2020 Ongoing MOTY List: Gulak vs. Titus

37. Drew Gulak vs. Titus O'Neil WWE Main Event 10/12 (Aired 10/15/20)

ER: Leave it to Gulak to get a Main Event match on our MOTY List. This fed can try to keep the man down, put him on the commentary bench after showing himself to be the best worker of the pandemic, and he comes roaring back with a blistering 5 minute match. Gulak has had his greatest matches and in ring performances this year, one of the weirdest years to have a career peak, but he's done them in several forms. His under 5 minute WrestleMania match against Cesaro is my favorite under 5 minute match of the year, and while this match gives him an extra minute to work with it still did what the best sprints do, which is make.a short match feel like a complete story. Some guys excel at TV matches, and Gulak at his best reminds me of a Finlay or Dundee. You knew from go they were out there trying to make it into a memorable fight, and this felt like the best possible version of Yuki Ishikawa vs. Bob Sapp. Gulak and Titus were big boy swinging here, and every minute this match went gave Gulak at least one freshly visible welt. Both guys landed with full arm strikes and knocked each other around the ring. 

This was filled with big body shots, with Gulak swinging for the back and neck, and Titus bruising up Drew's entire torso and murdering him with uppercuts. Gulak lands big stomps when he can and gets in close throwing hard chops, even when he knows he'll be taking one to land one. Gulak traps Titus in an octopus that really did feel like an octopus snaring a man, with Gulak working through each step of the hold, believably advancing through. Gulak's submission work really shines and stands out in pandemic wrestling, the completeness of the moves looks better and they play as a thing that really could end a match. They have been at the core of his two excellent matches with Bryan and the Cesaro match, and it elevates this slugfest. I dug the quick finish, with Gulak coming close but running into a boot and a big choke bomb, and it felt like they could do a 3 match series and give us a different match each time. 

PAS: This was great, I have no idea what got into these guys but they decided to work this like a FUTEN undercard match instead of a mailed in Main Event match. Pretty early on Gulak unloads this uncalled for elbow smash to the back of O'Neil's head and they just light each other up for the remainder of the math. Gulak climbing O'Neil like a boa constrictor grabbing limbs and his neck to twist and adjusting consistently to keep his advantage. Gulak has even gotten better at grappling since coming to the WWE which is weird, and he maybe the best in the world at this style now. I really wish we were still getting long PPV match Gulak, but fun syndie Gulak is a nice consolation prize.

2020 MOTY MASTER LIST