VP100 2025: 20-11

20. Blue Panther (43 ballots, 2698 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 19
High Vote: Cal S. (1)

Recommended Matches

vs. Hechicero (CMLL, 1/10)
vs. Atlantis (CMLL, 2/7)
w/ Blue Panther Jr. & Dark Panther vs. Euforia, Gran Guerrero & Valiente (ROH, 2/26)
w/ Blue Panther Jr. & Tigre Asesino vs. Capitan Muerte, Virus & Yakuza (GILL, 3/15)
w/ Blue Panther Jr. & La Chiva vs. Infernal, Virus & Yakuza (LLT Chicago, 3/16)
w/ Kaoma Jr. & Xelhua vs. Dr. Polux Jr., Hechicero & Virus (Indy, 3/27)
w/ Mascara Dorada & Neon vs. Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL, 4/18)
w/ Robin & Solar vs. Gallego, Negro Navarro & Rugido (MaxProad, 5/18)
w/ Hologram, Neon, Valiente & Virus vs. Averno, Dr. Cerebro, Euforia, Volador Jr. & Xelhua (ACTION, 5/24)
w/ Atlantis & Pantera vs. Felino, Stuka Jr. & Virus (CMLL, 5/30)
w/ Atlantis vs. Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL, 6/6)chi
vs. Lee Moriarty (ROH, 6/18)
vs. Lee Moriarty (ROH, 7/11)
vs. Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL, 8/8)
vs. Chris Ridgeway (RevPro, 8/22)
w/ Pantera & Virus vs. Dr. Cerebro, Hechicero & Xelhua (ACTION, 9/6)
w/ Atlantis vs. Templario & Titan (CMLL, 9/12)
w/ Atlantis & Diego Hill vs. Barboza, Difunto & Zandokan Jr. (MLW, 9/13)
vs. Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL, 9/21)
vs. Hechiero (PWR, 10/11)

“We are all affected by the passing of time. Unless your name is Blue Panther who at the age of 65 in the year of your lord 2025 is still one of the best wrestlers going. The obvious thing to point to is the matches with Ultimo Guerrero, whether in singles or tag bouts. These two men with a combined age of 119 tore it up. Here’s looking forward to the year 2080 when Panther will be 119 years old and still probably one of the best wrestlers in the world. “ ~ Padraig

“Blue Panther’s MLW National Openweight title reign was short, but in terms of match quality, it might have been the most consistent championship run of 2025. God bless “El Maestro Lagunero” for bringing the prestige back to what’s truly the richest prize in the game!” ~ Nick Yeoman

“Old guy grappling rules” ~ Dokomoy

“Really is inspiring to see Blue Panther be such a marvel this late into his career, genuinely one of the very best workers in the world regardless of age. Tremendous singles matches against the likes of Averno, Hechicero and Valiente, excellent fired up elder statesmen in trios matches against Galeon Fantasma, and the tremendous series of matches against Ultimo Guerrero including my MOTY in September.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“I dont think it’s a huge stretch to say that Blue Panther is an all time great, and to me, his longevity plays a huge factor in that. The man is 65 years old at the time of this writing and makes 90% of the current generation of wrestlers look like a joke.” ~ Marilyn

“This may be redundant if you ever heard of Panther in 2025: this man is 65 years old. He should be at most doing maestro llaveo work, not doing top rop huracanranas and diving to the floor with better topes than people a lot younger than him. Blue Panther taking over the Yes chant for himself and it becoming a “Blue” chant this year has also been lovely, the old man knows how to work the crowd up.” ~ xiomax

“After his awe-inspiring 2024 working the likes of Danielson, Hechicero and Ultimo Guerrero, Blue Panther made sure we knew he still wasn’t going anywhere. He had more highlights with Hechicero and Guerrero and got to showcase his stuff abroad against Lee Moriarty and Chris Ridgeway. His 65-year-old body may be slowing down but his mind for structuring a match hasn’t. Even when he’s on an indie wrestling in a t-shirt he’ll surprise you a time or two.” ~ chris

19. Bandido (41 ballots, 2742 points)
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: KFG, Troubles, Alice S., Lucas E., Stephen (1)

