60. Atlantis Jr. (26 ballots, 1264 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 39
High Vote: Stevan S., FUJIWARASMIRK (13)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Mistico & Titan vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Hechicero & Soberano Jr. (CMLL, 2/7)
• w/ Mistico & Titan vs. Averno, Barbaro Cavernario & Volador Jr. (CMLL, 2/14)
• vs. Ultimo Guerrero (NJPW, 2/27)
• vs. Zandokan Jr. (CMLL, 5/6)
• w/ Bandido & Mistico vs. Barboza, Difunto & Zandokan Jr. (CMLL, 7/18)
• vs. Difunto (CMLL, 8/5)
• w/ Mascara Dorada & Mistico vs. Angel de Oro, Difunto & Hechicero (CMLL, 8/8)
• w/ Angel de Oro, Difunto, Mascara Dorada, Mistico, Neon, Templario, Titan, Volador Jr. & Zandokan Jr. vs. Action Andrett, The Beast Mortos, Donovan Dijak, Lio Rush, Michael Oku, Mike Bailey, Robbie X, Rocky Romero, Taiji Ishimori & TJP (CMLL, 8/29)
• w/ Titan vs. Angel de Oro & Soberano Jr. (CMLL, 11/7)
• w/ Difunto vs. The Beast Mortos & Komander (CMLL, 11/22)

“The most rock-solid tecnico in the world. He doesn’t have the aura of Mistico or the dazzling high-flying of Mascara Dorada or Neon, but there’s nobody I trust more on that side of the alignment to keep me engaged and entertained on an Arena Mexico show. His singles work with Difunto and Averno was under-the-radar great, too, and the Zandokan Jr. stuff was complete magic for me. “ ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

59. Yota Tsuji (26 ballots, 1296 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 65
High Vote: musashibo benkei (3)

Recommended Matches

• vs. David Finlay (NJPW, ¼)
• vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW, 2/11)
• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 5/4)
• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 7/22)
• vs. Ryohei Oiwa (NJPW, 7/25)
• vs. David Finlay (NJPW, 8/7)
• vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW, 10/13)
• vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 11/2)
• w/ Gabe Kidd vs. OSKAR & Yuto-Ice (NJPW, 12/12)
• w/ Gabe Kidd vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 12/14)

“I generally find Yota Tsuji to be a bit frustrating to watch: in spite of having everything you’d want out of an IWGP World Champion, there are often too many moments where he ignores the finer details of a match and focuses too heavily on the broad strokes. But it really felt like he was starting to figure it out in the back half of 2025: after a couple of stand-out matches in the G1 Climax against Uemura, Oiwa, and Boltin, he followed that up by beating Gabe Kidd for the IWGP Global Title and being Tanahashi’s last great opponent in Gifu Memorial Center Gymnasium. With more cohesive booking, I’m optimistic the stars might finally align for Tsuji–at minimum, he’s the second-most complete wrestler the company has at this point.” ~ Orchid

58. Lee Moriarty (28 ballots, 1303 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 55
High Vote: Andy/ShrimpBizkit (7)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Robbie Eagles (AEW, 2/15)
• vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 3/5)
• vs. Matt Mako (ACTION, 5/24)
• vs. Blue Panther (ROH, 6/18)
• vs. Blue Panther (ROH, 7/11)
• vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW, 7/26)
• vs. Xelhua (ROH, 8/29)
• vs. Komander (ROH, 10/8)
• vs. Nigel McGuinness (ROH, 12/5)
• vs. Komander (ROH, 12/20)

“Fair play to Lee Moriarty for still coming up with clever and innovative spots and finishes , that make use of the pure title rules, in this, the 17th year of his reign with that title! (Length of reign has not been fact checked)” ~ Nick Yeoman

“Lock in TK you got a guy here should be on TV every week. Moriarty was ROH Pure champ for the entire year and he’s really made this division that doesn’t really exist his own. Is there new stuff to do witht he Pure ruleset in 2025? Not really no, but Moriarty is still having good matches. All the Nigel stuff is fun.” ~ Padraig

“Lee’s work with the Pure title went underappreciated for simply existing in 2025 ROH. He delivered in the few times called upon in AEW proper, assembling a sneakily great catalog, all things considered.” ~ Stevan S.

