Scopely is a developer that has released titles based on some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Wheel of Fortune and The Walking Dead. And that also includes WWE, as the company recently released a new version of its iconic match-3 game based on the worldwide leader in sports entertainment — WWE Champions 2020.
Going beyond traditional match-3 mechanics, this game allows you to collect a roster of Superstars across different eras in the company’s history, as well as several action RPG-inspired features and game elements. It’s also got a number of features that weren’t available in the original title, including, but not limited to the addition of women’s wrestlers and the all-new league system.
In this WWE Champions 2020 tier list, we’re going to be looking at 14 wrestlers that we believe are the best characters in the game — per class, that’s one rare or hard-to-obtain wrestler and one wrestler that is easier to obtain, but not necessarily common enough to be found in most Silver League loots. As the game only features a few women as compared to the male wrestlers, the Women section will include our top two choices (one super-rare, one not so rare) regardless of class.
We’re also going to discuss the recommended move sets for each wrestler, as well as their style and era, and in most cases, these wrestlers are available in the loots for the current month. (Otherwise, they would have been available in the loot promos that were live toward the end of June.) Read on if you’re looking to find out which characters are potentially most effective in the game, regardless of the mode you’re playing!
STRIKERS
Mr. T
Style: Chaotic
Era: Legend
Recommended Move Set: Leg Drop (Black, 10), Atomic Drop (Red, 7), Arm Drag (Red, 7)
Yes, we’re starting out with the 1980s actor of A-Team fame, who was one of the first major non-wrestling celebrities to compete in a WWE match. With that in mind, he was available in a June loot promo, and if you happened to recruit him, he’s among the top Strikers you could add to your roster. We recommend equipping the Atomic Drop (the second red move), as this allows you to choose a 3 x 2 area or larger (depending on star rating) to swap into black gems, thus helping you charge up the Leg Drop finisher.
After using the Atomic Drop, use the Arm Drag to choose two gems to convert into Power Gems of Strength — you’ll want to choose red gems in order to recharge your red moves as the match progresses. Any Power Gems that may remain on the board at the time you use the Leg Drop finisher will be destroyed, thus adding significantly to the default damage. At the moment, he is not available via loot, though as is the case in this game, there’s always a chance he’ll be re-added eventually.
Baron Corbin “Lone Wolf”
Style: Aggressive
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Stun Gun (Green, 6), Sidewalk Slam (Green, 6), Clothesline (Black, 5)
He may not be the most popular Superstar for many fans, but as far as WWE Champions 2020 is concerned, Corbin is one of the better Strikers out there who are (relatively) easy to unlock, thanks to his inclusion in the July Jubilee Kick-Off Loot. While the recommended moves we mentioned do not include a finisher, the good thing here is that they only require a few gems to charge and can potentially do a lot of damage, with the green moves either creating or destroying Multiply Gems of Strength, and the black move increasing the strength of existing Multiply Gems.
You can also stick with the default move set, which includes the End of Days finisher (13 black gems to charge) and the Deep Six (6 red gems to charge, makes 4 random gems into green gems), though the End of Days’ high move charge could potentially be a problem.
ACROBATS
Andrade Almas “El Idolo”
Style: Aggressive
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Double Moonsault (Blue, 10), Missile Dropkick (Black, 6), Rope Elevated DDT (Black, 2)
Now known by just one name on WWE television, Andrade still goes by his full ring name in WWE Champions 2020, and his poster is one of the featured prizes in the July Jubilee Kick-Off Loot promo. That makes him rather difficult to acquire, but as you’ll find out from the recommended move set, his Double Moonsault finisher and Missile Dropkick (first black move) effectively help each other out when it comes to charging.
