The pro wrestling 2025 year in review delivers a verdict that transcends company lines: Toni Storm isn’t just the best women’s wrestler in the business—she’s the best wrestler, period. When Wrestling Uncensored hosts Dave Simon and Genesis Johnny North sat down to crown the year’s best, they didn’t hesitate. Match quality, promo work, character development—Storm dominated every category that matters.
“She was the best wrestler in the business this year, for sure,” Dave declared. “Better than Hangman or Punk. If we’re talking about men and women and we’re mixing the categories, overall wrestler of the year, number one in 2025—Toni Storm by a long shot.”
That’s not recency bias or hot-take culture. That’s the assessment after watching every major show from both WWE and AEW throughout 2025. And the reasoning is bulletproof.
Why Toni Storm Dominated the Pro Wrestling 2025 Year in Review
The Timeless One delivered on every front that wrestling demands. Her Revolution match against Mariah May capped off a feud that nearly won Feud of the Year honors despite running only from January to March. Her program with Mercedes Moné delivered. The Statlander matches exceeded expectations. Every promo landed.
“It’s all hits with Toni,” Johnny explained. “And of course, the promo work was like every week. Match quality, promo, character—everything. Perfect.”
Perhaps the most telling endorsement came from Dave’s observation about Storm’s universal appeal: “I don’t know a single person who watches wrestling who doesn’t like Toni Storm. I could find some people who don’t like Gunther, who don’t like Cena, who don’t like this guy—but Toni Storm is universally loved and respected.”
That’s rare in an industry built on divisive opinions. Storm achieved what few wrestlers ever manage: technical credibility from purists, entertainment value from casual fans, and genuine respect from everyone in between.
The Complete 2025 Wrestling Awards
Overall Awards
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Wrestler of the Year | Toni Storm |
| Match of the Year | Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher (Steel Cage, AEW Revolution) |
| Feud of the Year | Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page |
| PPV/PLE of the Year | AEW Revolution 2025 |
WWE Awards
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Male Wrestler of the Year | CM Punk |
| Female Wrestler of the Year | Tiffany Stratton |
| Tag Team of the Year | New Day |
| Match of the Year | Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens (Ladder Match, Royal Rumble) |
| Feud of the Year | John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes |
| PLE of the Year | Elimination Chamber |
AEW Awards
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Male Wrestler of the Year | Hangman Adam Page |
| Female Wrestler of the Year | Toni Storm |
| Tag Team of the Year | Hurt Syndicate / FTR (split decision) |
| Match of the Year | Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher (Steel Cage) |
| Feud of the Year | Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page |
| PPV of the Year | Revolution |
CM Punk: WWE’s Main Character
The pro wrestling 2025 year in review crowned CM Punk as WWE’s male wrestler of the year, and the reasoning goes beyond match quality. Punk became WWE’s main character—the guy who elevated every segment he touched.
“Everything seemed more fun when Punk showed up,” Dave noted. “Everything picked up when he was around and the matches delivered.”
The comparison to wrestling legends wasn’t lost on Simon: “The more I see Punk, the more it’s like late-stage Roddy Piper. He comes out there, he has a mic, and it’s just fun because you never know what might happen. You’re really focused on what he’s saying because he’s just the best promo in the business.”
Punk’s 2025 resume speaks for itself: the Netflix debut main event against Seth Rollins, the Elimination Chamber showdown with Cena, where they were the final two, the WrestleMania three-way, the SummerSlam match with Gunther, and multiple World Heavyweight Championship reigns. He was WWE’s most consistent performer in a year that desperately needed consistency.
Hangman Adam Page: AEW’s Comeback Story
If 2024 was Hangman’s lost year, 2025 was his redemption arc. The AEW male wrestler of the year designation came with an additional honor—AEW Comeback of the Year.
“He wasn’t in AEW this year without question—that was his comeback, really,” Johnny explained. “From what he came from before to now, this is huge for him.”
The Moxley feud elevated Hangman from upper-midcard purgatory back to legitimate main event status. That program ran for over a year and defined AEW’s 2025 storytelling. When the hosts debated the overall wrestler of the year, Hangman earned serious consideration before Toni Storm’s all-around dominance became undeniable.
“He really became one of the main guys, one of the top main eventers in the company,” Dave observed. “And it doesn’t seem like that’s changing for a while. He’s there, and he’s not going anywhere.”
Match of the Year: Ospreay vs. Fletcher Delivered Violence and Artistry
The Steel Cage match between Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher at AEW Revolution wasn’t just Match of the Year—it was a generational performance that both hosts called “goddamn incredible.”
“That’s also my match of the year, too,” Dave confirmed. “It was the best match I saw this year.”