Recommended Matches

vs. Bryan Keith (AEW, 2/8)
vs. Chris Jericho (AEW, 2/19)
w/ Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Big Bill & Bryan Keith (AEW, 3/1)
vs. Arez (RIOT, 3/16)
vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL, 6/17)
w/ Hologram vs. Mascara Dorada & Mistico (CMLL, 6/20)
vs. Mistico (CMLL, 6/27)
w/ Hechicero vs. Mascara Dorada & Mistico (Radioactiva, 7/3)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (ROH, 7/11)
w/ Atlantis Jr. &Mistico vs. Barboza, Difunto & Zandokan Jr. (CMLL, 7/18)
vs. Adam Priest (ROH, 7/26)
w/ Brody King vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 8/6)
vs. Hechicero (ROH, 8/29)
w/ Mistico vs. Angel de Oro & Hechicero (CMLL, 9/5)
vs. Mistico (Radioactiva, 10/2)
vs. Hechicero (CMLL, 10/3)
w/ Brody King vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 10/18)
vs. Kazuchika Okada (AEW, 10/22)
w/ Brody King vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood(AEW, 11/22)
vs. Ricochet (AEW, 12/20)

“Bandido’s return to Arena México after a few years away felt genuinely euphoric—the crowd was more than ready to embrace him as a top star, and he rose to meet the moment. His appearances as both rival and tag partner to Místico showed real chemistry, and it feels like there’s still plenty left to explore in that dynamic if they ever return to it.” ~ Nick Yeoman

“He’s not human, he’s Bandido.This year felt like Bandido had a new level of confidence. Some really fun tag work in CMLL and with Brodido; great singles work too. There’s such a likable charm to him. The Konosuke Takeshita ROH match is one of my favorite matches of the year. Him doing wrestling moves in those western film vignettes was cool too.” ~ Henry/HeadCheese

“Bandido missed a year and a half of action. After he finally recovered from a wrist injury, he went right back to the injured list with a concussion during his comeback angle. To make up for that lost time, he responded by not going away. Watching AEW? Bandido’s getting a showcase singles match or a tag opportunity. CMLL? If he’s not booked this week, he’s advertised for something in the next month. Are you one of the people with an Honor Club subscription? He’s the champ. Indies? Look who they brought in to work Mistico! Thoughts on some booking finishes aside, the Jericho feud was better than many gave it credit for. The ROH title defenses could have trimmed some fat, but were highlighted by Bandido’s flashy. And both Bandido and Brody King took what seemed like a “got nothing else for ya” tag pairing into a highlight TV act. A guy who’s never been one of my favorites who demanded and earned my attention.” ~ chris

18. Mascara Dorada (45 ballots, 2814 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 28
High Vote: Andrew G. (2)

Recommended Matches

vs. Soberano Jr. (NJPW, 2/28)
w/ Mistico vs. Hologram & Komander (CMLL, 3/21)
w/ Neon & Star Jr. vs. Barboza, Difunto & Zandokan Jr. (CMLL, 3/28)
w/ Blue Panther & Neon vs. Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL, 4/18)
vs. Hechicero (AEW, 5/28)
vs. Zandokan Jr. (CMLL, 5/30)
vs. Bandido (CMLL, 6/17)
vs. Neon (CMLL, 7/25)
w/ Angel de Oro, Atlantis Jr., Difunto, Mistico, Neon, Templario, Titan, Volador Jr. & Zandokan Jr. vs. Action Andretti, The Beast Mortos Donovan Dijak, Lio Rush, MIchael Oku, Mike Bailey, Robbie X, Rocky Romero, Taiji Ishimori & TJP (CMLL, 8/29)
vs. The Beast Mortos (AEW, 9/17)
vs. Capitan Suicida (CMLL, 9/26)
w/ Mistico & Neon vs. Angel de Oro, Barbaro Cavernario & Niebla Roja (CMLL, 10/10)
w/ Mistico & Neon vs. Averno, Barbaro Cavernario & Hechicero (CMLL, 10/14)
vs. Bandido (AEW, 10/29)
vs. Aeroboy (Lucha Memes, 11/1)
w/ Neon vs. Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey (CMLL, 11/21)
vs. Komander (CMLL, 11/23)
w/ Mistico vs. Difunto & Soberano Jr. (CMLL, 12/5)
vs. Mike Bailey (CMLL, 12/19)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 12/21)

“I was a sucker for El Sky Team main events. Obviously Dorada played a big part in those, and adds a great deal of volume to his case. The growing pains are visible, but I do think there’s still a charm to watching Dorada figure it out in real time.” ~ Stevan S.