Using the Missile Dropkick allows you to choose an area to swap into blue gems, while landing the Double Moonsault lets you swap a specific area into black gems. When talking about third moves, the Rope Elevated DDT (the second black move) allows you to convert a specific area into Multiply Gems of Strength, thus increasing your potential for damage and serving as a good complement to the first two moves we discussed. Given how recycling the board could be the key to victory, primarily using those first two moves in conjunction with each other is highly recommended.
Jeff Hardy “The Hardy Boyz”
Style: Focused
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Swanton Bomb (Blue, 10), Midsection Double Leg Drop (Green, 7), Diving Leg Drop (Green, 8)
He becomes available in the loot once you reach Silver League 4, and once you get promoted to Silver League 5, you can get a two-star Bronze poster of him. Consider yourself very fortunate if you have a three-star Jeff Hardy (even at Bronze rarity) like we do, because among the more common wrestlers in the game, he’s one of the best to use out there, regardless of which mode you’re playing. Our suggested move set includes his Swanton Bomb finisher, as well as two green moves that don’t require much charging up.
You may still need to have the right type of board in front of you, but if there are more than enough blue and green gems to match, then go for it. Using the Twist of Fate (7 yellow gems to charge) as your third move — thus sticking to the default configuration — is also okay, but the Diving Leg Drop is a better choice for us as it deals more damage and allows you to actually choose some blue gems to destroy.
TECHNICIANS
Kofi Kingston “Against All Odds”
Style: Focused
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Trouble in Paradise (Green, 10), Boom Drop (Blue, 7), Russian Leg Sweep (Blue, 3)
You may know him for his unbelievable feats to avoid elimination at the Royal Rumble and for his fast-paced, high-flying moves, but this particular version of Kofi Kingston is a Technician, and he’s one of the better ones you can unlock — currently, he’s available via July Jubilee Contest Essentials, but at four bronze stars, you’ll have to be quite lucky to get him.
For our suggested move set, we recommend activating the Russian Leg Sweep once you can — it’s a low-damage, quick-charge move, but it increases green gem damage by 125 percent for four turns, and the damage keeps on stacking the more you use it.
At some point in the match, you can use the Boom Drop to destroy four green gems of your choice, and once loaded up, the Trouble in Paradise allows you to choose a specific area on the board to destroy, thus making it great for recycling — if you’re not able to get the win right away. The Leaping Elbow Drop can also be activated for defensive purposes against Technicians or opponents with green moves, as it steals up to two MP from an opponent’s green moves.
Jey Uso “The Usos”
Style: Chaotic
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Samoan Splash (Green, 10), Northern Lights Suplex (Purple, 6), Samoan Drop (Green, 6)
Another tag team specialist who has posters available via the July Jubilee Kick-Off Loot, Jey Uso is also more of a high-flyer than a technical wrestler in the real WWE, but for the purposes of this game, he qualifies as a Technician — and a good option that you can pick up along the way while progressing from league to league.
We’re not fans of his default move set — the Superkick only requires two yellow gems to charge, but it’s an extremely low-damage move and its primary effects only come in handy when you’re competing in tag team matches. Regardless of match type, it’s best to swap the Superkick for the Samoan Drop, which takes six green gems to charge and destroys two random purple gems once executed.
The Northern Lights Suplex allows you to set up three Countdown Gems that destroy random 3 x 1 areas after three turns once placed, and the Samoan Splash, which serves as his finisher, deals bonus damage for each Countdown Gem that has not yet detonated at the time the move is utilized. All told, he won’t do as much damage as other Technicians with those moves, but he helps recycle the board quickly and, as we said above, is a plausible roster addition at the time of writing.
TRICKSTERS
Edge “The Rated-R Superstar”
Style: Aggressive
Era: Ruthless Aggression
Recommended Move Set: Spear (Purple, 10), Edgecator (Black, 7), Downward Spiral (Black, 8)
As one of the wrestlers available in Dynamic 9 (D9) Ultimate Loot, it won’t be easy (or cheap, in most cases) to get this year’s big comeback story in his classic Ruthless Aggression form, but if you get a D9 Loot Coin and draw him, you’ve got yourself a No. 1 Trickster whose finisher doesn’t require too many moves to charge, as well as some healing abilities through his first black move, the Edgecator, which creates a ton of random Submission Gems, which could then transform into Leech Gems of Strength.
