50. Demus/Mini Abismo Negro (26 ballots, 1451 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 24
High Vote: TyPls, Cal S. (7)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Antonio Honda (DDT, 1/12)
• vs. Adam Del Castillo (Lucha Memes, 1/19)
• vs. Amnesia vs. Osiris (Zona 23, 1/26)
• w/ Joe Lider & Super Pinochito vs. Lunatik Extreme, Ovett Jr. & Super Boy (LLB, 2/8)
• vs. El Hijo de Fishman (Zona 23, 3/9)
• vs. Stigma (Lucha Memes, 4/12)
• w/ Crazy King, Fandango & Paranoiko vs. Brazo de Platino, Jimmy, Pinochito & Principe Centauro (LLB, 5/3)
• w/ Hijo de Brazo de Platino, Ovett Jr. & Super Boy vs. Fandango, Medico Brujo, Pinochito & Sick Boy (IWRG, 5/29)
• vs. Judas el Traidor (Lucha Memes, 8/17)
• vs. Mad Dog Connelly (ACTION, 9/6)
• w/ Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde & Lince Dorado vs. La Parka, Laredo Kid, Mascarita Sagrada & Octagon Jr. (WWE, 9/12)
• vs. Tonalli (Lucha Memes, 9/14)
• vs. Mascarita Sagrada (AAA, 10/25)
• w/ Luis Mante vs. Jacky Kamei & Riiita (DG, 12/16)
• w/ Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion vs. Danshoku Dino, Kazuki Hirata, Super Sasadango Machine & Toru Owashi (DDT, 12/21)

“Demus is on a two year streak of having match of the year in 2024 Him vs Mad Dog Connelly and this year vs El Hijo De Fishman. I look forward to 2026 when Demus vs Yuni in a 9 minute match 2nd on the card on a random DDT show wins MOTY. “ ~ Padraig

“May have lost a bit of the luster he had in his stellar 2024 campaign comparatively, but still a wonderfully consistent year from Demus in 2025, highlighted by the incredible brawl with Fishman in Zona 23. Still had plenty of great brawling work in Zona, IWRG and Lucha Libre Boom, and had one of the most varied years of anyone as far as promotions worked go. Not many workers are on a Ring of Honor/ACTION taping and a WWE Presents AAA taping in less than a week, while bookending their years on DDT and Dragongate runs.” ~ chris

49. David Finlay (26 ballots, 1457 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 81
High Vote: Owen R. (3)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 1/4)
• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 3/15)
• vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 3/16)
• vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW, 4/5)
• vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 4/11)
• w/ Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori vs. EVIL, Ren Narita, SANADA, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NJPW, 5/3)
• vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 7/25)
• vs. Oleg Boltin (NJPW, 8/1)
• vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 8/7)
• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 8/10)
• vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW, 8/14)
• w/ HIromu Takahashi vs. OSKAR & Yuto-Ice (NJPW, 11/22)
• w/ HIromu Takahashi vs. Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 12/3)
• w/ Hiromu Takahashi vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 12/7)
• w/ Hiromu Takahashi vs. Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan (NJPW, 12/9)

“The people who are still ragging on David Finlay are out to lunch here: while I will not deny that he looks like an absolute doofus, he was arguably the most structurally sound, criminally underappreciated in-ring architect in New Japan’s recent memory, one of the few that was able to piece together the connective tissue of match in a way that added structure without being heavily dependent on theatrics and fireworks. He was probably miscast as a world-beating gaijin heel in NJPW—at minimum, his slow, prodding style in 20+ minute matches was a poor fit with the younger, inexperienced talent there. But I think the world of him from an in-ring perspective, and I wouldn’t be shocked if his ceiling ends up being much higher in AEW. With the right booking, he’ll be higher on this list next year, and even harder to deny.” ~ Orchid

48. Xelhua (29 ballots, 1463 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 84
High Vote: puroluchitas (1)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Guerrero Maya Jr. (CMLL, 1/13)
• w/ Rey Espartano vs. Karma I & Karma II (Lucha Memes, 2/9)
• w/ Blue Panther & Kaoma Jr. vs. Dr. Polux Jr., Hechicero & Virus (Indy, 3/27)
• vs. Negro Navarro (Lucha Memes, 4/12)
• vs. Hechicero (GALLI, 4/19)
• w/ Averno, Dr. Cerebro, Euforia, & Volador Jr. vs. Blue Panther, Hologram, Neon, Valiente & Virus (ACTION, 5/24)
• vs. Solar (Lucha Memes, 6/29)
• vs. Cerebro Negro (Lucha Memes, 7/19)
• vs. Virus (ROH, 7/26)
• vs. Lee Moriarty (ROH, 8/29)
• w/ Dr. Cerebro & Hechicero vs. Blue Panther, Pantera & Virus (ACTION, 9/6)
• vs. Atlantis Jr. (CMLL, 9/26)
• w/ Virus vs. Charles Lucero & Erick Ortiz (La Terraza Elma, 9/27)
• vs. Hechicero (RevPro, 10/18)
• vs. Feroz (Lucha Memes, 11/1)

“A better idea than wrestler but that still manages to make him better than so many others.” ~ Sam D.