“The most backhanded compliment that is regularly thrown around in these arguments for wrestler of the year is someone being ‘really good at being the worst guy in a tag match.’ Perhaps nobody is better at being the worst guy in a tag match than Mascara Dorada, but that’s still a great spot to be in when you’re only 24 years old. Dorada Dos got more opportunities to shine outside of Mistico’s shadow in 2025, getting an even bigger singles push between CMLL and AEW. He’s still largely here to make you go ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhhh’ with his crazy athleticism and dives, but he’s gradually getting better at piecing things together between the highspots. And even with those caveats, for whatever it’s worth, he might already be the better of the Mascara Doradas.” ~ chris

17. Hiroshi Tanahashi (45 ballots, 2819 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 382
High Vote: EAMONN, Timothy Robert Buechner, Stump H. Puller (1)

Recommended Matches

vs. EVIL (NJPW, 1/4)
vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW, 1/5)
vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW. 3/6)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW, 4/11)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW 5/3)
vs. TAKA Michinoku (TAKATaichiMania. 5/7)
vs. Tomoaki Honma (NJPW. 6/21)
w/ Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa (NJPW ,6/29)
vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW, 7/4)
vs. David Finlay (NJPW 7/25)
vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 8/1)
vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW. 8/3)
w/ Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd, Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 8/24)
vs. Danshoku Dino (DDT, 8/31)
vs. El Phantasmo (NJPW. 10/13)
vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW. 11/2)
vs. Yuto-Ice (NJPW. 11/8)
w/ El Phantasmo vs. OSKAR & Yuto-Ice (NJPW. 11/28)
w/ El Phantasmo vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 11/30)
vs. El Desperado (NJPW 12/21)

“You’d think a 49-year-old with the knees of a man double his age wouldn’t be capable of having a sick year but nope, Tanahashi proves everyone wrong again on that front. He got to have his big Shawn Michaels-lite “washed up vet tries to prove he’s still got it” run like his idol and he does it better than the actual man himself by miles. Tanahashi had a masterclass 2025 where he was able to use his gift for storytelling to make up for his lack of physicality, focusing instead on his legitimate weaknesses to give pretty much all the roster some of their most interesting material of the year, even down to characters like Honma or Uemura who typically would’ve never gotten close to the stature of his prime. And yeah, some of it wasn’t very good or went too long as expected, but regardless It never felt like the fault of Tanahashi in particular, with every performance always respecting the overall strengths of the opponent The more eccentric stuff; his FREEDOMS, DDT and AEW stints were all in their own fashion wildly outside of his comfort zone yet felt bizarrely easy for Tana to blend in like he’d been apart of things the whole time.

All in all I think the main benefit to Tanahashi’s case is variety, facing more or less the entire NJPW roster over the year and always having strong work with each despite his and their own limitations. Even if he could barely run without dislocating something or go to the top rope I absolutely loved seeing him struggle his way to a barely-made it Sling Blade or make a miracle run against Takeshita’s seemingly endless knees far more than matches that were a lot more complex by comparison. There may have been more capable wrestlers this year physically and there definitely are those with better individual performances, but no one had a better year than Tanahashi did in 2025. Go Ace.” ~ Stump H. Puller

“in 2025 Tanahashi got carried to his first ever good match by Danshoku Dino so it’s cute he made the VP100.” ~ Padraig

“People who don’t know ball will point to Tanahashi’s physical decline over the past year or so. But that’s missing the point. Tanahashi has never been about spectacular athleticism; he’s about using his connection with the crowd to squeeze every ounce of emotion out of a match.