57. El HIjo de Fishman (21 ballots, 1324 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 40
High Vote: TyPls, jon (6)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Mascara Sagrada NG (Super X, 1/4)
• vs. Mascara Sagrada NG (Panther, 1/12)
• vs. Mascara Sagrada NG (Jimenez, 2/2)
• w/ Villano V Jr. vs. Brazo Celestial & Mascara Sagrada NG (Radioactiva, 2/28)
• w/ Gran Pandemonium, El Hijo de Pandemonium & Pandemonium Jr. vs. Aeroboy, Leviatham, Mascara Sagrada NG & Tonalli (AULL, 3/1)
• vs. Demus (Zona 23, 3/9)
• w/ Herodes Jr. vs. Blue Demon Jr. & Mascara Sagrada NG (3/28)
• w/ Pierroth Jr. vs. Fresero Jr. & Mascara Sagrada NG (5/25)
• vs. El Gallego (Zona 23, 7/6)
• w/ Pierroth Jr. vs. Fresero Jr. & Mascara Sagrada NG (Invasion Indy, 10/10)

“His 2025 will mostly be remembered for his classic brawl with Demus and the ongoing war with Máscara Sagrada. But it also gave us a bizarre little gift: a mini-feud with MMA fighter Hugo Lezama , a chaotic clash of styles that wildly over-delivered. At this point, Fishman’s career just keeps churning out strange, violent gems.” ~ Nick Yeoman

“A very frightening man who cooks a mean Milanesa. I will never take for granted his knack for throwing boxes of glass at his opponent’s head.” ~ Stevan S.

“In 2025, Hijo de Fishman upheld one of professional wrestling’s most perverse axioms: the more opportunities, exposure, and money an indie darling gets, the more they flirt with losing the spark that made people glom onto them as fans in the first place. Hijo de Fishman started the year in familiar territory, brawling from arena to arena with his forever-nemesis Mascara Sagrada NG, and doing awesomely risky things that can only happen on shows with no safety rails (my personal favorite being the time he chucked a full beer cooler at the head of an opponent who wasn’t looking). Then the Santo retirement tour came calling. I’m sure that Hijo de Fishman made good money — or at least, I hope he did, considering the promoters on all those shows probably lost their shirts. Either way, it dimmed his star, and we must all join hands now and pray that in 2026, Hijo de Fishman returns to the junkyards of our hearts.” ~ pto

“Although Fishman made the list and ended higher last year, 2025 feels like the first year a lot of fans were exposed to one of the decade’s best brawlers, largely because of his continued insane brawls with Mascara Sagrada NG in any arena that will let them tease that apuestas match that’s definitely coming soon. People soured on him a bit as much of the Fishman/Sagrada feud moved to the Santito retirement tour circuit, but there was still lovely stuff for those who dove into the catalog. He’s one of the few wrestlers who’s been able to make those lucha vs. MMA shows work. He got plenty of run in IWRG brawls throughout the year. The Demus match was spectacular. And damn, those interactions with Sagrada are still a ton of fun no matter the venue. Was it his best year? Maybe not, but he’s still a special talent.” ~ chris

56. Fuminori Abe (34 ballots, 1371 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 26
High Vote: Henry/HeadCheese (15)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Takuya Nomura vs. 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire (wXw, 3/6)
• vs. Yumehito Imanari (Ganbare Pro, 3/16)
• w/ Takuya Nomura vs. MAO & To-y (DDT, 3/20)
• vs. Keigo Nakamura (DDT, 3/26)
• w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Keigo Nakamura & Shinya Aoki (DDT, 4/6)
• w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Hikaru Sato & Manabu Hara (KTDan, 4/8)
• w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku (DPW, 4/24)
• vs. Adam Priest (DPW, 4/25)
• vs. Ulka Sasaki (NOAH, 6/16)
• vs. Hikaru Sato (KTDan, 10/23)

“Here’s the secret to Abe that they won’t tell you: The bits are the best part. Don;t let the woke mob trick you with their ‘I wish he would be serious and just hit hard’ bullshit, much like orange juice the bits are where it’s at.  With Nomura injury in the early parts of the year we got much more Abe singles work. He just goes from promotion to promotion putting on great matches. But the bits – don’t forget about the bits.” ~ Padraig

“He has been really adaptable, consistent, fun, and wonderful. One half of one of my favorite tag teams of the year in the Astronauts with Takuya Nomura (hope he gets well soon). Their DDT K-OD Tag Team Champion reign is my favorite tag champion reign all year. 