“Still tends to put his best work in against llaves veterans on indie shows than he does on CMLL television, but most people would have their best work of the year against Negro Navarro, Solar, Cerebro Negro, Charles Lucero and Virus. As CMLL gets more serious about pushing Xelhua up the card, I believe the work there will match too. He’s an incredibly gifted performer who’s working closely with all-time greats every week, and he’s still only 22 years old. Forgive a young man for only having really good matches with Hechicero instead of being Hechicero at this point in his career.” ~ chris

47. Kosei Fujita (31 ballots, 1481 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 155
High Vote: Jacob S. (7)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. El Desperado & Hirooki Goto (NJPW, 1/22)
• w/ Hartley Jackson, Robbie Eagles, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. El Desperado, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW, ⅔)
• vs. El Desperado (NJPW, 2/4)
• w/ Robbie Eagles vs. Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori (NJPW, 4/4)
• w/ Robbie Eagles vs. Master Wato & YOH (NJPW, 4/29)
• vs. Francesco Akira (NJPW, 5/10)
• vs. KUSHIDA (NJPW, 5/17)
• vs. YOH (NJPW, 6/1)
• vs. Jun Masaoka (NJPW, 6/24)
• vs. El Desperado (NJPW, 7/6)
• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada (DDT, 8/30)
• w/ Ryohei Oiwa, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 9/12)
• w/ Robbie Eagles vs. KUSHIDA & Yuki Yoshioka (NJPW, 10/26)
• w/ Robbie Eagles vs. Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori (NJPW, 11/1)
• vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 12/22)

“Best junior on the planet.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“Fujita showed tons of promise going back to his days as a Young Lion, but 2025 is the year where you really saw the makings of a future junior ace. He had the strongest BOSJ showing of anyone, highlighted by an incredible past vs. present/future match against KUSHIDA. Vets like KUSHIDA, El Desperado, Taguchi and Kanemaru are still around doing strong work, but the New Japan juniors division has needed a fresh face who can lead the new generation for a minute. Would be surprised if Fujita isn’t that guy.” ~ chris

46. El Desperado 931 ballots, 1510 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 75
High Vote: John C., Maggie (5)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Hirooki Goto vs. Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 1/22)
• vs. Kosei Fujita (NJPW, 2/4)
• vs. Francesco Akira (NJPW, 3/6)
• vs. Jun Kasai vs. Masashi Takeda (Barb Sasaki Produce, 3/10)
• vs. Clark Connors (NJPW, 4/4)
• vs. Templario (NJPW, 4/29)
• w/ Violento Jack vs. Jun Kasai & Toru Sugiura (FREEDOMS, 5/2)
• vs. Aoi (TAKATaichiMania, 5/7)
• vs. Titan (NJPW, 5/10)
• vs. RObbie Eagles (NJPW, 5/29)
• vs. Jun Kasai (NJPW, 6/24)
• vs. Kosei Fujita (NJPW, 7/6)
• w/ Maki Itoh vs. Chris Brookes & Emi Sakura (TJPW, 7/21)
• vs. YOH (NJPW, 9/24)
• w/ Kuukai vs. KUSHIDA & Yuki Yoshioka (NJPW, 11/1)

“Opinions on the continued matches with Jun Kasai might vary, I still get something out of them. But Desperado is still the best wrestler in New Japan’s junior division. His 275 days as the junior champ was secretly some of the best work in New Japan all year. Not necessarily the toughest competition but still.” ~ Padraig

