, WrestleKingdom 14 – Night One, January 04, 2020)
    • Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada (New Japan, WrestleKingdom 14 – Night One, January 04, 2020)
    • Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada (New Japan, WrestleKingdom 14 – Night Two, January 05, 2020)
    • Shingo Takagi & EVIL vs. Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, New Year Dash!!, January 06, 2020)
    • Daniel Makabe vs. Judas Icarus (3-2-1 BATTLE!, Hindsight:2020, January 10, 2020)
    • Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin (WWE, NXT UK Takeover Blackpool 2, January 12, 2020)
    • Aigle Blanc vs. David Starr (wXw X APC, Fight for Paris – Night Two, January 12, 2020)
    • Cara Noir vs. Kyle Fletcher vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Paul Robinson (PROGRESS, Chapter 101: Dalmatians, January 19, 2020)
    • EVIL vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, The New Beginning in Sapporo – Night One, February 01, 2020)
    • Shingo Takagi vs. Hirooki Goto (New Japan, The New Beginning in Sapporo – Night One, February 01, 2020)
    • LJ Cleary vs. David Starr (OTT, Contenders 17 – Take Me To Your Leader – February 01, 2020)
    • Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (New Japan, The New Beginning in Sapporo – Night Two, February 02, 2020)
    • Ryu Lee vs. Hiromu Takahashi (New Japan, The New Beginning in Osaka, February 09, 2020)
    • Minoru Suzuki vs. Jon Moxley (New Japan, The New Beginning in Osaka, February 09, 2020)
    • Michael Oku vs. El Phantasmo (Rev Pro, High Stakes 2020, February 14, 2020)
    • Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Rev Pro, High Stakes 2020, February 14, 2020)
    • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi (New Japan, New Japan Road 2020 – Night One, February 20, 2020)
    • Daniel Makabe & Chris Ridgeway vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Yuki Ishikawa (wXw, Inner Circle 9, March 05, 2020)
    • Mike Bailey vs. Chris Ridgeway (wXw, 16 Carat Gold 2020 – Night One, March 06, 2020)
    • Ilja Dragunov vs. A-Kid (WWE, NXT UK #89 (Hidden Gems), March 06, 2020)
    • Mike Bailey vs. Bandido (wXw, 16 Carat Gold 2020 – Night Two, March 07, 2020)
    • David Starr vs. Bobby Gunns (wXw, 16 Carat Gold 2020 – Night Two, March 07, 2020)
    • Hektor Invictus, Puma King & Black Taurus vs. Julian Pace, Jeff Cobb & Bandido (wXw, 16 Carat Gold 2020 – Night Three, March 08, 2020)
    • Cara Noir vs. Mike Bailey (wXw, 16 Carat Gold 2020 – Night Three, March 08, 2020)
    • Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata (New Japan, New Japan Cup 2020 – Night Two, June 17, 2020)
    • SHO vs. Shingo Takagi (New Japan, New Japan Cup 2020 – Night Three, June 22, 2020)
    • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, New Japan Cup 2020 – Night Seven, July 02, 2020)
    • SHO vs. Shingo Takagi (New Japan, Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall, July 12, 2020)
    • YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Master Wato, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi (New Japan, Summer Struggle – Night Seven, August 08, 2020)
    • YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Kazuchika Okada, SHO & Toru Yano (New Japan, Summer Struggle – Night Eight, August 09, 2020)
    • Calvin Tankman vs. Erick Stevens (Black Label Pro, Erick Stevens Presents Professional Wrestling, August 22, 2020)
    • Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi (New Japan, Summer Struggle in Jingu, August 29, 2020)
    • Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi (New Japan, Summer Struggle in Jingu, August 29, 2020)
    • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night One, September 19, 2020)
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Two, September 20, 2020)
    • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Four, September 24, 2020)
    • Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Five, September 27, 2020)
    • Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Nine, October 05, 2020)
    • Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Eleven, October 07, 2020)
    • Lee Moriarty vs. Daniel Makabe (SUP, Swing of the Axe, October 09, 2020)
    • Lee Moriarty vs. ACH (GCW, For The Culture, October 09, 2020)
    • Jeff Cobb vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Thirteen, October 10, 2020)
    • Minoru Suzuki vs. Kota Ibushi (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Thirteen, October 10, 2020)
    • Shingo Takagi vs. Kazuchika Okada (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Thirteen, October 10, 2020)
    • Tom Lawlor vs. Homicide (GCW, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 3, October 11, 2020)
    • Chris Dickinson vs. Jon Moxley (GCW, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 3, October 11, 2020)
    • Taichi vs. Kota Ibushi (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Seventeen, October 16, 2020)
    • Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, G1 Climax 30 – Night Seventeen, October 16, 2020)
    • Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER (WWE, NXT UK #111, aired October 29, 2020)
    • Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki (New Japan, Power Struggle, November 07, 2020)
    • Ricky Knight Jr. vs. Will Ospreay (Rev Pro, Epic Encounters Five, November 15, 2020)
    • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie Eagles (New Japan, World Tag League 2020 x Best of the Super Junior 27 – Night Eleven, November 29, 2020)
    • SHO vs. Hiromu Takahashi (New Japan, World Tag League 2020 x Best of the Super Junior 27 – Night Thirteen, December 02, 2020)
    • Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado (New Japan, World Tag League 2020 x Best of the Super Junior 27 – Night Seventeen, December 11, 2020)