Wrestling Inc.'s Best Of 2025 Awards

It's that time again! With the holidays here and 2025 drawing rapidly to a close, wrestling fans everywhere are reflecting on the year that was, and Wrestling Inc. is no exception! The last 12 months haven't been quite as chaotic as the years that immediately preceded it in the wrestling industry, as WWE and AEW both seem to have settled into a version of themselves they intend to maintain. That doesn't mean there weren't shake-ups though — WWE purchased Lucha Libre AAA and started a working relationship with TNA Wrestling, as well as signing a new deal with ESPN and announcing both Royal Rumble and WrestleMania PLEs for Saudi Arabia. The year also saw the passing of the legendary Hulk Hogan under what appear to be somewhat mysterious circumstances. In the ring, WWE was defined in large part by John Cena's year-long (and arguably only somewhat effective) retirement tour, while AEW handed their world title back to "Hangman" Adam Page before almost immediately transitioning it to Samoa Joe and passing it on to a returning MJF mere days before year's end.

But that's only half the story, and as it turns out, it was the lesser half. Wrestling Inc.'s yearly awards don't discriminate by gender, and if you read our early awards check-in column, you know that back in September, 2025 was shaping up to be an all-timer year for women's wrestling. That turned out to indeed be the case, as for the first time ever, our awards were absolutely dominated by women. Also for the first time ever, it was dominated by AEW, who started the year by wrapping up the iconic "All About Mariah" storyline with the acclaimed "Hollywood Ending" match and finished it by finally introducing the AEW Women's Tag Team Championship. Not to be denied, WWE supplied both incredible matches and incredible promos from its stacked women's division, from Stephanie Vaquer to AJ Lee to Naomi to IYO SKY. Women's wrestling was definitively the best thing in wrestling in 2025, and our awards ultimately reflected that truth.

Just like last year, we asked the WINC staff to fill out their top three choices in 16 different categories, the results of which were tabulated in a ranked choice vote (all genders were considered for each category). We feel these results are an accurate reflection of the last 12 months, and we hope you agree — or, if you don't, give us your own selections in the comments. For now, Wrestling Inc. is proud to present our Best of 2025 Awards!

Whether he's at ringside with a screwdriver in hand, at the commentary desk, or recruiting a new member to his family, nobody can deny that Don Callis has been on fire this 2025. This smack-talking, manipulative, optimizing villainous stable leader has wormed his way into our hearts this past year, and so it is with great honor that we at Wrestling Inc. bestow upon him the title of Non-Wrestler of the Year.

Over the past year, Callis has been able to wrangle in quite a fair amount of A- and S-tier talent to his stable. While names like Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher have been with Callis prior to 2025, nobody can deny Callis' influence in Takeshita's capture of IWGP gold and Fletcher's inaugural AEW title. Callis must be commended for his recent acquisitions as well, with Hechicero, Josh Alexander, the briefly-present Andrade El Idolo, and the current AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada joining Callis' stable this year. The Don Callis Family has come to run AEW, and it is all, of course, thanks to Callis' scheming, persuasion, and overall leadership.

What is the Don Callis Family if not an extension of Callis himself? Their success is his success, and the stable leader has been appearing more and more often on AEW programming. It's as if not an episode of "AEW Dynamite" or "AEW Collision" goes by without Callis appearing at ringside, or on the commentary booth. He remains a staple of every AEW broadcast, and if he keeps it up, he may stage a hostile takeover of Tony Khan's promotion by 2026.

There have been many skilled non-wrestlers on our screens this year, but Don Callis, through both himself and his family, have captivated us. Do you think he'll invite us to a Don Callis Family dinner after this?

Written by Angeline Phu

Runner-up: Adam Pearce

Others receiving first-place votes: Paul Heyman, Prince Nana, Stokely Hathaway, Nick Aldis, Bryan Danielson, Ian Riccaboni, Camera Man Stu, Triple H

There have been plenty of stars within many companies who could be considered Breakout Star of the Year for 2025, but we don't think anyone has had a better year than current Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer. While it may feel like "La Primera" has dominated the main roster scene on "WWE Raw" for quite awhile now, she actually started the year still in "WWE NXT."

Vaquer became the first, and currently only, star to hold the NXT Women's North American Championship and the NXT Women's title at the same time. "The Dark Angel" captured her first gold at Vengeance Day in February, and became the holder of "NXT's" top women's title when she defeated Giulia at Roadblock the following month. She was called up to the main roster on the "Raw" after WrestleMania, before shockingly losing her NXT Women's Championship to Jacy Jayne.