Early in 2025 he struggled just to reach the top rope in one match, and then spent the rest of the year weaving that into his match structures, with crowds genuinely worried about whether he could make it.

If he wanted to, he could probably keep wrestling until he was a Futurama-style head in a jar and still be having great matches. Go Ace!” ~ Nick Yeoman

“The washed king. Love watching Tana’s retirement tour over the course of 2025, probably would have voted him 20 spots higher if his final match happened four days earlier but what can you do.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“Hiroshi Tanahashi is one of the best wrestlers of all time and in 2025 he still was, but for different reasons. He was not presented as the best wrestler, I felt like he leaned into being crafty not trying to rebottle the magic. He made new magic.

With Tanahashi’s mobility difficulties, this year could have easily been a sad and difficult to watch year. But Tanahashi wouldn’t let that happen. Visiting multiple promotions and wrestling a lot of matches. every Hiroshi Tanahashi match felt like a look into his 1 of 1 heart, filled with earnestness.

It also helps that Tanahashi as a character is very likable and can lean into vulnerability and feel natural because of how much of his career is feeling vulnerable. I think he also shows a lot of spark, too. All of his matches had such a unique gravity to them too.

When he wrestled outside of NJPW it felt like a fun party showcasing Tanahashi in unique settings with seeing the power Tanahashi had on people that don’t wrestle for him in moments like seeing Danshuku Dino cry facing him.

In NJPW matches, he was so good at the balancing act meta-story of Hiroshi Tanahashi (the NJPW president) wanting that wrestlers he faced to be better than him and make them more confident in themselves but, making also wanting to make himself more confident that he Hiroshi Tanahashi (the wrestler) can see still go on any level of the card.

GO ACE!” ~ Henry/HeadCheese

“In his final year, Tanahashi’s physical limitations were a feature and not a bug. Not everything in his catalog was a hit, but there’s a heart at the center of it that was so easy to get wrapped up in. Go Ace. “ ~ Stevan S.

““One of the best stories in pro-wrestling in 2025 was Hiroshi Tanahashi trying to become Hiroshi Tanahashi one more time during his final year as a wrestler. This story permeated throughout all his big matches throughout the calendar year. What’s most impressive to me about this arc is in contrast to the other big retirement tour that occurred this year but we don’t talk about, this is handled with far more earnestness. The spectre of time is always present alongside Tanahashi in 2025. Whether it is failing against bomb heavy wrestlers like Konosuke Takeshita and Oleg Boltin, being unable to beat Hirooki Goto for the IWGP Title and the most importantly thematic one, losing decisively against young upstart and future ace Yuya Uemura in the G1. It’s a shame that the grand conclusion to this arc, him realizing that he can’t turn the clock anymore for himself but can bring out the old spirit of yesteryear for people like Kazuchika Okada, occurred on the 4th day of the new year. If it happened in 2025, it would no doubt ensure Tanahashi a much higher spot here. Forever and ever, Go ACE.” ~ PEN

16. Adam Page (45 ballots, 2881 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 11
High Vote: Maggie (1)

Recommended Matches

vs. Orange Cassidy (AEW, 1/1)
vs. Christopher Daniels (AEW, 1/16)
vs. MJF (AEW, 3/9)
vs. Josh Alexander (AEW, 4/16)
vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 4/30)
w/ Will Ospreay vs. Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 5/14)
vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 5/25)
vs. The Beast Mortos (AEW, 6/25)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 7/12)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 7/30)
w/ Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey vs. The Beast Mortos, Dralistico & Rush (AEW, 8/9)
w/ Kenny Omega, Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey vs. Josh Alexander, Kyle Fletcher, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 9/3)
vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 9/20)
vs. Lee Moriarty (AEW, 9/24)
vs. Samoa Joe (AEW, 10/18)
vs. Powerhouse Hobbs (AEW, 11/12)
vs. Katsuyori Shibata (AEW, 11/19)
vs. Samoa Joe (AEW, 11/22)
w/ Swerve Strickland vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Powerhouse Hobbs (AEW, 12/10)
vs. MJF vs. Samoa Joe vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 12/27)

“Adam Page might be the best North American wrestler of his generation at portraying a hero who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and stoop to a heel’s level when he has to.