He has a lot of great singles matches. I really like the Adam Priest match he had when DPW went to Japan and the K-TDan match with Hikaru Sato.

I really like his wackiness, his silly ideas and things is a part of are usually fun but always interesting. The tag team with Ippanjin Munenori Sawa (one of the best wrestlers of all time but wearing business clothes and trying to be a “normal” person) has been so fun, silly, and amazing!” ~ Henry/HeadCheese

55. Timothy Thatcher (23 ballots, 1379 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 30
High Vote: Jon B. (1)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Adam Priest (Prestige, 1/11)
• vs. Travis Williams (Dusk Pro, 2/28)
• vs. Amira (DOA, 3/1)
• vs. Marcus Mathers (WCPW, 3/22)
• vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (DEFY, 4/13)
• vs. Trevor Lee (WCPW, 4/17)
• vs. Shinya Aoki (DDT, 4/18)
• vs. Ryan Clancy (Beyond, 8/29)
• vs. Charlie Dempsey (EVOLVE, 11/14)
• vs. 1 Called Manders (wXw, 12/13)

“Timothy Thatcher has been the best wrestler on the US indies for about the last decade. A scene he seems desperate to kill with his involvement with WWE Evolve, a show that claims to exist but I have my doubts. Despite all this Thatcher had a great year. He is the only wrestler alive who could get a good match out of Tony Handstand or whatever other dipshits WWEID signs. When people say “he could have a great match with a broom” they’re talking about guys like Thatcher. “ ~ Padraig

“Was sort of hoping Dan Rice was wrong and the literal WWE employee working the indies wasn’t having a good year. Thatcher can’t be stopped though. Going around the country, putting on 8-15 minutes pieces of wrestling joy like only he can. Good god he has this thing down to a science. I love him and hate him.” ~ Sam D.

54. Nicole Matthews (24 ballots, 1396 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 117
High Vote: Timothy Robert Buechner (8)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Amira (POW!, 2/15)
• vs. Amira vs. Vert Vixen (DEFY, 4/13)
• w/ Liiza Hall & Rhio vs. Amira, Vert Vixen & Viva Van (DEFY, 4/17)
• vs. Dani Luna (WCPW, 6/1)
• vs. Megan Bayne (DEFY, 6/13)
• vs. Dani Luna (DPW, 6/15)
• vs. Masha Slamovich (DPW, 8/10)
• vs. Billie Starkz (ACTION, 9/6)
• vs. Amira (DEFY, 9/19)
• vs. Queen Aminata (DPW, 10/19)

“Keeping up her 13 something year streak of being the best woman on the US indies, Matthews has had another stellar year. Her best stuff being in DPW and Prestige. Matthews’ new evil wine aunt using wine bottles, an oversized wine glass or the wine itself to win is just great classic heel work. “

“The big cup of wine is the best gimmick of the year.” ~ xiomax

53. Athena (36 ballots, 1414 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 51
High Vote: Cody Milkman (4)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Alex Windsor (AEW, 2/15)
• w/ Julia Hart vs. Harley Cameron & Mercedes Mone (AEW, 4/2)
• vs. Mercedes Mone (AEW, 4/16)
• vs. Thunder Rosa (ROH, 7/11)
• vs. Alex Windsor (AEW, 7/26)
• w/ Billie Starkz vs. Alex Windsor & Toni Storm (AEW, 7/30)
• vs. Toni Storm (AEW, 8/24)
• vs. Mina Shirakawa (ROH, 8/29)
• w/ Mercedes Mone vs. Harley Cameron & Willow Nightingale (AEW, 11/5)
• vs. Persephone (ROH, 12/5)

“It shocks me a bit that The American Joshi doesn’t get more comparisons to The American Dragon: like Danielson, Athena is repeatedly kept off television despite turning in incredible performance after incredible performance. Like Danielson, she is not just capable of getting the best out of mediocre performers (see: vs. Babes Of Wrath, 11/5), but also of getting even more out of performers who are often held in higher regard than here (see: vs. Mercedes Mone, 4/16). Like Danielson, the biggest knock against her is that her character is kind of corny. And that’s to say nothing of the excellent work she did in Stardom last January or on the indies throughout the year. The more I think about it, the angrier I get: Athena is one of the best women’s wrestlers in America and she should be booked as one. Hopefully, Tony Kahn learns how to do his job and sees what he has in her.” ~ Orchid