Activate the Downward Spiral — Edge’s second black move — and use it in order to transform at least eight Leech Gems (depending on the number of stars) into purple ones.
Once you’ve gotten enough purple gems, you can then hit the Spear on your opponent and choose four gems to destroy for additional damage. It won’t be as much damage as your average finisher, but it should do the job in most cases, especially if you choose the right gems to destroy and create some combo damage.
George Steele “The Animal”
Style: Aggressive
Era: Legend
Recommended Move Set: Jumping Splash (Purple, 12), Bodyslam (Black, 8), Shoulderbreaker (Green, 6)
We got The Animal as part of one of the occasional gifts Scopely gives out to make up for server issues and other difficulties (via the Masters of the Universe loot promo ongoing at the time), so if that’s also how you acquired him, don’t job him out — if we may use an industry term.
Steele’s in-game version doesn’t have a flashy move set, but his first green skill, the Shoulderbreaker, is always nice to have equipped as it allows you to steal some Health from an opponent. (Naturally, this becomes less useful once an opponent is close to getting knocked out, but it’s great to use in the early goings.)
The Jumping Splash finisher deals out bonus damage based on how many purple gems are on the board at the time of use, so that’s also quite nice to have. And while this has nothing to do with his effectiveness as a Trickster, we shouldn’t leave out the fact that Steele’s post-victory animation shows him chewing on the turnbuckles, just like his late real-life equivalent did back in the day.
POWERHOUSES
Vader “The Mastodon”
Style: Focused
Era: New Generation
Recommended Move Set: Vadersault (Red, 14), Chokeslam (Green, 12), Short-Arm Clothesline (Green, 9)
Should you be able to finish the Dynamic 9 contest and get an Ultimate Loot Coin, you can get a guaranteed five-star poster, and while there are three available Powerhouses that you could get with one of these coins, Vader is arguably the most effective and practical of them all.
Like your average Powerhouse, charging up those moves could be tedious, but equipping both green moves could make this process easier. The Short-Arm Clothesline allows you to choose some gems to destroy, while the Chokeslam lets you choose five gems to transform into red gems — if you see a lot of green matches, this could be an easy way to pick up the win.
Once you’ve got enough red gems, you can use the Vadersault finisher, which allows you to choose at least a 2 x 6 area to destroy for a great deal of extra damage on top of the already explosive default damage.
Roman Reigns “Juggernaut”
Style: Aggressive
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Moment of Silence (Red, 15), Samoan Drop (Red, 10), Leaping Clothesline (Black, 9)
As one of the first few male wrestlers unlocked, Reigns may require a bit of patience if you’re using him as your designated Powerhouse early on. His moves, while explosive and capable of dealing a ton of damage, take extremely long to charge up, and if the board’s not on your side, that could have you counting the lights and taking the pin if your opponent’s strong enough.
However, getting Reigns to three stars will allow you to equip his second black move, the Leaping Clothesline, which helps you get those red gems out of the way by destroying three of them at random.
Using the Samoan Drop (the second red move) allows you to choose which two gems to convert into Blast Gems (unlike the default black move, Corner Clotheslines, which turns two random red gems into Blast Gems), while the Moment of Silence destroys one random Blast Gem on top of all the default damage it deals out — just make sure you’re guaranteed to knock out your opponent once you use it!