His matches with Jon Moxley leaned fully into that dynamic, and he threaded the needle perfectly, producing some of the most feel-good moments in company history. ” ~ Nick Yeoman

“It’s the Moxley match. You know it is. Hangman had a very notable year, and I probably liked his output more than some of my more critical peers, but let’s be honest: the case starts and ends with All In. For as great as Mox was in that Texas Death Match though, it would mean nothing if it wasn’t on the other end of one of the best babyface performances in AEW history. If there was any doubt about putting the title back on Hangman before July 12th, it was quickly put to rest by how fucking good he was in his coronation.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“Proved once again he works better as someone chasing a championship than as champion himself, especially with his nasty habit of working to the level of his opponent for better and for worse. But Hangman’s quest for gold was one of the year’s top storylines, from retiring Christopher Daniels to being the one to finally dethrone Moxley and the Death Riders atop AEW. It got iffy from there (especially when paired up with MJF), but that first half stands well enough to earn him his spot.” ~ chris

15. Sareee (42 ballots, 2916 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 6
High Vote: Cody Milkman, John C., Rustie (1)

Recommended Matches

vs. Utami Hayashishita (Marigold, ⅓)
vs. VENY (SEAdLINNNG, 1/17)
vs. Meiko Satomura (Sareee-ism, 1/23)
vs. Syuri (Sareee-ism, 3/10)
w/ Chihiro Hashimoto & Miku Kanae vs. DASH Chisako, Sayaka Toyota & VENY (T-HEATS, 3/30)
w/ Meiko Satomura vs. Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu (Fortune Dream, 4/16)
w/ DASH Chisako & Mika Iwata vs. Lena Kross, Nina Samuels & VENY (Sendai Girls, 4/29)
w/ Takumi Iroha vs. Ai Houzan & VENY (Marvelous, 5/5)
w/ Natsupoi vs. DASH Chisako & Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Mika Iwata & Miyuki Takase (Hana Kimura Memorial 5/23)
vs. Konami (Stardom, 7/27)
vs. Suzu Suzuki (Stardom, 8/9)
vs. Momo Watanabe (Stardom, 8/20)
vs. Suzu Suzuki (Stardom, 9/6)
vs. Alex Windsor (ROH, 10/2)
w/ Takumi Iroha vs. Senka Akatsuki & Seri Yamaoka (Marvelous, 10/24)
w/ Suzu Suzuki vs. Chihiro Hashimoto & Natsupoi (Sareee-ism, 11/10)
vs. Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls, 11/16)
w/ Chihiro Hashimoto & Takumi Iroha vs. Mio Momono, Rin & Yuu (Marvelous, 12/21)
vs. YuuRI (Ganbare Pro, 12/27)
vs. Natsupoi (Stardom, 12/29)

“Not as ridiculously stacked as her 2024 year (mostly down to a hit-and-miss stint in Stardom) Sareee nevertheless was still having very solid matches thanks to her tendency to hit extremely hard but also her gift for storytelling and being able to work a domineering control style without it dragging or feeling like you’re waiting too long for the match to get going. My only main issue is that she did at times stumble into the classic bloated main event epic tendencies (inconsistent selling, overindulgent false finishes ad nauseum, etc) but for the most part? Pretty good work at the top main event level, helped by her tendency to make things look scrappy and uncooperative which is always a plus in my mind. More headbutts in future please and thank you” ~ Stump H. Puller