“Very few wrestlers are better than Athena when it comes to fully integrating their character into every aspect of their matches and presentation. “ ~ dokomoy

52. Macuarro (23 ballots, 1416 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 102
High Vote: TyPls, Marilyn (2)

Recommended Matches

• w/ El Gallego, La Brava & Mr. Condor vs. Big Memo, Leon Rojo, Periko Porro & Super Porro (Zona 23, 1/26)
• vs. Drago Kid (Zona 23, 2/1)
• vs. Cyber Black vs. El Gallego vs. Mr. Condor (Zona 23, 3/9)
• w/ Osiris vs. El Gallego & Mr. Condor (Zona 23, 4/13)
• vs. Abatros Jr. (MONA, 4/26)
• vs. Mr. Condor (Zona 23, 7/6)
• w/ Wisin vs. Dement Extreme & Paymon (Zona 23, 8/10)
• vs. Mr. Condor vs. Ovett Jr. vs. X-Fly (SWW, 8/15)
• w/ La Brava vs. Teporocho & Tesorito (Zona 23, 9/21)
• vs. Licenciado TX8 (Zona 23, 12/7)

“Really came out of nowhere for me as I didn’t watch a single match from him until the last three months of voting, and he climbed all the way up into my top 25 through his insane spectacles of violences in the Zona junkyard.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“Macuarro might not be able to hit moves or knows how to bump but that doesn’t matter Macuarro has mastered something more important. Macuarro has a connection with the Zona 23 crowd that no other wrestler  has with any crowd. He is their Jesus, he’s a 60 something year old something in jeans and football shirt with the worst hair cut you’ve ever seen who will bump and bleed like there’s no tomorrow, he is their Jesus. He is my Jesus. “ ~ Padraig

“Macuarro is the walking, punching, paper-hat-wearing spirit of the junkyard. There hasn’t been a wrestler so closely attuned with a specific promotion and specific location since Tommy Dreamer was caned into becoming the patron saint of the mutants at the ECW Arena. Macuarro and the Zona 23 junkyard crowd exist in perfect symbiosis.” ~ pto

“Macuarro is the foremost babyface in wrestling today. He’s an old, disheveled blue collar working man who connects with small room crowds in a way that hasn’t been seen in a long ass time, which to me is already the mark of an all time great. But even without that, he’d still be top tier for the way he takes heinous bumps, takes advantage of his environment, and makes every match feel believable despite the outrageous situations he constantly finds himself in. He may not have the quantity, but he certainly has the quality.” ~ Marilyn

“The ace of the lucha deathmatch indies. The Mistico of the junkyard. A middle-aged man wearing a newspaper hat who can team up with a luchador dog and make everyone in the building hang onto his every move. You cannot teach the level of connection Macuarro has with a crowd.” ~ chris

51. 1 Called Manders (31 ballots, 1417 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 38
High Vote: Merino, Ben A. (3)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Adam Priest (DPW, 1/17)
• w/ Thomas Shire vs. Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (wXw, 3/6)
• vs. Darian Bengston (ACTION, 4/25)
• vs. Tom Lawlor (JCW, 5/11)
• w/ Thomas Shire vs. Judas Icarus & Travis Williams (WCPW, 6/1)
• w/ Thomas Shire vs. Anthony Henry & JD Drake (DPW, 7/13)
• vs. Kazusada Higuchi (GCW, 7/28)
• vs. Hideyoshi Kamitani (GCW, 7/29)
• vs. Thomas Shire (GCW, 8/3)
• vs. Timothy Thatcher (wXw, 12/13)

“Sometimes being a stocky dude throwing thick lariats is all it takes.” ~ Sam D.

“If there can still be such a thing as the ‘ace of the indies’ in the scene where most talent is snatched by WWE or AEW as soon as they showcase any sort of talent, Manders is one of the handful with a claim to that throne. He worked across continents, rarely taking days off as he sought to prove himself in promotion after promotion. He can do the workrate main event. He can do the deathmatch brawl. Manders puts in the effort whether he’s in front of 10 people or 1000.” ~ chris