Professional Wrestling of the 2020s

Wrestlers and Other Individuals

• Nick Aldis
• Mustafa Ali
• Darby Allin
• Andrade (El Ídolo): Began the decade in WWE; released in 2021. Made an appearance in AAA shortly thereafter, and soon signed with AEW, performing in both promotions as Andrade El Ídolo.
• Asuka: Became the second female Grand Slam Champion in May 2020.
• "Stone Cold" Steve Austin: Came out of retirement in 2022 for a (likely) one-off match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.
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• Bad Bunny: Became an occasional wrestler starting in 2021, and scored two eliminations in the 2022 men's Royal Rumble.
• Bad Luck Fale
• Britt Baker: Took a Level in Badass after a heel turn in 2020, winning the AEW women's title the next year.
• Finn Bálor
• Sasha Banks: Became the third female Grand Slam Champion in September 2020.
• Travis Banks: Blackballed from the industry in 2020 after being ousted for his unethical backstage and personal antics.
• Shayna Baszler: Joined the WWE main roster in 2020.
• Bayley: Became the first year-long SmackDown Women's Champion and the most prolific women's champion in WWE history in 2020^* excepting the morally controversial and politically inflated ten thousand plus day reign of The Fabulous Moolah.
• Shelton Benjamin
• Big E: Finally wins the WWE Championship in September 2021.
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• Big Show/Paul Wight: Joined AEW as a commentator in 2021 under his real name of Paul Wight, thereby averting the trope of which he was one of the namers.
• Eric Bischoff: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Aleister/Malakai Black: Released by WWE in 2021 and signed with AEW as Malakai Black once his non-compete expired.
• Black Rose
• Tessa Blanchard: Became the first-ever Impact Wrestling female World Champion, though quickly became Overshadowed by Controversy by her backstage problems becoming public. Left later that year after refusing to film segments leading up to a title match.
• Alexa Bliss: Underwent a Gimmick Retool in 2020.
• Scarlett Bordeaux: Released by WWE in 2021.
• Dana Brooke
• Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson: Left WWE when his contract expired in May 2021 and signed with AEW that September, performing under his real name once again.
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• Colt Cabana
• Christian (Cage): Came out of retirement in 2021, first making a cameo at WWE's Royal Rumble, then soon after joining AEW as Christian Cage. Later that year, took the Impact World Championship off Kenny Omega.
• Sami Callihan
• Don Callis
• Matt Cardona: Started this decade working the indies, with a brief stop in AEW in 2020, and going from there to Impact and the NWA in 2021. Won the NWA world title and the Impact Digital Media title in 2022, and in May of that year also held four championship belts in three indy promotions as well as his self-proclaimed "Internet Championship".
• Carmella
• Dalton Castle
• Orange Cassidy: Became AEW's breakout star in 2020.
• Cesaro
• Tommaso Ciampa
• CM Punk: Returned to the ring in 2021 in AEW.
• Adam Cole: Left WWE once his NXT contract expired in 2021, moving to AEW that September.
• Michael Cole
• Carlito Colón
• Baron Corbin
• Nikki Cross: Adopted the divisive "Nikki A.S.H." persona in 2021, and became WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Rhea Ripley under that name.
• Danhausen: Joined AEW in 2022.
• Christopher Daniels
• Tenille Dashwood: Became Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion for the first time with Madison Rayne in 2022.
• Delirious
• Sonya Deville: Betrayed her ally Mandy Rose in 2020. Left TV to deal with a personal legal issue, and returned as an on-screen official.
• Dick the Bruiser: Posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
• EC3: Released from ROH when it went on hiatus at the end of 2021; has since announced the establishment of the new CYN promotion in 2022 alongside Adam Scherr (the former Braun Strowman).
• Edge: Came out of retirement in 2020 at the Royal Rumble, and won the 2021 Royal Rumble match, becoming the first wrestler to do so after entering the WWE Hall of Fame.
• Eddie Edwards: Did a heel turn in Impact Wrestling No Surrender 2022, revealing himself as the leader of Honor No More.
• Nelson Erazo/Homicide
• Eva Marie: Briefly returned to the WWE in 2021.
• Lacey Evans
• EVIL: Betrayed Los Ingobernables de Japón in 2020 to join Bullet Club, winning the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental belts soon after.
• Fandango: Released by WWE in June 2021.
• Fénix
• Bobby Fish: Released by WWE in August 2021, joining AEW that October.
• Charlotte Flair: Became the first female Royal Rumble winner of the decade, and later the fourth female Grand Slam Champion on December 2020.
• Nick Gage
• Johnny Gargano
• Corey Graves
• The Great Khali: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Vickie Guerrero: Signed with AEW as a manager in 2020, shortly after being released by WWE.
• Billy Gunn
• Jake Hager
• Scott Hall: Passed away on March 14, 2022.
• Jeff Hardy: Released by WWE in December 2021 and joined AEW in March 2022.
• Matt Hardy: Defected to AEW in March 2020.