“My beloved Murder Chipmunk, the stupidest, most demented, and least self-aware 155 cm woman on the face of the planet—and I say that as someone who grew up in Staten Island, New York. Being a freelancer allowed Saree to wrestle 88 times and hold five championships across 17 separate promotions throughout the calendar year, a remarkable accomplishment for someone who flamed out in a major promotion. While she’s not able to consistently raise the ceiling of her matches in the way the workers ahead of her on this list are, I appreciate how much variety she’s able to bring to her matches: she’s able to seamlessly transition from plucky babyface (vs. Meiko Satomura on 1/23, vs. Chihiro Hashimoto on 11/16) to super-imposing bully (vs. Hina on 8/3, vs. Natsupoi on 12/29) in ways that most of her peers aren’t, and her tag work is arguably among the best in the world. I love Sareee for her versatility, even if it serves as a bit of a detriment: there is obviously a ceiling on how strong she can be booked in companies that don’t feel like she’s committed to them for the long term. While I would never argue that she is the best women’s wrestler in the world (at this point in time, Hashimoto clears her by a country mile), Sareee’s commitment to freelancing makes the independent joshi scene infinitely more exciting. I don’t know how much more juice is left in this type of run—I think she eventually needs to sign with Stardom or Marigold to receive the accolades she thinks she deserves—but I’m endlessly grateful for the way she’s been able to raise the profile of workers on the independent scene.” ~ orchid

“Head and shoulders the best woman in the professional wrestling industry. She had a phenomenal trilogy with Syuri, but had dozens of notable matches throughout the year without her clear rival. She is the perfect combination of striking, limb work, and explosive moves. The crown firmly sits atop her hand, and it is hard to see anyone taking it from her anytime soon.” ~ TayKZY

14. Darby Allin (44 ballots, 2926 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 2
High Vote: Bucky! (2)

Recommended Matches

w/ Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd, Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 8/24)
vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW, 8/27)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 9/20)
w/ Kris Statlander vs. Marina Shafir & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 10/1)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 10/18)
w/ Orange Cassidy vs. Daniel Garcia & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 10/29)
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 11/5)
w/ Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Jon Moxley, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 11/12)
vs. PAC (AEW, 11/22)
vs. Kevin Knight (AEW, 11/26)
vs. Gabe Kidd (AEW, 12/27)

“So Daby Allin only had 15 matches in 2025, does that matter? No really, not when you’re Darby. Some wrestlers don’t do more in a career than Daby did in these 15 matches. Now it helps when you’re mostly working with the best wrestler working in Jon Moxley but regardless Darby procured magic every time he stepped into the ring.” ~ Padraig

“I probably voted Darby too high given that he missed more than half the year climbing a fucking mountain, but man Darby was so good once he came back. His feud with the Deathriders was one of the absolute highlights of the year and the insane bumps he took were the highlight of every show he wrestled on.” ~ Dokomoy

“I ranked Darby at #10 because when he wrestled, he was simply the best wrestler on the planet, and he only wrestled for like half a year. Seems like a fair trade-off.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“Did more within 3 months than most did in 12. It’s hard to imagine what the fall looks like without the Death Riders feud, and on the flipside, where he would’ve placed had he never gone down injured in the C2. Regardless, the freak knows how to get the most out of his time.” ~ Stevan S.

“While this portion of the list features so many of the quantity-based wrestlers who worked constantly, Darby Allin’s case for wrestler of the year is the exact opposite. Spending most of the year injured or climbing Mt. Everest, Allin still made his handful of appearances count. His work against the Death Riders shows that when he’s around, he’s the beating heart babyface of AEW capable of elevating anyone, even (maybe especially) the other highly-acclaimed main event level talent. When he’s present, Darby doesn’t take a match off, and his opponents put in the effort to wrestle on his level. It gives us a massive ‘what if?’ scenario. What if Darby never climbs Everest and is wrestling all year? Honestly, what if Darby is just able to work the full C2 and put a few more standout matches on his resume? Does his 2025 end up being spoken of in the same tones as your Misticos and Jon Moxleys? Does it even surpass them? Let’s hope we find out with a healthier 2026.” ~ chris

13. Hirooki Goto (45 ballots, 3000 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 82
High Vote: Mr. Bushiroad (1)

Recommended Matches

w/ Rocky Romero, YOH & YOSHI-HASHi vs. Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 1/6)
w/ El Desperado vs. Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 1/22)
w/ YOH vs. Robbie Eagles & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 1/23)
w/ El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii, YOH & YOSHi-HASHI vs. Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 2/3)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 2/11)
vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 3/6)
vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW, 3/15)
vs. David Finlay (NJPW, 4/5)
vs. Shota Umino (NJPW, 4/11)
w/ YOSHI-HASHI vs. Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan (NJPW, 4/26)
vs. Callum Newman (NJPW, 5/4)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 5/9)
vs. Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 6/15)
w/ Oleg Boltin & Shota Umino vs. Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 6/21)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 6/29)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW, 11/2)
w/ YOSHI-HASHI vs. Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano (NJPW, 11/26)
w/ YOSHI-HASHI vs. Gabe Kidd & Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 12/5)
w/ YOSHI-HASHI vs. Drilla Moloney & Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 12/8)
w/ YOSHI-HASHI vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 12/10)

