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To say that 2020 has been a challenging year for WWE Superstars would be an understatement. Despite everything that was going on in the world, they showed up and did their job to keep the fans entertained. Amidst the struggles of coping up with the changing reality, there are a few names that announced their arrival in a promising manner and compelled the fans to get behind them.
In this article, we will take a look at five breakout Superstars in WWE this year. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
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#5 Keith Lee (NXT, WWE RAW)
In all honesty, Keith Lee’s rise to prominence in WWE kickstarted last year when he allied with Tommaso Ciampa and helped him take on The Undisputed Era. His performance at WarGames and his appearance during Survivor Series won him the trust of several backstage personalities, including Vince McMahon.
Fast forward to January 2020; Lee was one of the participants in WWE Royal Rumble. During the match, he came face to face with Brock Lesnar and both Superstars shared a great moment of mutual respect inside the ring. In that instance, it was clear that Lee will soon find himself on the main roster. He would then go on to become the NXT Champion and enjoy a decent run before dropping it to Karrion Kross.
Lee then made his main roster debut and faced Randy Orton on the RAW after SummerSlam. Lee lost the match due to DQ caused by Drew McIntyre but got the biggest win of his main roster career when he defeated The Viper at Payback. Keith Lee was then booked in a segment alongside McIntyre. The WWE creative capitalized on the history shared between both these Superstars and used it to push Lee directly into the world title picture. Even though Lee’s possible challenge for the WWE Championship was jeopardized by RETRIBUTION, his overall booking on RAW made a huge statement.
Soon after that, Lee was booked in a feud with Braun Strowman. Both these giants were involved in altercations for weeks, which led to a match between them. Even though Strowman walked out victorious from this rivalry, Lee managed to hold off on his own. After this storyline, Lee’s push slowed down a bit until Survivor Series.
In November 2020, Lee was a part of the team that represented WWE RAW in the traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match and annihilated their counterparts form SmackDown. That pay-per-view also marked the beginning of a feud between him and Sheamus – something that picked pace in the last few weeks of the year. Despite a slight slump and backstage reports about doubts over Lee’s immediate future, he had a great year in WWE.
#4 Bianca Belair (NXT, WWE RAW, and SmackDown)
Bianca Belair was one of the NXT Superstars who was called up to the WWE main roster this year. Despite arriving at WrestleMania, Belair had a slow start on WWE RAW. She was mostly booked as someone who would neutralize the threat posed by Zelina Vega when The Street Profits were feuding with Andrade and Angel Garza.
Bianca Belair then proved herself as someone capable of dominating the women’s division. The WWE Universe was excited to see her challenge for the women’s championship, but the creative wanted to add more to her build-up before pushing her into the title picture. Following the 2020 WWE Draft, we saw several promos dedicated towards establishing Belair better than everyone else.
She put up an impressive performance at Survivor Series even though her team lost the match. Soon after that, Belair started feuding with Bayley and is now expected to pick a much-deserved victory over the former women’s champion. Belair would need that momentum before she inevitably goes after Sasha Banks and her WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship.
#3 Dominik Mysterio (WWE RAW and SmackDown)
Dominik Mysterio was an integral part of WWE legend Rey Mysterio’s extended feud with Seth Rollins. He was brought into the storyline to help his father against Rollins’ disciple aka Murphy. Given that his father is an icon, the expectations were extremely high from Dominik Mysterio, and the young Superstar did not disappoint.
Right from his first singles match on WWE RAW to teaming up with his father on multiple occasions, Dominik Mysterio got off to a fiery start. He looked far from a rookie and exerted his dominance inside the ring in a convincing fashion. Dominik Mysterio got better and better inside the ring as the positive response from the fans boosted his confidence.
Admittedly, Dominik Mysterio has not been involved in stand-alone feuds of his own since the entire focus shifted on the relationship between Aalyah Mysterio and Murphy. That said, there are no doubts about his bright future in the promotion following a promising start. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for him in WWE as we move forward.
#2 The Street Profits (WWE RAW and SmackDown)
For a long time after their arrival on the WWE main roster, The Street Profits were entrusted with the responsibility of hosting backstage segments. The fans were already aware of their caliber, and soon they won a shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships. After failing in their first couple of attempts, The Street Profits managed to win the tag team gold in a match against Seth Rollins and Murphy – thanks to Kevin Owens' interference.
Following that, there was no looking back for this charismatic team. The Street Profits quickly emerged as the most dominant tag team on the RAW roster and kept defending their titles against former champions before moving to WWE SmackDown. They even ended up defeating The New Day at Survivor Series in a brilliant match that earned them the respect of the industry veterans.
The best part about The Street Profits is that both Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford stand out as individual performers with their unique quirks despite being a team. They are good on the mic and better inside the ring. It would be fair to say that their run as the dominant tag team champions will continue for the foreseeable future – something that they earned with their engaging performances week after week.
#1 Jey Uso (WWE SmackDown)
This year, we saw the much-awaited heel turn of Roman Reigns. However, if there’s anyone in WWE who benefitted more than Reigns himself, it was Jey Uso. The latter had already carved a niche for himself as a tag team contender. That said, the rivalry between Reigns and Jey Uso allowed the fans to witness the actual capabilities of the one-half of The Usos.
The manner in which he fought against Reigns successfully managed to bring out the entire storyline's emotional aspect. Even when he turned heel, the WWE Universe sympathized with him and cheered him along the way. Now he has grown key to Roman Reigns’ dominance on SmackDown and is the biggest reason why Reigns is still the champion.
Everything about Jey Uso’s recent run-in WWE has shown us why he can excel as a singles Superstar. From cutting memorable promos to putting up incredible performances, Jey Uso has truly embraced his potential in WWE. Hence, it would be safe to assume that he might be the one who will eventually dethrone Roman Reigns somewhere down the line.