Johnny’s runner-up picks tell the story of Ospreay’s 2025 dominance: Ospreay vs. Hangman and the All Out finals both ranked among the year’s best. Had Ospreay not suffered a neck injury that sidelined him for months, wrestler of the year discussions would have been different.
“If Ospreay doesn’t get hurt, he’s wrestler of the year,” Dave stated flatly. “He’s probably the champ right now.”
WWE’s PLE Problem and AEW’s Consistent Quality
The 2025 pro wrestling year-in-review revealed an interesting dynamic: WWE struggled to produce a standout premium live event, while AEW delivered consistent quality despite running shows that were universally too long.
“WWE, very difficult,” Johnny admitted when selecting PLE of the Year. “I felt they had an okay one. Elimination Chamber was satisfactory.”
That’s damning with faint praise. Elimination Chamber earned the nod primarily because of The Rock’s heel turn and the Sami Zayn-Kevin Owens storyline—moments rather than the overall show quality.
AEW’s Revolution, by contrast, featured the Ospreay-Fletcher cage match, Moxley over Edge and Christian, Kenny Omega over Konosuke Takeshita, Toni Storm beating Mariah May, and Hangman over MJF. That’s a stacked card that earned genuine praise.
“They were all too long,” Dave said of AEW’s 2025 pay-per-views. “Every single one of them. They didn’t do a single show where I was like, ‘That was good for the time.’ Not once.”
But too long with quality content beats adequate at any length.
The Tag Team Landscape Remains Murky
Perhaps no category generated more debate than tag team of the year. WWE’s division was so inconsistent that New Day won primarily based on longevity and entertainment value rather than dominant booking.
“They’re just the most entertaining team,” Dave argued. “They do promos. They have great matches. They’re always on Raw, and they’re always a highlight of the show.”
Johnny pushed back, citing the Street Profits’ TLC match on SmackDown and their SummerSlam performance as higher-quality in-ring work. The disagreement highlighted WWE’s failure to build a coherent tag division.
AEW fared slightly better, with the Hurt Syndicate (Johnny’s pick) earning recognition for changing the landscape of the division, while FTR (Dave’s choice) delivered reliable quality throughout the year.
Moxley’s World’s End Redemption
The episode opened with a discussion of AEW World’s End, where Jon Moxley emerged as the unexpected MVP despite a world title run that had frustrated fans.
“Moxley blew me away at World’s End,” Dave admitted. “He was the MVP of the show, and I was not expecting him to be. I was really impressed with John Moxley—and I’m not a huge Moxley guy.”
Moxley worked two matches that night: the Fletcher match, which showcased his brutality, and the Okada match, in which he captured the Continental Championship. His performance was so dominant that Johnny noted the remarkable heel-to-face turn that happened through sheer in-ring excellence.
“In one night, he pretty much went from one of the top heels in the company to one of the top babyfaces in the company just on his performance alone.”
The Ospreay Factor: What Could Have Been
Throughout the 2025 pro wrestling year-in-review, one name kept surfacing in hypotheticals: Will Ospreay. The neck injury that sidelined him robbed fans of what could have been wrestling’s most dominant year.
“He’s so good. I can’t wait till he comes back,” Dave said, the frustration evident.
Ospreay’s 2025 was truncated but remarkable. The Revolution cage match remains the year’s best. His program with Hangman delivered at the highest level. Before injury struck, he was on pace to be the consensus best wrestler in the world.
The expectation was a World’s End return that never materialized. When he does return, he’ll step back into a main event scene that held his place.
Looking Ahead: What 2025 Tells Us About 2026
The year’s awards reveal the state of both major promotions heading into the new year. WWE continues to rely on legacy stars and returning veterans—Punk, Cena, The Rock—to drive its biggest moments. That’s unsustainable, and the hosts noted how the Cena storyline hurt WrestleMania and overshadowed organic talent development.
AEW’s strength lies in its ability to create new stars through long-term storytelling. The Moxley-Hangman feud, the Toni Storm character work, and the emergence of Kyle Fletcher as a legitimate main-eventer all came from patient booking rather than nostalgia-driven pops.
“We’re entering our 20th year, 2026,” Dave noted of Ringside Report. “Which is kind of nuts.”
Two decades of covering combat sports provide perspective. And the perspective on 2025 is clear: Toni Storm was the best, AEW produced better in-ring content, WWE relied too heavily on part-timers, and Will Ospreay’s injury was the year’s biggest what-if.
The 2025 pro wrestling year-in-review is complete. Now let’s see what 2026 delivers.
Watch the full Wrestling Uncensored 2025 Year in Review episode on the Ringside Report Network. New episodes every Friday at 10 PM ET.
