Ranking the Most Compelling Storylines on WWE Raw and SmackDown in 2020

Although the pandemic has dominated most of the year for WWE and has caused Raw and SmackDown to go on without fans in attendance, the unfortunate circumstances haven't stopped the company from continuing to create riveting content on both brands.

Raw, in particular, has been far from perfect in 2020 but has featured its fair share of engaging storylines. Some have started as early as WrestleMania season, while others have only just recently gotten underway.

SmackDown, meanwhile, has been an infinitely better show since SummerSlam than it was at the onset of 2020. The influx of fresh faces undoubtedly played a role in the show's resurgence, but the strong storytelling is really where the blue brand has shined lately.

Even under the current conditions, WWE hasn't been void of outstanding in-ring action this year. However, most of 2020's best bouts were accompanied by a critically acclaimed angle that enticed viewers to tune in on Mondays and Fridays to see what would happen next.

Despite the excitement and unpredictability of the WWE product not being what it once was, 2020 has at least attempted to bring some of that back through a handful of captivating angles. The payoff may not have always been perfect, but the overall execution was excellent enough to get fans invested and keep them coming back for more.

From phenomenal promos to unforgettable matches and moments, here are the seven storylines, ranked from least compelling to the most, that spotlighted SmackDown and Raw this year.

7. Like Father, Like Son: Dominik Avenges Rey Mysterio

The Seth Rollins and Mysterio family saga is about to hit the six-month mark from when it started in mid-May with Rollins attempting to blind Rey. The buildup to their Eye for an Eye match at the Extreme Rules event in July was as hokey as could be, but the storyline heated up again afterward when Rey's son, Dominik, surfaced to fight for his father's honor.

The WWE Universe was, of course, already familiar with Dominik from Rey's rivalry with Eddie Guerrero in 2005. He also got stepped in the ring at Survivor Series 2019 during his father's bout against Brock Lesnar and showed signs of potential, so fans knew he'd be able to hold his own when he eventually competed against Rollins.

That much-anticipated bout came to be at SummerSlam in what marked Dominik's first major match at 23 years old. Not only did he stand up to Rollins at every turn in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view, but he also got the better of The Monday Night Messiah on more than one occasion.

Dominik impressed plenty of people when he cut a scathing promo on Rollins one week prior to SummerSlam, in addition to enduring a brutal kendo-stick lashing courtesy of Rollins and Murphy. Their ultimate encounter at the August extravaganza exceeded everyone's expectations and saw Dominik have the performance of a lifetime.

With it being a No Holds Barred match, Dominik had the chance to take Rollins to the limit and shine before eating defeat. The angle died down after Rollins won their rematches on Raw and they've been trying everything to replicate the magic since then, but it was unquestionably at its hottest throughout the summer when Dominik originally arrived on the scene on his father's behalf and Aalyah was nowhere to be found.

6. Business is Booming: MVP's New Faction Dominates Raw

As mundane as Raw has been on the whole in 2020, it's safe to say that the best part about the program in recent months has been The Hurt Business and its sudden rise to superstardom. Without the guidance of MVP, it's very likely that Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander would still be stuck in undercard purgatory right now.

The former United States champion made a shocking return to WWE in January's Royal Rumble match after almost a decade away. Although it took him some time to find his footing, MVP eventually settled into a managerial role and recruited Lashley to be his first client.

Lashley ultimately failed in his pursuit of the WWE Championship but proved during his program with Drew McIntyre that he belonged at the main event level. MVP kept Lashley's momentum moving by leading him to the United States Championship in August and later adding Benjamin and Alexander into the group's ranks.

Collectively, they are The Hurt Business, one of the most unstoppable forces the company has seen in years. It's been well protected and has a constant presence on Raw. Most importantly, every member has benefited from being with the others.

The Hurt Business establishing its intentions to annihilate everyone in its way and taking its titles allowed the audience to connect with it from the get-go. It's such a simple concept that works on every level, so don't be surprised to see the stable add at least one more person before the year is through.

5. The Fiend's New Friend: Alexa Bliss Joins Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt's feud with Braun Strowman over the Universal Championship on SmackDown had its moments, but in the end, it wasn't as compelling as fans hoped it would be despite their history together in The Wyatt Family. In fact, the only point the program got truly interesting was when Alexa Bliss got involved following Extreme Rules.

Strowman and Bliss previously teamed as part of the Mixed Match Challenge in 2018, so it made perfect sense for Wyatt to target her in order to get to Strowman. Everyone who has come in contact with The Fiend has changed in one way or another, and after interacting with him on an episode of SmackDown in late July, Bliss was no different.

WWE has taken its time telling the story of Bliss slowly embracing The Fiend and turning to the dark side. Her transformation into a friend of The Fiend is all but complete as seen on this week's Raw, when she appeared in The Firefly Fun House and startled former tag team partner Nikki Cross with her evil eyes later in the night.

Regardless of whether she's been a heel or a babyface, Bliss has basically been the same character for the last few years. Joining forces with The Fiend has forced her to switch it up and become something completely different. So far, it's been a breath of fresh air.

That goes for The Fiend as well. He hasn't had a ton of character development dating back to the debut of Wyatt's alter ego in the summer of 2019 and thus he's benefiting from having a fresh face associated with his act.

Coming out of the 2020 WWE draft, the duo now find themselves on the Raw roster and already they've made their presence felt in the WWE Championship picture.

4. A Fractured Friendship: Bayley Betrays Sasha Banks

Only a handful of Superstars can be credited with carrying WWE programming through the first few months of the crowdless pandemic era, and Sasha Banks and Bayley are among those elite few.