From there, "La Primera" would continue her amazing year by winning the battle royal at Evolution II to eventually capture the Women's World Championship at Wrestlepalooza, in a stunning victory over IYO SKY. She also won the Crown Jewel Women's Championship in October, handing then-WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton her first loss of the year. Vaquer is perpetually over with fans, with her Devil's Kiss move becoming meme-worthy thanks to the help of "NXT" commentator Booker T, and most recently, she's been working with a WWE Hall of Famer in Nikki Bella.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Runner-up: Kevin Knight

Others receiving first-round votes: Kendal Grey, Mike Santana, Jacy Jayne, Oba Femi, Je'Von Evans, Sol Ruca, Dominik Mysterio

When the first few notes of "Me Muero" hit prior to Mistico's entrance at "AEW Grand Slam: Mexico City" this past June, my immediate thought wasn't "this is going to be the greatest entrance I've ever seen in my life." Mostly it was just happiness, and relief, that AEW had bothered to make an effort to get the right song for his entrance. Though he was originally associated with the song "Ameno" earlier in his career, "Me Muero," a 2006 romantic ballad by Latin pop band La Quinta Estación, had become attached to the luchador after he appeared in the music video for the song. The fact that AEW decided to use it as opposed to his new, generic CMLL theme, which would've been the far easier course, was, if nothing else, a sign that they "got it" when it came to treating Mistico, and CMLL in general, with respect.

Of course, neither they, I, CMLL, or even Mistico for that matter could've predicted that the moment would be bigger than what most reasonable folk would've expected; a cool nod to Mistico's history. What it turned into instead was 13,000 to 14,000 fans in lucha libre's cathedral singing along to Natalia Jiménez' vocals as Mistico took his sweet time to the ring, playing to the crowd, holding up a Mexican flag, and milking every last drop out of those couple of minutes. Watching it again now, as a long-time lucha fan (or sideshow fan if you subscribe to WWE's thinking), it may be the happiest moment I've ever had as a wrestling fan. Here was the biggest star in lucha libre, the style of wrestling I love the most, making THE entrance in his arena, and his home country, in front of a US audience finding out just how big a deal he and this style were. It can't get bigger than that, can it?

Actually it can, because as happy as I was, I can only imagine how Mistico felt. It's no coincidence that when Mistico first came out, he was clad in a blue and gold Sin Cara mask, which he quickly shed for his trademark Mistico look. We all know the story of how Mistico jumped from CMLL to WWE in 2011, seemingly destined to take his superstardom from Mexico to WWE, only for it to fail in such fashion that, for a while, some people wondered if Mistico had ever been that good at all. As such, this entrance wasn't just an entrance. It was the culmination of a decade long journey from the WWE run, the failed one year in AAA, and those first few years back in CMLL as Caristico, all the way back to being Mistico, the king of lucha libre, the performer he was always meant to be. That it kicked off everything that happened with MJF later in the year is just a bonus.

Written by Eric Mutter

Runner-up: John Cena (WWE SummerSlam)

Others receiving first-place votes: Naomi (WWE WrestleMania 41), CM Punk (WWE WrestleMania 41), Swerve Strickland (AEW Double or Nothing), Mercedes Mone (CMLL Viernes Espectacular), Brock Lesnar (WWE Raw 11/24/25), John Cena (Saturday Night's Main Event 12/13/25)

A finisher is arguably the most important part of a wrestler's moveset. It's the exclamation point. It's the final "sayonara" before a wrestler dispatches their opponent, and claims another victory on their ledger. It's the last thing the audience sees. It's a wrestler's last chance to make an impact.

It's imperative for every wrestler to have an electrifying, crowd-rousing finisher, but in a world of Spears, Figure-Four Leglocks, and running strikes, there is one finisher that stood out the most in 2025. In WrestlingInc.'s opinion, AEW's "Hangman" Adam Page stood out in 2025 with his old reliable: the Buckshot Lariat.

The move is just as explosive as its name suggests. Like a bullet, Page uses the ropes to launch himself into the ring, and when Page lands on his feet, the leftover momentum of his strong launch carries him through to lay out his opponent with his inner elbow. From there, the pin cover is easy, and the Buckshot Lariat has allowed for Page to secure several one, two, three counts in 2025.