SHOWBOATS
Jim Duggan “Hacksaw”
Style: Aggressive
Era: Legends
Recommended Move Set: 3-Point Stance Clothesline (Yellow, 11), Old Glory (Red, 7), Atomic Drop (Green, 5)
Assuming you’ve leagued up far enough, the D9 contest we mentioned above is your best shot of getting a five-star bronze Superstar right off the bat. However, the Showboat class is rather under-represented, with only one wrestler in that class among the available rewards. While Duggan’s move set might not be as exciting as that of your average
Showboat, each of his default moves work in concert with each other to effectively take out opponents as long as you use them right. Ideally, you’ll want to start out by using the Atomic Drop to choose nine gems to transform into Reinforce Gems — these are gems that deal extra damage and charge moves but don’t actually affect the Pin Meter.
Use the Old Glory to turn four random gems into yellow gems, and once you’re able to make enough yellow matches, you can use the 3-Point Stance Clothesline to finish off your opponent — depending on how many Reinforce Gems are still on the board at the time you use it, you could deal out a solid amount of bonus damage!
The Rock “People’s Champ”
Style: Defensive
Era: PG
Recommended Move Set: People’s Elbow (Yellow, 12), Rock Bottom (Blue, 9), People’s Punches (Blue, 8)
Truly, there’s no one more tried-and-tested in the world of WWE Champions than the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment (or Hollywood). But The Rock’s PG Era version, who, as you know, is the first Superstar unlocked in the game, is also as reliable as they get as far as the easier-to-obtain Showboats are concerned.
He’s great when it comes to recycling the board, as charging up the Rock Bottom with nine blue gems allows you to choose two yellow gems to place on the board — that’s a great way to string together a combo while charging up his People’s Elbow finisher.
As for the People’s Punches, which we suggest equipping once you get The Rock to three stars, these increase yellow gem damage by 30 percent for two turns, which can really be helpful if you’re trying to charge up the finisher. The People’s Elbow does have its drawbacks in the form of low default damage, but if you’re fortunate enough, you could unleash some additional combo damage after that square full of gems (3 x 3 or 4 x 4, depending on how many stars) gets destroyed.
WOMEN
Ronda Rousey “Rowdy”
Class/Style: Striker/Focused
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Armbar (Black, 10), Regalplex (Green, 8), Samoan Drop (Yellow, 7)
As female wrestlers were only recently included in the WWE Champions database, it won’t be easy to recruit them to your roster. As such, there is only one woman in the list of available posters for the D9 contest, and that’s the UFC Hall of Famer turned (former) Raw Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey.
Looking at the recommended move set, it’s clear that you don’t have any choice here when it comes to the gems that can be changed into another color or to another type, but it’s fairly easy to use the secondary moves (Regalplex and Samoan Drop) to charge up the finisher — the former changes four random gems of any color into black ones, while the latter destroys three random black gems.
The good thing about the Armbar finisher is that you can place up to four Submission Gems on the board for a maximum of three turns, and if there are any gems remaining, they can be transformed into X Break Gems — these are particularly rare, yet powerful gems that could destroy the two diagonal lines where they are located!
Stephanie McMahon “Best for Business”
Class/Style: Trickster/Chaotic
Era: Modern
Recommended Move Set: Chokehold (Purple, 10), DDT (Blue, 8), Pedigree (Yellow, 6)
And yet again, we’ve got another default character standing out as one of the better choices among the easily obtainable Superstars in WWE Champions 2020. Yes, we know she wrestles very occasionally in the actual WWE and is far better known for her heel promos as an authority figure, but as far as the game goes, Stephanie McMahon can actually get you quite far in the early Women’s Evolution tours, as well as mixed tag team matches.
The default move set works quite well, even once you get her up to three stars — the Pedigree is very easy to charge and can help you load up on those purple gems, the DDT creates Silence Gems, which prevent opponents from charging their moves once those gems are among their matches, and the Chokehold finishes opponents off quite effectively — as you increase her star level, you can place more Submission Gems and do damage for more turns.
As it seems comparatively harder to unlock women’s wrestlers in the game, having the Billion Dollar Princess as your roster’s top female is definitely not as bad as it sounds.