They started the year as partners who went on to capture the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for a second time in June. During their two-month reign, they defended the titles multiple times—sometimes in the same week—and appeared on all three of WWE's biggest brands.

Banks also played a pivotal role in Bayley remaining SmackDown women's champion for as long as she did. Once the duo dropped the tag titles in late August, Bayley deemed Banks useless and kicked her to the curb by brutally attacking her out of nowhere on an episode of SmackDown.

The promos that followed between the two women were wonderful and built beautifully to their Hell in a Cell clash in late October. Bayley has improved immensely as a heel thanks to her work with Banks, while this storyline has brought the best out of The Boss as well.

Bayley's initial ambush on Banks was so intense that their first match should have been saved for down the line. WWE rushing the rivalry is why it doesn't rank higher on the list, but it's still been a recurring highlight on Friday nights for months now and it isn't over yet.

This was the feud that fans had waited years to see from these two, and they did not disappoint.

3. Getting the Girl: Otis Pursues Mandy Rose and the Demise of Fire and Desire

Otis had been expressing interest in Mandy Rose long before their storyline started on SmackDown last December. The former Heavy Machinery member had been attempting to win Rose over as far back as their NXT days, so it was an organic angle that made all the sense in the world to do on TV.

Coming into the new year, Otis and Mandy interacted on almost every episode of SmackDown. It eventually led to Otis asking Mandy out on a date on Valentine's Day, but before Otis could make it, Dolph Ziggler swooped in and attempted to win Mandy over first.

The roller-coaster ride WWE took fans on with this story was simply fantastic. You couldn't help but feel for Otis, who had been portrayed perfectly as the lovable babyface. Mandy also got to show off a new side to her character by not immediately dismissing him as she would have been expected to in the past.

The payoff with Otis getting the girl and locking lips with her following his defeat of Ziggler was the definition of a WrestleMania moment. A rowdy crowd going wild for it and giving the two of them the reaction they deserved is the only thing that would have made it better.

The storyline continued to escalate from there with Mandy and Sonya Deville branching off into a feud of their own due to Sonya conspiring with Ziggler to trick Mandy. It was one of the most well-crafted women's feuds in years, and Deville, in particular, stepped up her game on the mic big-time.

Everything culminated at SummerSlam when Mandy put down Deville once and for all by beating her in a Loser Leaves WWE match. Unfortunately, the aftermath has been less than stellar with Rose transitioning into another tag team with Dana Brooke and Otis losing the Money in the Bank briefcase, but those first eight months of the angle were outstanding.

2. Return of the Legend Killer: Randy Orton Targets Edge and Other Icons

The return of Randy Orton's Legend Killer persona—and everything that has come along with it—has been an unexpected gem in WWE this year.

Orton felt like just another guy on the Raw roster at this time a year ago, but his betrayal of Edge one night removed from his former tag team partner's return to the ring at the Royal Rumble marking a major turning point for him. From that point forward, he's been doing some of the strongest work of his entire career, specifically on the mic.

Edge quickly proved he hadn't lost a step whatsoever by getting fans invested in his heated rivalry with Orton. Even once the pandemic caused the company to shift gears and run shows without fans, both Orton and Edge continued to cut incredible promos and generated more interest in their WrestleMania match than any other on the card.

Although the Last Man Standing matchup failed to meet the lofty expectations of most, the two were determined to not lose that momentum. Orton won the heavily touted rematch at Backlash, which was a vast improvement over their original encounter, and then he was back to being The Legend Killer again.

In the remainder of the summer, Orton punted the likes of Christian, Shawn Michaels, Big Show and Ric Flair in the head and put them on the shelf. Each of those attacks was more emotional than the last and solidified Orton as the biggest bad guy in the business.

Orton wound up winning the WWE Championship from Drew McIntyre at Hell in a Cell, but the time to do was at SummerSlam when he was at the peak of his push. Either way, without Orton, Raw in 2020 would have looked a lot different and likely would have been much worse.

1. All in the Family: Jey Uso Steps Up to Roman Reigns

Had you said six months ago that Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso would be the best thing to come out of 2020 for WWE, no one would have believed you. However, that's exactly what happened thanks to the phenomenal performances of both Reigns and Uso and with the way they've told their story over the past two months.

It would have been easy for Reigns to resurface at SummerSlam as the same stagnant character he had been for years. Instead, he completely reinvented himself by partnering up with Paul Heyman and turning heel for the first time on his own since joining WWE's main roster in 2012.

He wasted no time in capturing the Universal Championship and cementing his spot as SmackDown's top dog. There were a plethora of popular babyfaces who could have challenged Reigns for his title, but no one expected his cousin Jey Uso to be the first to step up and square off, considering he had been inactive with his brother Jimmy on the shelf.

Reigns and Jey successfully teamed up a few occasions, but the self-proclaimed Tribal Chief appeared annoyed with Jey the entire time. The slow burn to Reigns severing ties with his cousin by assaulting him on SmackDown was masterful and resulted in a remarkable main event at Clash of Champions that excelled in storytelling.

Jey remained in hot pursuit of Reigns' title heading into Hell in a Cell, where they waged war in an "I Quit" Hell in a Cell match. That too was captivating on so many levels and saw Jey put up a great fight before falling to Reigns.

Per the stipulation of the bout, Jey now has to follow every one of Reigns' orders, so his heel alliance with Reigns should be fun to follow in the weeks and months ahead. Reigns went from dragging down SmackDown a year ago in his feud with King Corbin to now carrying the show with Jey, and the best may be yet to come.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.