The Most Important Storylines to Follow in WWE and AEW for the Rest of 2020

It may not seem like it, but we're quickly approaching the fourth quarter of 2020. WWE is working toward Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble, while All Elite Wrestling will attempt to end its second year of programming on a high note.

SummerSlam works as a midseason finale of sorts, so WWE has a fresh set of storylines on the table. This weekend, AEW is heading into the company's biggest pay-per-view of the year, All Out. As such, both companies will have effectively flipped their card over so to speak by the following week.

WWE already played its ace at The Biggest Party of the Summer when a certain Superstar made his long-awaited return. AEW will likely have some surprises and plot twists in store for Saturday as well.

There are plenty of wrestlers and angles to keep an eye on as both companies cap off the year. So, here are the most important storylines to follow in WWE and AEW for the rest of 2020.

The Dark Order struggled after their debut at Double or Nothing in 2019. AEW repackaged Evil Uno and Stu Grayson, who were formerly known as the Super Smash Brothers, into a eerie cult complete with masked henchmen called "creepers."

The fans didn't take to the new gimmick as they lost in the finals of the AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament. However, their presentation improved when the company started airing vignettes to recruit new members and introduce an enigmatic leader, The Exalted One.

Brodie Lee debuted as The Exalted One on the March 18 episode of Dynamite and has made an impact. The former Wyatt Family member stepped out of the shadow of his WWE character to become the head of his own cult.

His involvement has added an interesting wrinkle to the growing faction that has added several notable up-and-comers like Alex Reynolds, John Silver, Preston Vance (10), and Alan Angels (5). Anna Jay recently became the first woman to join Lee, and she seemingly recruited AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament standout, Tay Conti.

During SummerSlam weekend, Lee shocked the wrestling world when he annihilated Cody and captured the TNT Championship. It was an emphatic statement The Dark Order leader, who has put The American Nightmare on the shelf for the time being.

The group look like a massive threat now and can conceivably compete in every division of AEW.

Dominik Mysterio has had a rousing year. The third-generation wrestler debuted on WWE programming back in 2005 as a part of Rey Mysterio's feud with Eddie Guerrero when he was just eight years old.

In March 2019, he returned as a part of his father's storyline with Samoa Joe and later Brock Lesnar. Dominik originally stepped in as an innocent bystander, but he had a great showing when he attempted to help Rey win the WWE Championship at Survivor Series.

Recently, he took on Seth Rollins after his dad lost an eye in the Eye for an Eye match at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. It doesn't get much bigger than an in-ring debut against The Monday Night Messiah at SummerSlam.

Dominik looked impressive as he showcased a great dropkick, Frog Splash, and of course, a 619. Although he lost to Rollins at the event, he picked up his first win the following Monday in a tag team match with Rey in which he pinned Murphy.

On this week's Raw, he nearly earned a shot at the WWE Championship. It has been quite a rookie year for the 23-year-old, and we can't wait to see how he ends 2020.

AEW has seemingly positioned Britt Baker as the face of its women's division since she signed with the company in January 2019. The first signing outside of The Elite hasn't filled those shoes quite yet, though.

A combination of injuries and a lack of meaningful storylines hampered her first year as part of the fledgling division, but she has become one of the best characters in the company since turning heel on the Jan. 22 episode of Dynamite.

At Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea Part Deux: Second Wave, Baker cut a savage promo on Tony Schiavone and her mic work has improved every week since. Unfortunately, though, she suffered a knee injury the week of Double or Nothing 2020.

Still, she has been such an asset to AEW that she continued to appear on Dynamite every week in the buildup to her return at All Out. Her current rivalry with Big Swole has been the most entertaining women's feud so far. This weekend, they will finally go head-to-head in the first women's cinematic match of the year: a Tooth and Nail match.

Given her current trajectory, it's only a matter of time before Baker is back in the women's title picture. Frankly, the division desperately needs her to return and in an integral role.

No one on the WWE roster had a better year following Survivor Series 2019 than Keith Lee. He made an unforgettable debut at the event and was one of the final two competitors in the men's three-way elimination match.

Although The Limitless One nearly secured the win for NXT, Roman Reigns pinned him to become the sole survivor. As a result, he earned The Big Dog's respect. Then, to kick off 2020, Lee defeated Roderick Strong for the North American Championship on the Jan. 22 episode of NXT.

A few days later, he entered the Royal Rumble match where he shared the ring with Brock Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate eliminated him, but it was a memorable moment for Lee.

The biggest highlight was yet to come, though, as he ended Adam Cole's record-setting reign as NXT champion on the second night of The Great American Bash in July. In the process, Lee became the first wrestler to hold the North American and NXT titles concurrently.

Here's where things get a little tricky, though. The Limitless One vacated the North American title on July 22 and then unceremoniously lost his other belt to Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver: XXX.

His uneventful 44-day reign was disappointing to say least as Lee was only the second Black man to hold the title in its eight-year history. In the following week, he debuted on Raw and immediately entered a program with Randy Orton.

He upset The Viper at Payback last weekend and was seconds away from earning a shot at the WWE Championship on Monday. Hopefully, this is a sign that WWE has big plans for Lee and ended his stint with NXT to propel him into the main event scene.

Kenny Omega has been a confounding figure on AEW programming for many fans.

Most of them expected The Best Bout Machine to win the inaugural AEW World Championship, but he hasn't been a fixture in the main event since losing to Chis Jericho at Double or Nothing in May 2019.

