Greg DeMarco’s Chairshot Power Rankings: 2020 First Half

Greg DeMarco uses the 2020 mid-point to bring back his weekly power rankings! Who stood out in the first half of 2020?

It’s the 7/5/2020 edition of The Chairshot Power Rankings!

Each week, I bring you my Power Rankings in Top 5 form. What can you measure with a “Power Ranking?” The answer is simple: power. Power here is defined as momentum, who got the big wins, and who is on an upward trajectory after this week. Each week is different, as the landscape of professional wrestling (and sports entertainment) can change in an instant. Thus, the weekly rankings will change with it.

This time around, I am focused on the front half of the craziest year ever…2020! Man what a year it’s been, but pro wrestling hasn’t stopped.

Greg DeMarco’s Power Rankings: first half of 2020

Missing The Cut

• Seth Rollins – since turning heel, The Monday Night Messiah has proven to be an MVP of Monday Night Raw.
• The Undertaker – only having one program, The Deadman called it a career in the most appropriate way possible.
• Braun Strowman – despite a shaky start to the year, The Monster Among Men has captured the Universal Championship and is the man on Smackdown.
• Otis – I mean, he won Money In The Bank AND has Mandy Rose. He should probably be#1.
• Alexander Hammerstone – all Hammer does is win, including being undefeated in MLW for over a year as the National Openweight Champion.
• Charlotte Flair – Charlotte won the women’s Royal Rumble match, won the NXT Women’s Championship, and carried the women’s division in Becky Lynch’s absence. Now she has an absence of her own, but left the division better than she found it.
• AJ Styles – AJ is money anywhere you put him in 2020, from a Boneyard Match to the Intercontinental Championship.
• Jon Moxley – winning the AEW World Championship and delivering whenever called upon.

Missing The Cut is listed in no particular order.

5. Bayley and Sasha Banks

The amazing tag team of Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks, also the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, have been absolutely killing it this year. They delivered a strong performance at WrestleMania, and during the build to WrestleMania as well. Since then, they have taken up the mantle for Charlotte Flair, appearing on every brand possible and showing why they are major stars in the process.

4. The North

I’ve long called The Revival (not FTR) the greatest tag team walking God’s green earth. But in all honesty, that moniker might belong to Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Champions for over a year, The North.

The former Monster Mafia (give me that name any day), has held the Impact World Tag Team Championships for 368 days now, and they’ve taken on all comers. Outside the ring, no one has gone to bat for Impact Wrestling harder than these two, and they deserve more praise and credit than anyone is giving them.

3. Tetsuya Naito

New Japan Pro Wrestling was, like nearly every other wrestling company, hit hard by the COVID-19 situation. They were forced to cancel events left and right. But when they have run events, Tetsuya Naito has been on top. He captured two championships at WrestleKingdom, including a huge win over Kazuchika Okada to close the show. From there he had an amazing defense against KENTA at New Beginnings In Osaka, and is ready for his next challenger.

2. Adam Cole

During the first half of 2020, Adam Cole has done it all. He led the charge against Imperium for the United States branch of NXT, and sold his off in the process. Then he crossed the line and became NXT’s longest reigning champion…ever. Add in a host of great matches, including wins over KUSHIDA, Tommaso Ciampa, Velveteen Dream, Dexter Lumis and more. Then couple all of that with some of the best promos in the business.

I could have gone full Greg DeMarco on you and put Cole at #1. I still kinda want to! But I am keeping him at #2, as #1 has taken an entire company and placed it upon his shoulders.

1. Drew McIntyre

No one has had a better 2020 than ol’ Drew. Drew McIntyre kicked off 2020 by eliminating Brock Lesnar from the Royal Rumble, then winning the damn thing by eliminating Roman Reigns. From there he stepped up his promo game, proving to be a strong candidate to carry Raw on his shoulders. Once COVID-19 put everything into quarantine, Drew took even more steps to be “the guy,” leading to his victory that closed out the oddest WrestleMania 36 in history. From there? He’s just kept going, delivering in the ring, on the mic, and being the champion that WWE needs during a time when they need it most.

There are many ways to approach what’s going on right now–and there is no right or wrong answer to that conundrum. But Drew McIntyre has shown a level of maturity, know how, and outright skill that proves he belongs at the top of the business, and (more importantly…to me lol)–this list.

Who would you put in your Power Rankings? Sound off on Twitter @ChairshotGreg using the hashtag #UseYourHead!