• Mark Henry: Signed with AEW as an analyst and coach^* the AEW term for what WWE calls a "producer" in May 2021.
• Paul Heyman
• Molly Holly: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Hook: Debuted in 2021.
• Kota Ibushi: The NJPW mainstay won and dropped the IWGP Tag Team belts in 2020, and won the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles later that year. In 2021, he unified the two belts, becoming the first holder of the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
• Mickie James: Released by WWE in April 2021 and returned to Impact shortly afterwards. Notably, she entered the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble as the reigning Impact Knockouts Champion.
• Joey Janela
• Nia Jax
• Jazz
• Chris Jericho: Began the decade as the inaugural AEW world champion, dropping the title to Jon Moxley a couple of months in.
• Kamala: Passed away on August 9, 2020 (though he had worked his last match in 2010).
• Kane: Incumbent mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. Headlined the 2021 induction class of the WWE Hall of Fame.
• Allysin Kay
• Billie Kay: Released by WWE in April 2021. Joined Impact on October the same year.
• KENTA: Currently wrestling in New Japan.
• Low Ki
• R-Truth
• Hana Kimura: Passed away on May 23, 2020 via suicide, leaving a big impact in wrestling, not just in Japan but worldwide.
• Holidead
• Kofi Kingston
• Johnny Knoxville: Appeared in the men's Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
• Killer/Karrion Kross: Released by WWE in November 2021.
• L.A. Park: With his son El Hijo de L.A. Park, held the MLW tag team belts for most of 2021. They were both released by MLW in 2022.
• Bobby Lashley: Finally won the WWE Championship in March 2021, making him the second wrestler in history after Rob Van Dam to win the WWE, ECW, and Impact Wrestling World Championships.
• Jerry Lawler
• John Layfield: Member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2020 (though that year's induction would be delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19).
• Candice LeRae
• Brodie Lee: Defected to AEW in March 2020. He suddenly passed away on December 26, 2020, shocking the wrestling community.
• Keith Lee: Became NXT Champion and North American Champion simultaneously in 2020, and left for the main roster soon after. Released in November 2021 and joined AEW once his noncompete expired.
• Kimber Lee: Joined Impact in 2020, leaving by the end of 2021.
• Mandy Leon
• Brock Lesnar: Left WWE in 2020, but came back a year later.
• Jay Lethal: Started the decade in ROH; joined AEW in November 2021 after being released by ROH soon before that promotion's hiatus.
• Jushin Thunder Liger: Had his retirement match on the second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5, 2020, with a retirement ceremony the next night during New Year Dash!! Also a member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2020.
• Lita: Came out of retirement in 2022.
• Angelina Love
• Becky Lynch: Relinquished the Raw Women's Championship in May 2020 and went on hiatus due to her real-life pregnancy. She gave birth to a baby girl in December that same year, and married her longtime partner Seth Rollins in June 2021. Returned to in-ring action in August 2021.
• Maryse
• Nigel McGuinness
• Drew McIntyre: Finally reached main event status by winning the first Royal Rumble of the decade and winning the WWE Championship twice in the same year.
• Melina
• Mercedes Martinez
• The Miz
• MJF
• Ember Moon
• Liv Morgan
• John Morrison: Released by WWE in November 2021; signed with AAA as John Superstar once his noncompete expired in 2022.
• Jon Moxley: Became an AEW mainstay, holding their world title for most of 2020. Took time off in 2021 for alcohol rehab.
• Rey Mysterio
• Tetsuya Naito
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Natalya
• New Jack: Passed away on May 14, 2021.
• Shaquille O'Neal: Made appearances in AEW in 2020 and 2021.
• Kyle O'Reilly
• Kazuchika Okada
• Kenny Omega: Started the decade as AAA Mega Champion. Added the AEW World Championship in 2020, holding that belt for nearly a year before dropping it to Adam Page. During this time, he also became Impact World Champion in 2021.
• Randy Orton
• Ozzy Osbourne: Inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Will Ospreay: Finally reached main event status by winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in 2021.
• Kevin Owens
• Adam Page: Became a main-eventer in AEW, taking their world title off Kenny Omega in 2021.
• Paige
• Pat Patterson: Passed away on December 2, 2020.
• Logan Paul: Tag-teamed with The Miz at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
• Pentagón Jr.
• Beth Phoenix
• Montel Vontavious Porter/MVP: Returned to WWE in 2020, becoming Bobby Lashley's manager.
• Madison Rayne: Announced a 10-Minute Retirement in 2021, then returned and became Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion alongside Tenille Dashwood.
• William Regal: Started the decade as the on-screen general manager of WWE NXT, also serving behind the scenes as a trainer and recruiter. Left WWE in January 2022 and joined AEW as a manager and coach that March.
• Roman Reigns: Rejuvenated his career by a critically-acclaimed Face–Heel Turn in August 2020.