Instead, he has been a key figure in the company, helping others develop. His feuds with Jon Moxley and PAC raised their profiles in front of a new audience.

Then, he aligned with "Hangman" Adam Page and became the second AEW world tag team champions. Together they have delivered some incredible matches with the company's stacked tag division.

Lately, though, Omega has been showing a familiar mean streak. He took out his frustrations on Marko Stunt after their match at Fight for the Fallen, and he has been growing more aggressive since.

On this week's episode of Being the Elite, fans briefly saw him don the signature sunglasses he wore as the leader of Bullet Club, The Cleaner. The heel stable remains one of the most popular acts from New Japan Pro-Wrestling. His tenure with the group put Omega on the map.

On Wednesday's edition of Dynamite, he left Page hanging—no pun intended—during a staredown with FTR. The challengers for the tag titles didn't beat Hangman down, but it did reopen a rift between the champions heading into All Out.

This could spell the end for the team and the rebirth of The Cleaner.

AEW isn't the only company that reintroduced a noteworthy heel character this year. Randy Orton viciously attacked Edge on the episode of WWE Raw immediately following his shock return at Royal Rumble in January.

In the weeks that followed, Orton revived the "Legend Killer" gimmick that he popularized in 2003 by assaulting Beth Phoenix, Christian, The Big Show, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.

Orton lost to Edge at WrestleMania 36 but defeated and injured him at Backlash. Now, he's on the hunt for his 14th world title win as he attempts to prove he is the greatest of all time.

Drew McIntyre successfully defended the WWE Championship against him at SummerSlam, but Orton punted the Scot on the subsequent edition of Raw and took him off television. Then, he won a Triple Threat match this week to earn a rematch at Clash of Champions on Sept. 27.

The Legend Killer could realistically become the next WWE champion and the major antagonist on Raw for the foreseeable future. That could put him on a collision course with Keith Lee, who recently picked up a win against him at Payback.

FTR vs. The Young Bucks is a dream match that fans have been clamoring for since at least 2017.

Matt and Nick Jackson have teased the prospect of a showdown with the team formerly known as The Revival on Being the Elite for years. In fact, they started #FTR well before the company existed.

In December 2018, Matt Jackson said in a since-deleted tweet: "One day we'll wrestle The Revival and everyone will rejoice. Remember this tweet." FTR later mimicked the post (h/t WrestleTalk).

So, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood were bound to show up on Dynamite after WWE released them in April. On May 27, the duo debuted and came to The Young Bucks' aid. They have been playing up the tension with Matt and Nick Jackson since.

On the Aug. 12 episode of Dynamite, FTR officially turned heel when they attacked The Rock 'n' Roll Express. Their friendship with "Hangman" Adam Page has also splintered The Elite.

Wheeler and Harwood will likely defeat Page and Kenny Omega this weekend to become the new AEW world tag team champions. The matches this feud could produce with the Bucks, who have yet taste tag team gold for the company they started, will be off the charts.

Roman Reigns returned to WWE at SummerSlam on August 23 and took the wrestling world by storm. Even more, he confirmed that he finally turned heel when he aligned himself with Paul Heyman on the following episode of Raw.

The Big Dog was scheduled to challenge Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 in April, but he withdrew from the event because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

At The Biggest Party of the Summer, though, he returned with a vengeance and laid out Braun Strowman and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. This set up a No Disqualifications Triple Threat Match with the two at Payback the following week.

Reigns then regained the title he was forced to vacate in preparation for leukemia treatment in October 2018. The two-time universal champion has to be the biggest threat in WWE, and his star power is just what SmackDown needs right now.

The Big Dog hasn't said much since SummerSlam, but he already has everyone waiting to see what he and Heyman do next. Can anyone step up to dethrone him anytime soon?

When AEW started in January 2019, the company had "Hangman" Adam Page earmarked as a future world champion. It certainly looked like he would deliver on that promise when he won the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing 2019 for a shot at the vacant AEW World Championship.

At All Out in August 2019, he lost to Chris Jericho in the first-ever AEW world title match but hasn't handled the defeat well, spiraling down into an alcohol addiction and alienating his friends.

In the process, Page has become the most compelling character on the roster. On the Aug. 27 episode of Dynamite, The Young Bucks kicked him out of The Elite after he cost them a shot at the tag titles.

The tension between him and his partner, Kenny Omega, is also at an all-time high after The Best Bout Machine left him to fend for himself this week.

Heading into All Out, the site of his greatest failure, Page is at a crossroads. Will he side with FTR against his old friends or try to salvage his partnership with Omega?

This is the biggest storyline heading into the pay-per-view by far and could lead to another singles run for Page. There are so many unpredictable elements around this angle, and it could create the most talked-about moment of the weekend.

What could possibly be a bigger storyline than Roman Reigns' return? It has to be the strained relationship between Sasha Banks and Bayley.

This storyline has been in the making since April, when The Legit Boss helped her friend retain the SmackDown Women's Championship. The visual of Banks standing in the shadows watching Bayley celebrate was one of the lasting images of WrestleMania 36.

Their on-off friendship has been a fixture on WWE programming since at least 2018. Fans have been hoping Bayley and Banks would revisit their feud from NXT ever since The Role Model came to the main roster at Battleground 2016.

The pair momentarily got back on the same page when they won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships and Banks gained the Raw women's title, but they have lost both over the last two weeks.

Surely, WWE will pull the trigger soon, right? It could continue to stretch this out for the remainder of the year, which will aggravate some fans, but this feud could easily headline WrestleMania 37 at this rate.