Page has employed the Buckshot Lariat multiple times, but there has never been a Buckshot Lariat more devastating than the one he landed on Jon Moxley during a Texas Death Math for the AEW World Championship at All In 2025. Texas had their hearts in their throats as Page laid Moxley out with his finisher towards the end of the match, but where Moxley's mat would typically find the mat, he instead landed directly into a bed of spikes. While that move did not end the contest, it certainly helped tip the scales to Page's favor, and AEW's resident cowboy walked out with gold around his waist for it.

There are plenty of fantastic finishers in wrestling. This year, though, Page struck gold with his Buckshot Lariat.

Written by Angeline Phu

Runner-up: Bron Breakker's Spear

Others receiving first-round votes: Kenny Omega's One-Winged Angel, Athena's O-Face, Sol Ruca's Sol Snatcher, Will Ospreay's Hidden Blade, IYO SKY's Over The Moonsault, Mistico's La Mistica, Samoa Joe and GUNTHER's Rear Naked Choke

There was a point in 2025 where if you looked at your own family tree for long enough, you would find out that you are also a member of The Don Callis Family. By far the largest faction in AEW, "The Invisible Hand" has put together a murderers' row of performers who have been chosen as the Wrestling Inc. Faction of the Year for 2025.

The Don Callis Family have been an integral part of AEW's success this year as the faction has been a consistent and reliable presence on-screen. The injury to Brian Cage meant that he and Lance Archer couldn't dominate the tag team division as the Murder Machines as long as they wanted to, but when you can fall back on Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher as a tag team, it's not really the end of the world, especially when those two men have broken out as future main event stars in their own right this year.

New additions like Mark Davis, Josh Alexander, and Hechicero have given even more stability to the AEW midcard, and when a company has a good midcard, the company benefits in the long run. Everyone in the family can be trusted to have a good match, whether that be in singles action, tag team competition, or a variety of All-Star matches which combined the PWG party tags with the big multi-man matches that dominate the New Japan Pro Wrestling "Road To" cards, giving the weekly product something that everyone knows will be entertaining, regardless of what members Callis decides to put together.

Then there was the addition of Kazuchika Okada, which in turn led to one of the strongest stories of the last third of AEW's year as Okada and Takeshita are constantly at each other's throats. The eventual blow-off match will be huge when it happens, and the eventual babyface run for Takeshita will have far more weight to it after years of being under Callis' wing. Had Wardlow not gotten injured and Andrade El Idolo's contract situation been a bit more transparent, we could have seen even more of the biggest stars in AEW fall to those being paid a healthy amount by the man with the worst Spanish in AEW (those Hechicero introductions are funny though). Overall, a faction that started off as a bit scattershot in 2023 has evolved into one of the most dominant groups in all of wrestling, and a deserved winner of our Faction of the Year award.

Written by Sam Palmer

Runner-up: The Death Riders

Others receiving first-round votes: The Opps, The Judgment Day, The Vision

There are plenty of strong tag teams and trios across the board, both in the men's and women's divisions of both top companies in WWE and AEW, but there was one team that stood above the rest for us here at WINC, for quite a few reasons. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, lovingly known to fans as "CharLexa," are our best tag team of 2025.

Bliss made her return to WWE after a two-year hiatus at the Royal Rumble. Flair also triumphantly returned at the event after suffering a devastating knee injury in December 2023 that put her on the shelf. Separately, the women were already having a great year by just getting back in the ring, but together, they proved themselves even further. 

Flair's character underwent total rehabilitation upon her partnership with Bliss. Following her WWE Women's Championship loss to Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania 41, Flair was floundering. Fans were just not into her "Top Girl" act any longer and they were making it known. Bliss, who was also not really doing anything at the time, tried to become friends with Flair, and the pair eventually established a tag team, despite "The Queen" being adamant that they were not friends. 

That all changed, however, when they defeated Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez at SummerSlam to become Women's Tag Team Champions. They held the belts for 100 days before dropping them to the Kabuki Warriors, but their friendship, and team, are still going strong to take "CharLexa" into a new year.

The runner-up for Tag Team or Trio of 2025 went to The Young Bucks. Despite Matt and Nick Jackson being broke throughout the majority of the year, the storyline was an excellent part of AEW television throughout the year, and it even led to the reunion of The Elite.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Runner-up: The Young Bucks

Others receiving first-round votes: Brodido, JetSpeed, RhIYO, The Hardys, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez

Consistency is key when it comes to wrestling, and there isn't a more consistent weekly wrestling show than "AEW Dynamite" which takes home our award for TV Show of the Year for the fourth year running.