• Cody Rhodes: Left AEW in February 2022. Rejoins WWE in April of the same year.
• Dustin Rhodes
• Ricochet
• Matt Riddle
• Ruby Riott/Soho: Released by WWE in 2021 and joined AEW as "Ruby Soho" later that year.
• Rhea Ripley: Joined the main WWE roster in 2021.
• Jake Roberts: Though retired as a wrestler, began the decade in AEW as a manager.
• Seth Rollins: Married Becky Lynch in June 2021, not long after they became first-time parents.
• Bobby Roode
• Mandy Rose: Entered an on-screen relationship with Otis in 2020. Returned to NXT in 2021 and formed the heel Toxic Attraction stable.
• Jim Ross
• Ronda Rousey: Came back to WWE in 2022 after a near three-year absence to win the Women's Royal Rumble.
• Erick Rowan
• Peyton Royce: Released by WWE in April 2021. Joined Impact on October that year.
• Rusev/Miro and Lana: Rusev was released by WWE in April 2020, changed his ring persona to Miro, and signed with AEW that September. Lana was released by WWE in June 2021.
• Lio Rush
• Joey Ryan: Blackballed from the industry in 2020 after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct.
• Zack Sabre Jr.
• Sabu: Wound down his career in the indies and announced his retirement in November 2021.
• Samoa Joe: Was released by WWE in 2021, but returned soon after as an on-screen official on NXT. Released again in January 2022 and signed with AEW once his noncompete expired.
• Tony Schiavone
• Marty Scurll: Originally assigned as the new head booker of Ring of Honor, he later got said position revoked and then blackballed from the industry (at least in the United States) in 2020 after being ousted for taking advantage of a 16 year old girl in a bar in his hometown of United Kingdom.
• William Shatner: Inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as part of the 2020 class.
• Sheamus
• Hikaru Shida: Won the AEW Women's World Championship in 2020 and held onto it for over a year, making her the longest reigning AEW Title holder to date.
• Velvet Sky: Became commentator for NWA Power in 2021.
• Davey Boy Smith: Posthumously entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as part of the 2020 class.
• Tamina Snuka
• Kris Statlander
• Scott Steiner: Announced as a 2022 WWE Hall of Fame inductee alongside his brother Rick, as The Steiner Brothers.
• Kia Stevens: Started the decade in AEW, but soon went on hiatus to film the streaming TV series GLOW. Released in June 2021 and announced her in-ring retirement that August. Entered the Impact Hall of Fame in October, inducted by her long-time rival Gail Kim.
• Sting: Joined AEW in December 2020.
• Toni Storm: Left WWE in late 2021 and joined AEW in March 2022 once her noncompete expired.
• Braun Strowman/Adam Scherr: Released by WWE in 2021 and moved to the indies under his real name once his noncompete expired. In February 2022, teamed with EC3 to establish the new CYN promotion.
• Roderick Strong: Was a founder member of the Diamond Mine stable in 2021.
• AJ Styles: Became the first WWE Grand Slam Champion of the decade in April 2021, making him the second wrestler in history to achieve this feat in both WWE and Impact Wrestling after Kurt Angle.
• Minoru Suzuki
• Matt Sydal: Joined AEW in 2020.
• Hiromu Takahashi
• Hiroshi Tanahashi: Retroactively recognized as one of the first two NJPW Grand Slam Champions in 2021.
• Chuck Taylor
• Taz: Began the decade as an AEW commentator, also becoming manager of the Team Taz stable in 2020.
• Triple H: Officially announced his in-ring retirement in March 2022, though he had worked his last match in 2019.
• Mike Tyson: Made appearances in AEW in 2020 and 2021.
• The Undertaker: Officially retired on November 22, 2020, exactly thirty years after his debut. Has since been announced as the headliner of the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction class.
• Daffney Unger: Passed away on September 1, 2021.
• Vader: Announced as a posthumous inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2022.
• Rob Van Dam: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Zelina Vega: First released from her WWE contract in 2020, she later returns one year later and wins the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament.
• Ivelisse Vélez
• The Velveteen Dream: Had a promising career effectively ended by credible and disturbing allegations in 2020.
• WALTER: Finally moved from NXT UK to WWE's US-based brands in 2022, taking the new name GUNTHER in the process.
• Katarina Waters
• Jay White: The other wrestler retroactively recognized in 2021 as an NJPW Grand Slam Champion. He later turned on the Guerrilas of Destiny in Impact Wrestling No Surrender 2022, expelling them from Bullet Club so The Good Brothers are reincorporated to the group.
• "Dr. Death" Steve Williams: Posthumously entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as part of the 2020 class.
• Xavier Woods: Became WWE King of the Ring in 2021, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
• Bray Wyatt/The Fiend: Released by WWE in July 2021.
• Toru Yano
• Eric Young: Returned to Impact in 2020 and formed Violent By Design, getting his second World Championship and two more World Tag Team Championships in the process.
• Su Yung
• Sami Zayn
• Dolph Ziggler: Formed the Dirty Dawgs with Robert Roode, becoming Smackdown Tag Team Champions in 2021.