45. Ryohei Oiwa (29 ballots, 1516 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 113
High Vote: Jacob S. (2)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. El Desperado, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW, ⅔)
• vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 3/11)
• vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW, ⅘)
• w/ Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naomichi Marufuji (NJPW, 6/29)
• w/ Kaito Kiyomiya, Yuki Ueno & Yuki Yoshioka vs. Akito, Daiki Inaba, KAI & YOSHI-HASHI (NOAH, 6/30)
• vs. Oleg Boltin (NJPW, 7/20)
• vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 7/25)
• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 8/7)
• w/ Kosei Fujita, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 9/12)
• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan (NJPW, 11/22)
• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 11/25)
• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. OSKAR & Yuto-Ice (NJPW, 12/3)
• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. David Finlay & Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW, 12/7)
• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW, 12/10)
• w/ Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gabe Kidd & Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 12/14)

“Been a fan of him since watching him on excursion in NOAH a few years ago, and he’s delivered again and again since returning to New Japan in TMDK. The Yuya match is such a bright spot not just as a MOTY contender but also as a signal for what the NJPW house style can evolve into, a mix of that 1980s Fujinami/Choshu-esque focus on matwork and struggle and the bombast of the 2010s Bushiroad era. Not sure how well this holds up now, but at the peak of his push I used to say that I don’t understand why they viewed Umino as the heir apparent when Oiwa is what Umino wishes he could be, and I stand by the praise at least.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“Transitioned from his role of being Kaito’s buddy to being ZSJ’s buddy. If his role going forward is simply doing more strong tag work alongside other best in the world types, he’s going to keep doing great things for New Japan. The singles match opportunities he got indicate much more for the still-developing Oiwa. Matches like the New Japan Cup match against Zack and the G1 match with Yuya show a strong backbone as a technical ace for the company. As someone who’s worked closely with Yoshinari Ogawa and ZSJ, it’s easy to see him following in their footsteps as a slightly undersized but crafty matworker who can outsmart his larger opponents into title opportunities.” ~ chris

44. Will Ospreay (27 ballots, 1543 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 25
High Vote: Mr. Bushiroad, Jonas G. (6)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Brian Cage (AEW, 1/29)
• w/ Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 2/15)
• vs. Bryan Keith (AEW, 2/26)
• vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 3/9)
• vs. AR Fox(AEW, 3/19)
• vs. Kevin Knight (AEW, 4/6)
• w/ Kevin Knight, Mark Briscoe & Mike Bailey vs. Action Andretti, The Beast Mortos, Lio Rush & Ricochet (AEW, 4/9)
• vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 4/16)
• vs. Adam Page (AEW, 5/25)
• vs. Lio Rush (AEW, 6/4)
• vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 6/11)
• w/ Katsuyori Shibata, Powerhouse Hobbs, Samoa Joe & Swerve Strickland vs. The Beast Mortos, Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson & Wheeler Yuta
• w/ Swerve Strickland vs. The Beast Mortos & Dralistico (AEW, 7/2)
• w/ Swerve Strickland vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 7/12)
• w/ Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd, Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 8/24)

“ Incredibly fitting that I am responsible for writing this blurb, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about people who are convinced Will Ospreay is the greatest wrestler of all time, they are largely incapable of explaining why he’s the greatest wrestler of all time. Here’s what I will say about the 21st-century Kwee Wee: beyond his overall brain-dead jingling-keys routine and obsession with maximalizion, Ospreay had two matches that changed the trajectories of two of his coworkers’ careers. His performance in the Owen Cup finals helped rehabilitate Adam Page as the top babyface in the company, putting Hanger in the perfect position to usurp Jon Moxley at All In. And his work in his ….extended feud with Kyle Fletcher helped the former Aussie Open member reimagine himself as a heel, putting The Protostar in the perfect position to establish himself as the future of AEW. It’s incredible that someone so heralded cannot seem to get much output from his otherworldly athletic gifts. But the saving grace for Will is that he isn’t afraid to put his peers over, which bodes well for his eventual toothless run with the AEW World Championship.” ~ Orchid

“Forever the most controversial worker to make the top 100 every year. Ospreay had one of his strangest years yet as he openly spoke about working hurt before finally leaving TV for months to deal with his lingering back injuries. As he gradually wound down his workload, he ended up working his fewest matches since he was a rookie working the first few PROGRESS shows. His big main events – the Fletcher cage match, the Bucks tag, the feuds with Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland – were endlessly debated by those who celebrate him as one of the most gifted wrestlers in the world and those who loathe him as a masturbatory soulless showman. I found AEW to miss him in a completely different role as the year went on. Of course, the company missed his star power as a main event level talent, but he also left behind his role as a television workhorse. His matches with the likes of Lio Rush, Bryan Keith and even Brian Cage on Dynamite and Collision stood equally as impressive as his work against the Bucks and the Death Riders of the world. And while Kevin Knight would have seemingly had a breakout year no matter who you put with him, it was that wild 13-minute opener going toe-to-toe with Ospreay on Dynasty that made me think he’d truly arrive. I think that ability to work well with younger and underutilized workers in showcase matches is something that gets lost in all the endless Ospreay discourse.” ~ chris