2025 was a historic year for AEW as the company began simulcasting on HBO MAX as part of their new media rights deal with Warner Brothers Discovery, meaning that "Dynamite" and "AEW Collision" were available to a brand new audience who might not have tuned in on TBS and TNT respectively. For "Dynamite," the show took a different approach compared to recent years as the move to smaller venues gave each show a more unique and intimate feel that you could feel through the screen. Some episodes felt like they were taking place in front of crowds ten times the size to what were actually in the building due to how rabid and excited the fans were, and for good reason. 

"Dynamite" once again produced a plethora of matches that are worthy being in the conversation for match of the year, but it was the special episodes that really sealed the deal for AEW this year. The Spring BreakThru episode in April wasn't just stacked with great wrestling from top to bottom, but it was a night of celebration for the company as "Dynamite" did the unthinkable and surpassed "WCW Monday Nitro" for number of episodes. The Grand Slam Mexico episode in June saw AEW's first show south of the border in the iconic Arena Mexico to critical acclaim. The 300th episode and the Sixth Anniversary show in July and October respectively were two landmark moments that were celebrated accordingly, and the Blood and Guts episode in November, which included the first-ever women's Blood and Guts match, might be the best top-to-bottom episode of any wrestling TV show of the past few years.

There was a lot to rave about when it comes to AEW in 2025. From the ballrooms in Chicago and New York, to arenas in Glasgow and Manchester, to iconic venues in Philadelphia and Mexico City, AEW has prided itself on being "where the best wrestle," so it's only right that they had the best TV show to ply their trade. It will be a tall order for "Dynamite" to win this award for a fifth consecutive year in 2026, but given how the Continental Classic has been in recent weeks, AEW are setting the bar high for their flagship show in the new year.

Written by Sam Palmer

Runner-up: WWE Raw

Others receiving first-round votes: WWE SmackDown, WWE NXT, AEW Collision, WWE Main Event

WWE WrestleMania's three-year streak as Event of the Year has come to an end as WWE Evolution 2 sits atop the throne in the category for the 2025 WINC awards. If we're being honest, though, WWE Evolution is pretty much like WrestleMania ... just for women's wrestling fans. And based on the voting results, it's clear that the majority of WINC staff are indeed women's wrestling fans.

WWE Evolution 2 didn't seem to be primed for success at first, especially as its announcement came out of nowhere following years of excuses for its absence on WWE's end. Furthermore, the event itself took place right next to an already sold-out Beyoncé concert, with a lack of match build-up not doing it any favors either. Much to our pleasant surprise, though, none of that mattered when the opening bell arrived.

Across seven matches, the women of WWE wowed us and millions of other viewers with their compelling storytelling, exciting in-ring action, and of course, an ending that left many of us stunned. The opening WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship between Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, and Becky Lynch set the tone with its mix of false finishes, hard-hitting and technical wrestling, and unpredictable triple-threat dynamic — all of which resulted in "This is awesome" chants from the Atlanta audience. The audience was then treated to a glimpse of WWE's future as Jacy Jayne successfully defended her NXT Women's Championship, thanks to Blake Monroe's storyline betrayal on Jordynne Grace. With it, Monroe (formerly known to wrestling fans as Mariah May) also cemented herself as a top heel on the "WWE NXT" brand.

A four-way bout for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships provided a platform for a reunited Kabuki Warriors, "NXT" stars Sol Ruca and Zaria, and for Judgement Day's Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez, who had officially come together only weeks before. It was Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, though, that stole the spotlight with their unconventional yet flourishing friendship and Flair's unexpected drawing of "We Want Charlotte" chants. Nikki Bella and Trish Stratus, legends from WWE's past (and now present), got in on the action as well when they competed in a battle royal and a WWE Women's Championship match, respectively. Elsewhere, Naomi and Jade Cargill continued their heated feud with no holds barred, no weapons off limits, and "The EST" Bianca Belair in the center of it all as the special guest referee. Cargill emerged victorious with an avalanche Jaded that sent Naomi crashing through a table, but as we saw, it wouldn't keep Naomi down for longer than an hour. After all, what bigger way is there to counteract a loss than by interrupting a main event banger (thank you IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley!) and becoming the new WWE Women's World Champion with your Money in the Bank briefcase? According to WINC staff, that may be biggest of all.