“Goto’s overall narrative in 2025 was simple but concise; a guy who was never intended to be the top guy then miraculously becomes the top guy. What does he do then? Goto had a couple of slip ups this year with classic NJPW-ism throwing him in heatless, boring ahh tags for a good bunch of the year but when he was allowed to actually be a main event ace he knocked it out of the park in really strong, emotive performances with genuine stakes behind them since he didn’t have the inevitability of an Okada where you know deep down that he’ll just win anyway. ALL of his championship challengers (well almost all; sorry Shota) could’ve taken that title away from him realistically, and Goto does a solid making it just about seem that way while not making himself super weak either. NJPW’s real working MVP of the whole year. “ ~ Stump H. Puller

“Boom, boom, boom, now let me hear you say Goto. GOTO! Is Goto finishing his story an indictment on how desolate the New Japan main event scene is? Probably, but who cares Goto finally winning the big one was one of the best moments of the year. Match for match there probably wasn’t a better title reign in wrestling this year.” ~ Padraig

“Better minds than me have written about his wonderful title win over Zack, but it really is one of the most triumphant victories of the decade and it’s on the back of arguably his career performance. And what’s more, the runback later in the year was also incredible. If he had a G1 run he probably would have cracked my top 10.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“One of the few feel good stories in 2025 wrestling, unfortunately cut short.

While most will (rightfully) point to the triumphs of the Zack matches, Goto had the unenviable task of stabilizing the NJPW main event scene after years of turbulence. No secret why it got a whole lot worse in his absence. “ ~ Stevan S.

“It wasn’t just the title win. Certainly it made even the most checked-out wrestling fans pay attention to him and New Japan again, but Hirooki Goto is not a one-match wonder simply carried by sentiment who fondly remember 2010s New Japan. It would be equally foolish to say that title win and moment didn’t help him in the eyes of fans, but Goto’s case is more than that. He was able to fend off both those veterans that kept the title from him for so long (Tanahashi, Nagata, Shingo, repeat matches with ZSJ) and the youngsters trying to make their own claim at history (Finlay, Newman, Umino). Goto and YOSHI-HASHI continued to be the paragon of consistency in the tag division even as acts like the Knockout Bros. and Sabre/Oiwa’s stars rose. If not for an elbow injury and a movie shoot keeping him on the shelf for a couple months, it could have been even more of a special year for the beloved vet.” ~ chris

12. Konosuke Takeshita (44 ballots, 3009 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 7
High Vote: Merino, TayKZY, Andrew G., JML (1)

Recommended Matches

vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW. 1/5)
vs. KUSHIDA (NJPW, 1/11)
vs. Oleg Boltin (NJPW, 2/11)
w/ Kyle Fletcher vs. Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay (AEW, 2/15)
vs. Kenny Omega (AEW, 3/9)
vs. Ryohei Oiwa (NJPW, 4/5)
vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 4/11)
w/ Masha Slamovich vs. Miyu Yamashita & Shinya Aoki (TJPW, 4/19)
vs. El Phantasmo (NJPW, 5/9)
vs. Bandido (ROH, 7/11)
vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW, 7/19)
vs. Great-O-Khan (NJPW, 7/23)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 730)
vs. David Finlay (NJPW, 8/14)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 8/16)
vs. EVIL (NJPW, 8/17)
vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 10/13)
vs. HIrooki Goto (NJPW, 11/2)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 12/6)
vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW, 12/13)

“Someone who I feel like was pretty often great, especially working triple-contracted with DDT, NJPW, and AEW. I think he felt like he was wrestling someone else’s great matches, kind of lacking in earnest spark and emotional depth bell to bell. Not sure how to feel about his year. I still really like him.” ~ Henry/Headcheese