Tag Teams and Stables

• 3.0 / 2.0: Started the decade in WWE developmental, working in both NXT and 205 Live, first as 3.0 and then Ever-Rise. Released in June 2021 and signed by AEW as 2.0 once their noncompete expired.
• The Acclaimed
• Azteca Underground: Formed from the remains of Promociones Dorado in 2021.
• Bella Twins: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as part of the 2020 class.
• British Strong Style
• Bullet Club
• CHAOS: Added AEW's Best Friends stable in November 2021 as part of the NJPW–AEW relationship.
• Contra Unit
• The Dark Order: Had Brodie Lee revealed as their leader in 2020; turned face as a result of Lee's death.
• Enzo and Cass
• Evil Uno and Stu Grayson
• Guerrillas of Destiny
• House Of Black: Teased in 2021; formed in 2022.
• The Hurt Business
• Inner Circle
• Jericho Appreciation Society
• Los Ingobernables de Japon
• Lucha Brothers
• The New Day
• New World Order: Headlined the 2020 induction class of the WWE Hall of Fame (ceremony in 2021), with Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sean Waltman specifically named.
• The Pinnacle: Formed in AEW in March 2021. Lost Wardlow (face turn) and manager Tully Blanchard (fired) in March 2022.
• The Revival/FTR: Defected to AEW during mid-2020 and renamed themselves "FTR"; later joined The Pinnacle.
• Promociones Dorado: Disbanded in 2021 after being folded into Azteca Underground
• Re D Ragon: Reformed under their original name after reuniting in AEW in 2021.
• The Riott Squad: Reformed as a duo in 2020; disbanded in 2021 after Ruby Riott's release from WWE.
• The Rock 'n' Roll Express: Still working indy dates at the start of the decade. Announced the start of their farewell tour in January 2022.
• Santana and Ortiz
• Suzuki-gun
• The Undisputed Era: Split up in 2021; only to reunite in AEW in the same year as a branch of The Elite.
• The United Empire: Formed in NJPW in late 2020.
• The Usos
• Von Erich Family: Kevin's sons Marshall and Ross became MLW mainstays, holding the tag team belts for more than a year until dropping them to L.A. Park and his son in January 2021.
• The Young Bucks