Written by Ella Jay

Runner-up: Tie — AEW Revolution and AEW Double or Nothing

Others receiving first-round votes: WWE SummerSlam, CMLL 92 Aniversario, WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (12/13/25)

For the past four iterations of Wrestling Inc.'s year-end awards, WWE has been the promotion to beat. Year after year, we have voted WWE as the top company in the intense, fast-paced world of professional wrestling. This year, however, WWE is not the benchmark to meet in the ring. That honor goes to All Elite Wrestling, known more commonly as AEW.

Pop open the champagne, Tony Khan and company. In the words of pro wrestling crowds, "you deserve it." In all seriousness, AEW has absolutely been the promotion to beat this year. WWE has been plagued with controversy after controversy, creative debacle after creative debacle. While WWE has been on a slippery slope down, rife with product placements, celebrity appearances, and self-aggrandizing network deals, AEW has dug its heels into what it does best: wrestling.

Just a glance at AEW's 2025 resume will make the promotion's year-end case quite clearly. Not only do they boast a stacked roster, featuring faces like Mercedes Moné, Will Ospreay, "Timeless" Toni Storm, Kazuchika Okada, and Swerve Strickland, but they have produced some of the most critically-acclaimed storylines to hit television this year. Storm and Mariah May's revenge tragedy concluded at AEW: Revolution back in March. "Hangman" Adam Page has overcome the Death Riders, and freed the AEW World Championship. Konosuke Takeshita and Okada are fighting over control of the Don Callis Family as we speak. These are not storylines bolstered by celebrity names and grand stages. These are homegrown storylines that have organically captivated audiences, by way of melodrama and gory spectacle.

Is AEW the perfect promotion? Far from it. Khan has made his fair share of questionable creative decisions. In terms of wrestling-related output, however, AEW has made 2025 theirs. For that, we are proud to call them 2025's Promotion of the Year.

Written by Angeline Phu

Runner-up: WWE

Others receiving first-round votes: CMLL

It was a very news-worthy year, from WWE's quick switch to ESPN well-ahead of schedule, to WrestleMania landing in Saudi Arabia in 2027, to the rise of "Hangman" Adam Page to the AEW World Championship, finally dethroning Jon Moxley, and the more recent Netflix attempted acquisition of Warner Bros. We, however, thought there was one story bigger than all the rest this year: the death of WWE Hall of Famer Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan. 

Bollea died of cardiac arrest at the age of 71 on July 24. The legend's death came after weeks of rumors circulated by Hogan's former friend, Bubba the Love Sponge (real name Todd Clem) the radio host involved in Hogan's sex tape scandal. Clem started to stir up what was then assumed to be just rumors through his radio show, beginning in June, that Hogan was on his deathbed. The rumors were so rampant that Hogan's wife, Sky Daily, took to social media just two weeks before Hogan's passing to attempt to clarify things, explaining that Hogan had undergone lengthy neck fusion surgery.

In the weeks following Hogan's passing, it was revealed that his death may have been the result of medical malpractice. According to reports, an occupational therapist on site at Hogan's home told first responders that a surgeon "severed" Hogan's phrenic nerve, the main nerve involved with breathing, something Daily then confirmed. Daily and Nick Hogan filed documents to investigate the possible malpractice in October, so the story goes on into the new year.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Runner-up: John Cena turns heel

Others receiving first-round votes: John Cena retires, Brock Lesnar returns, AJ Lee returns, WrestleMania heads to Saudi Arabia, WWE & TKO's relationship with Donald Trump

After more than a year away from the ring, battling diverticulitis as the latest ailment in a long line of them over recent years, Kenny Omega made his long-awaited return at AEW/NJPW Wrestle Dynasty in January. 

There was a sense of nervous anticipation over Omega getting back into the ring, having become known as the "Best Bout Machine" for exactly what the name had entailed. But the fire of life burns faster as it burns brighter, and surely he would have had to wrestle a more restrictive style than he had before. Surely?

What happened instead is that Omega returned to a fiery worked shoot storyline with young gaijin Gabe Kidd, the legendary "One Winged Angel" returning to Japan. What happened instead was over 30 minutes of bloody combat that blurred the veil between real and staged. Omega returned from diverticulitis, over a year away from the ring, and still managed to perform in a way reminiscent of the classic "Cleaner." In fact, he worked one of the most violent matches he had been a part of with someone not named Jon Moxley or Tomohiro Ishii. 