“Fans of three different promotions complain he doesn’t get pushed enough. Meanwhile, Konosuke Takeshita shrugs as he collects three different paychecks flying to a different continent every week. Yes, if he was working for a singular promotion with a more defined role he might finally have that year where he truly is the best in the world. On the other hand, he seems perfectly fine just travelling the world doing his thing, getting a certified Meltzer fourna every time he steps in the ring.” ~ chris

11. Shinya Aoki (43 ballots, 3097 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 22
High Vote: Troubles (2)

Recommended Matches

vs. Keigo Nakamura (DDT, 2/14)
w/ Keigo Nakamura vs. Akito & Minoru Suzuki (DDT, 3/29)
w/ Keigo Nakamura vs. Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (DDT, 4/6)
vs. Charlie Dempsey (GCW, 4/17)
vs. Timothy Thatcher (DDT, 4/18)
w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Masha Slamovich (TJPW, 4/19)
w/ Daisuke Sekimoto & Takayuki Ueki vs. Risa Sera, Saori Anou & Unagi Sayaka (Unagi Sayaka Produce, 4/26)
vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 5/6)
w/ Jun Akiyama vs. Danshoku Dino & MAO (DDT, 6/11)
w/ Yuya Koroku vs. Minoru Suzuki & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 6/29)
vs. Suwama (Pro Wrestling Evolution, 7/5)
vs. Minoru Suzuki (DDT, 7/13)
vs. Takeshi Masada (DDT, 8/9)
w/ HARASHIMA vs. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (DDT, 8/31)
w/ Minoru Suzuki vs. Chris Brookes & Takeshia Masada (DDT, 9/6)
vs. Yuya Koroku (DDT, 9/28)
vs. Yuji Nagata (DDT, 10/14)
vs. Kazuki Hirata (DDT, 10/19)
w/ Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku vs. HAYATA, Junta Miyawaki & Tetsuya Endo (DDT, 11/3)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT, 11/30)

“Aoki’s 2025 run consisted of him terrorising the DDT younglings for the most part and as a result I really gravitated towards the man because of that. His heavy grounded style really spoke to the grappling nerd inside me and he’s refreshingly flawed in that he has clear weaknesses in how he presents himself; he’s not a particularly strong striker, and more often than not he can be suckered into playing with his food too much for his own liking which is naturally his main undoing. In a world of seemingly superhuman beings who can go 30+ minutes taking career ending bomb after bomb it’s really awesome that a guy can make like a 7-minute TV length match seem truly epic in its own right without compromising the quality or the complexity.” ~ Stump H. Puller

“Everything is a struggle for Aoki, nothing in his matches are given for free. Most people build matches out of getting a pinfall for Aoki is about just getting the shoulder on the mat. With this aoki can make the most captivating matches out of the smallest stuff. Just an absolute killer when stuff gets grounded. But also not above clowning it up when DDT calls for it. One of the best in the world.” ~ Padraig

“In a world where so many wrestlers do so much that means so little, a guy like Aoki who makes every little thing mean so much is a breath of fresh air. Also, he’s pretty funny and kind of a dick which mostly rules” ~ Dokomoy

“On a match by match basis, I’m not sure there was anyone in Japan that was better than Aoki, nor more enjoyable to watch as he pushed the DDT roster to their limits on the mat. Everyone from main eventers like Gooch and HARASHIMA to midcarders like Yuya Koroku and Takeshi Masada benefitted from sharing a ring with the guy. “ ~ FUJIWARSMIRK

“Maybe the most one-of-one wrestlers I saw last year. Shinya Aoki feels likes a squid in the wrestling ring, coming with a really clever and tight defense offense. One of my favorite uniquely Aoki bits is the amount of struggle he makes his opponents go through just to pick him up. It feels like with Aoki he can finish the match anytime by pinfall or submission.” ~ Henry/HeadCheese

“No better obstacle in the sport. Whether against the youth, or in main events, Aoki’s approach applies all the same: he makes everything matter. “ ~ Stevan S.