Promotions

• AAA (1992–)
• All Elite Wrestling (2019–): Launched two new programs in 2021—the AEW Dark Elevation webcast and AEW Rampage on TNT. In January 2022, AEW Dynamite moved from TNT to TBS, and AEW CEO Tony Khan bought Ring of Honor in March 2022.
• CHIKARA (2002–2020): Ceased operations in July 2020 after widespread allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct by co-founder Mike Quackenbush and several other wrestlers.
• CMLL (1933–)
• CZW (1998–)
• DDT Pro-Wrestling (1997–): Merged into CyberFight in 2020, but maintains its separate identity.
• Game Changer Wrestling (1999–2004, 2013–)
• Impact Wrestling (2002-): Began to set PPV buyrate records not seen in nearly a decade after AEW World Champion Kenny Omega appeared on their programming.
• MLW (2002–2004, 2017–)
• National Wrestling Alliance (1948-)
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1972–)
• Pro Wrestling NOAH (2000–): Merged into CyberFight in 2020, but maintains its separate identity.
• Ring of Honor (2002-): Announced a hiatus at the end of 2021. Purchased by Tony Khan in March 2022, but will be kept as a separate entity from AEW.
• SHIMMER (2005-)
• World Wonder Ring ST★RDOM (2011-): The joshi puroresu league goes worldwide in 2020 thanks to "No People Gate", no-crowd event transmitted for free via YouTube, and the death of Hana Kimura who was Driven to Suicide for the cyberbullying of his character in TV show Terrace House.
• WWE (1952-)
  • WWE Raw (1993)
  • WWE SmackDown (1999-)
  • WWE NXT (2010–): Moves from Wednesday to Tuesday, ending the "Wednesday Night Wars" after mostly failing to put a dent in AEW Dynamite.

Events

• Backlash. Reinstated in 2020 after a one-year hiatus. Renamed WrestleMania Backlash in 2021.
• Elimination Chamber
• The Great American Bash. Reinstated in 2020 and is held as an annual event for WWE's NXT brand.
• Hell in a Cell
• Money in the Bank – The 2022 edition will be the first to be held in a stadium^* a venue designed to host field sports, such as various types of football or baseball instead of an indoor arena^* a venue designed for indoor court or rink sports such as basketball or ice hockey, effectively making placing MITB on an equal footing with WWE's biggest events.
• New Year's Revolution. Revived in 2020 for a series of WWE Live shows for Raw and SmackDown titled the New Year's Revolution Tour; this tour was not held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• King of the Ring. Held in 2021 so far. It also introduces the female equivalent the Queen's Crown tournament.
• Royal Rumble
• SummerSlam
• Survivor Series
• WrestleMania
• WWE Fastlane
• WWE New Era (2016-)
• Vengeance. Returned as a NXT TakeOver event under the name Vengeance Day in 2021. After the TakeOver series discontinued, it became its annual Valentine's Day event in 2022.

Miscellaneous

• Grand Slam Champion:
  • WWE has crowned three female winners so far in this decade: Asuka, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte Flair. On the men's side, AJ Styles joined this club.
  • NJPW retroactively established its own version in 2021, with Jay White and Hiroshi Tanahashi having joined in that year.
• Triple Crown Champion:
  • In WWE, six singles wrestlers and one tag team have so far joined this club in the decade: the WWE Grand Slam Champions mentioned above, plus Drew McIntyre, Big E, and The Street Profits.
  • Four wrestlers have joined NJPW's version in the decade: EVIL and Kota Ibushi, followed by the aforementioned NJPW Grand Slam champions.