Sometimes there is just an insistence on making good each and every time one steps between the ropes, and it cannot be denied that Omega possesses that trait in abundance. Not enough credit is given to Kidd for being the perfect villain and the perfect foil for the returning hero. But when the hero returns with a new theme song composed by those behind Final Fantasy, an epic soundtrack in a venue designed to communicate big fight feel, does so off the back of a debilitating disease that quite literally takes something away from the body, and puts on a truly exceptional match that doesn't seem to be hindered by any form of rust or after-effects? That's pretty hard to top — though it can be equaled.

Written by Max Everett

AJ Lee returned to WWE after over a decade away from the ring in September, coming to the aid of her husband CM Punk as Becky Lynch was getting a little handsy on behalf of her husband, Seth Rollins. Thus ensued Lee's first match, teaming alongside Punk to defeat Rollins and Lynch in tag team action at Wrestlepalooza. And then she joined the WarGames field and had the chance to submit Lynch to win that, and then briefly appeared to cost Lynch the Women's Intercontinental Championship to Maxxine Dupri. Needless to say, her return has been welcome for effectively everyone but Becky Lynch, and to a lesser extent Seth Rollins — and that's just what has come since the return itself.

Lee never left the promotion in the way Punk had, but was struggling with her mental health – which she would only later reveal – and neck issues that made wrestling close to impossible. Even after Punk had returned to the promotion, and previously when he had returned to wrestling with AEW in 2021, he was quick to say that it didn't necessarily mean Lee would be returning with him. But still, fans asked for it. More than once. In fact, there were many instances where her name was chanted when Punk was in the ring addressing someone else.

Such clamor only helped to make the AJ Lee return an explosion of feelings for those watching, a ratifying moment for those who had hoped beyond belief, when others had said it wouldn't happen and they still refused to bury that little bit of faith. And when she did step through the ropes and wrestle, she didn't move like someone plagued with injury, nor did she show any of the nerves she no doubt felt between the bells. It was a great moment for her to get that closure as, for such a long time, one of the forgotten pillars of what came to be known as the Women's Revolution.

Written by Max Everett

Runner-up: Tie — Andrade, Jesse Ventura, Blake Monroe, Ricky Saints, Jade Cargill, Swerve Strickland, Mini Mone

It takes a special kind of skill to successfully blend one's heartfelt emotions with their ruthless, unpredictable persona all in one stream of dialogue. And yet, Naomi did just that on the August 18, 2025 edition of "WWE Raw."

Just one month after shocking viewers with her Money in the Bank cash-in for the WWE Women's World Championship, Naomi revealed the bittersweet news that she'd have to relinquish the title due to the upcoming arrival of her first child (later confirmed to be a baby boy). Naturally, "Raw" General Manager Adam Pearce beamed at the announcement of Naomi's pregnancy and congratulated her on it. With her hormones "jumping like a disco," though, Naomi demanded that Pearce to "get to steppin" as she wasn't handing him "s***," meaning her championship.

Reluctantly, Naomi did eventually lay down her championship in the center of the ring, with an additional warning the women's locker room that she would be back to reclaim it, even if it required her to carry her baby along in her arms (Talk about getting into the action young). Of course, she strongly advised her female colleagues to proceed with caution — a catchphrase that rapidly caught on at the time — as well.

Between the zingers aimed at Pearce and the WWE women's locker room, Naomi showed glimpses of genuine happiness, including a teary-eyed acknowledgement to the crowd's "You deserve it" chants. As quickly as that emotion came, however, it went. Her demeanor shifted to one of amusement as she laughed at the realization of The Bloodline continuing its lineage through her and "Big Jim," who liked to "Netflix and chill." 

Naomi took fans on a rollercoaster of emotions that believably mirrored her own real-life hormones. And considering the dynamics of her on-screen character at the time — constantly demanding respect, sometimes caught up in delusion, and intentionally mispronouncing Stephanie Vaquer's name — she delivered exactly what made sense for a good-but-sad situation. Frankly, we wouldn't have had it any other way.

Written by Ella Jay

Runner-up: Toni Storm (AEW Collision 1/26/25)

Others receiving first-round votes: Toni Storm (AEW Dynamite 2/5/25), Cody Rhodes (WWE Elimination Chamber), John Cena (WWE Raw 3/17/25), Hangman Page (AEW Grand Slam: Mexico), John Cena (WWE SmackDown 6/20/25), John Cena (WWE SmackDown 8/1/25)

A few people are probably reading this thinking "didn't this feud happen in 2024?" The answer to that is yes it did, but the business end of the Toni Storm vs. Mariah May feud happened this year, and the conclusion to the one of the greatest feuds in AEW history was one we couldn't get enough of here at Wrestling Inc..

So much has happened in 2025 that it genuinely seems like a lifetime ago that the woman we now know as Blake Monroe in "WWE NXT" was the AEW Women's World Champion at the start of the year. Mariah May was looking for a new challenger and in January she got one ... sort of. At the tail end of 2024, Toni Storm returned to AEW in her old rocker gimmick, shedding the "Timeless" character and everything that went with it, but there was something off about her. She came in thinking she was a rookie, completely forgetting about the three years she had already spent in the company and everything she had done. She even treated her win that earned her a shot at May's title as her first big opportunity in AEW.

By the end of January the curtain had been lifted. May vowed to put an end to Storm's charade once and for all, but Storm revealed she had been playing the role of a lifetime, reverting back to her "Timeless" self in a promo on "AEW Collision" that set up the main event to the Grand Slam Australia show in February. Storm would win her fourth AEW Women's World Championship in her home country to one of the biggest ovations of the entire year, but "The Woman From Hell" wasn't going to take the loss lying down. She wanted her rematch and she wanted to be the definitive end to her story with Storm, she wanted it to be a true "Hollywood Ending."

At AEW Revolution 2025, Storm and May fought over the AEW Women's World Championship in one of the bloodiest matches in recent memory. Their "Hollywood Ending" match wasn't just a Falls Count Anywhere match, it was a fight to the death that saw Storm retain her title and compromise May to a permanent end. Easily the best women's feud in AEW history and potentially all of wrestling depending on who you ask, the third act of Toni Storm and Mariah May's story clinches Storyline of the Year for 2025.

Written by Sam Palmer

Runner-up: Young Bucks go broke

Others receiving first-place votes: John Cena's retirement, John Cena's heel turn, Death Riders vs. AEW, MJF vs. Mistico, Naomi vs. Jade Cargill, CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, "Belt Collector" Mercedes Mone

If you thought that part about "The Hollywood Ending" in our Storyline of the Year section was a bit brief, that's because we've got so much more to talk about here as Toni Storm and Mariah May's bloodbath from AEW Revolution 2025 was our runaway winner for Match of the Year. While the WINC staff selected a myriad of different matches for first place (as seen below) almost nobody didn't have the Hollywood Ending in their top three. That's how good it was.

The violence level in AEW was taken to new heights this year, and while that isn't necessarily for everyone, wrestling is a violent art form at its very core and sometimes two people will hate each other so much that they are willing to do unspeakable things to themselves in order to take their pound of flesh. That is what Toni Storm and Mariah May did at Revolution. There was no wasted motion; May charged the ramp as Storm was making her entrance to kick the action off early, and before you know it, Luther had been kicked over a table, May tried to use a taser, and Storm had thrown May and herself off the stage.

When the action got to the ring, though — that's when the red stuff started to flow freely. Both women were bleeding buckets by the time they brought their own respective buckets filled with broken glass out from underneath the ring. From there, they channeled the spirit of Ian and Axl Rotten's feud from ECW in 1995 by turning the bout into a Taipei Death Match, covering their hands in tape and dipping them in broken glass. There was a great bit of camera work in the build up where you could see May staring at the situation with a look of "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" as Storm marched over serving the darkest crimson mask you have ever seen.

There was a criticism lobbied at this match for being too short, but the shorter runtime worked in the match's favor as both women were so hellbent on destroying each other that by the time Storm was going to lodge the heel of the shoe that May betrayed her with the year before, neither of them could go for much longer. Storm would hit the Storm Zero through a table for the win, and while she retained her AEW Women's World Championship, she nestled herself into the lifeless body of the woman she once loved as the words "The End" flashed up on the entrance screens.

This match could, and probably should have main-evented Revolution, but since it didn't, Storm and May decided to steal the show by producing arguably the greatest women's match to take place on American soil, and an easy winner for our 2025 Match of the Year award.

Written by Sam Palmer

Runner-up: Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW/CMLL/AEW Wrestle Dynasty)

Others receiving first-place votes: Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. IYO SKY (WWE WrestleMania 41), Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (WWE WrestleMania 41), Jon Moxley vs. Adam Page (AEW All In: Texas), CM Punk vs. GUNTHER (WWE SummerSlam), Mistico vs. MJF (CMLL 92 Aniversario), Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada (AEW All Out 2025), John Cena vs. AJ Styles (WWE Crown Jewel 2025), Women's Blood and Guts (AEW Dynamite 11/12/25), John Cena vs. GUNTHER (WWE Saturday Night's Main Event 12/13/25)

Toni Storm tied for this award last year, but this time around, there was no debate.

When one is from New Zealand and channels the mannerisms of a 20th century British Dame at a near constant basis, saying some of the most ridiculous, laugh-inducing things with the straightest of faces and the flattest of tones, it is hard not to say they deserve their flowers. "Timeless" Toni Storm is a metaphor, an adjective, and an onomatopoeia at this stage, with Storm somehow feeling like she's always been here despite being just 30 years old, both a character and a wrestler that never really seems to age in terms of quality, and quite literally always the first to proclaim her own timelessness. 

Whatever you make of her wrestling, she is more than excellent at talking. Talking with an extensive, exhaustive, and sometimes erotic vocabulary, and in a way that exposes the absurdity of the sport we all collectively know and love. Her range – and note that this is a wrestler and not an actual actress – is extraordinary. She started the year as a seemingly oblivious "Timelooped" past version of herself, flustering the likes of Mariah May and Deonna Purrazzo in the process. And then when she had secured her straight shot at vengeance against May, she dropped that mask without a stutter to bring back the "Timeless" persona once more. 

One way or another, Storm's segments wind up being must-see TV, at the very least for the truly insane things that can be said. She has insults that haven't been used for decades, sayings that only she could really get away with, and has crafted an entire mythos to the extent that we all just collectively accept whatever she does at any moment. There are soundbites, monologues, moments of love and moments of vitriol, and all of it just clicks in place and manages to never feel forced.

Wrestling is a sport of talking and grappling, and in a world where the former will separate you from the litany of those who can do the latter, Storm manages to be the cream of the crop in a space all her own.

Written by Max Everett

Runner-up: Drew McIntyre

Others receiving first-place votes: Oba Femi, Naomi, John Cena, Chelsea Green, CM Punk

AEW may have won more WINC Awards than WWE for the first time ever, but their death grip on Wrestler of the Year is officially broken. IYO SKY, the wrestler that you are.

2025 was a huge year for SKY, having already spent six years in WWE and 18 years as a wrestler altogether, as the former WWE Women's Champion proved herself a mainstay at the top of the card with her Women's World Championship reign. It's quite remarkable that this was the year she truly felt like she hit her stride, and it can be said that she has worked her way into a position she may not have been intended for originally. 

SKY started the year failing to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match, losing to Liv Morgan by disqualification and wrestling just one more match alongside Asuka and Kairi Sane before getting her shot at Rhea Ripley's World Championship in March. It was then that things shifted entirely, with Bianca Belair sat at ringside for the title bout, having won Elimination Chamber to challenge for the title at WrestleMania. Ripley and SKY wrestled an excellent contest that saw just enough interaction between the champion and Belair, thus allowing SKY to get the surprise title win and slot herself into the affair at WrestleMania. 

She went into that event and had arguably the best match of the weekend with Belair and Ripley, not only winning the match she hadn't been a part of as of the end of Elimination Chamber, but also ending Bianca's 4-0 undefeated streak at the "Show of Shows." SKY and Ripley met once more in a bout at Evolution, filing yet another amazing match in the catalog even before Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank to win the title. SummerSlam completed the trilogy of triple threats for SKY this year, with her challenging alongside Ripley for the title held by Naomi, and again this wouldn't be mentioned if it wasn't another Match of the Year contender under her belt. 

So much so had her pedigree been established this year at the top of the card, she was booked to see a new champion crowned in Naomi's baby-induced absence, facing Stephanie Vaquer in yet another stellar bout at Wrestlepalooza. Since then, she has forged a team with Ripley and carried Monday nights with outings against variations of the Kabuki Warriors, Asuka and Kairi Sane. And as if that wasn't enough, she also produced a 26-minute classic with Mayu Iwatani in Marigold in October. What a year, and a deserved place above everyone else in the sport in 2025.

Written by Max Everett

Runner-up: Tie — John Cena and Bandido

Others receiving first-place votes: Toni Storm, Jon Moxley, Mistico