43. Trevor Lee (31 ballots, 1546 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 134
High Vote: Cake (5)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Calvin Tankman vs. Andrew Everett & BK Westbrook (DPW, 1/17)
• w/ Calvin Tankman vs. Colby Corino & Masato Tanaka (DPW, 3/16)
• vs. Kevin Blackwood (WCPW, 3/22)
• w/ Andrew Everett vs. Starboy Charlie & Titus Alexander (Prestige, 4/12)
• w/ Adam Priest vs. Colby Corino & LaBron Kozone (DPW, 5/18)
• vs. LaBron Kozone (DPW, 6/15)
• vs. Ryan Clancy (DPW, 8/10)
• vs. Myron Reed (AAW, 9/13)
• vs. Anthony Henry (DPW, 9/14)
• w/ Calvin Tankman vs. Andrew Everett & BK Westbrook (DPW, 9/14)
• w/ Judas Icarus & Travis Williams vs. BK Westbrook, Bojack & Morgan Dash (DPW, 10/19)
• vs. BK Westbrook (DPW, 11/7)
• vs. Rafael Quintero (AAW, 11/22)
• w/ Adam Priest vs. Andrew Everett & BK Westbrook (DPW, 12/12)
• vs. Rich Swann (AAW, 12/26)

“Not all wrestlers escape the WWE and can recover from it but Trevor Lee is back in a big way. His most notable work being in the now defunct DPW where he formed a delightedly hateable partnership with Adam priest. His heel work isn’t anything groundbreaking but it worked like a charm. Kozone beating him in 8 seconds for the entire locker room to come and take a selfie over his beaten body was the perfect way for DPW to go out.” ~ Padraig

“In 2025, there were few people in wrestling I wanted to see get their ass kicked more than Trevor Lee. While being the perfect sidekick for Priest, he still held his end of the bargain in his own right. For how bittersweet DPW’s final show was, Lee’s commitment to the bit saw off the promotion on the highest note possible.” ~ Stevan S.

42. Kazuchika Okada (35 ballots, 1555 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 43
High Vote: HD (11)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson & Ricochet vs. Kenny Omega, Kevin Knight, Mark Briscoe & Mike Bailey (AEW, 4/30)
• vs. Kevin Knight (AEW, 5/7)
• vs. Mike Bailey (AEW, 5/25)
• vs. Mark Briscoe (AEW, 6/18)
• vs. Kota Ibushi (AEW, 7/2)
• vs. Kenny Omega (AEW, 7/12)
• vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 8/24)
• w/ Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bandido & Brody King (AEW, 10/18)
• vs. Bandido (AEW, 10/22)
• vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 11/26)
• vs. PAC (AEW, 12/3)
• w/ Hechicero & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 12/17)
• vs. Kevin Knight (AEW, 12/17)
• vs. Mike Bailey (AEW, 12/21)
• vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 12/27)

“The Rainmaker is no longer the consistent force he was at the peak of his powers, but he is every bit that man when he wants to summon it. He had fantastic outings against Mascara Dorada, Speedball, and Brodido. He showed some of this in his contests with Omega and Ibushi as well. He has always been a bit of a quality over quantity worker, and even more so is in 2025; but when he decides to turn it on, very few still are at his level.” ~ TayKZY

41. Barbaro Cavernario (28 ballots, 1558 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 69
High Vote: Simon (9)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Neon (CMLL, ¼)
• w/ Hechicero & Zandokan Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Star Jr. (CMLL, 1/18)
• w/ Hechicero & Soberano Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr., Mistico & Titan (CMLL, 2/7)
• w/ Hechicero & Soberano Jr. vs. Dark Panther, Fuego & Sammy Guevara (ROH, 2/8)
• w/ Averno & Volador Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr., Mistico & Titan (CMLL, 2/14)
• vs. Hechicero (NJPW, 2/28)
• w/ YAMATO vs. Ben-K & TItan (Pandemonium, 4/17)
• w/ Angel de Oro vs. Neon & TItan (CMLL, 7/4)
• w/ Hechicero & Volador Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Titan (CMLL, 9/25)
• w/ Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Neon (CMLL, 10/10)
• w/ Averno & Hechicero vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Neon (CMLL 10/14)
• w/ Difunto vs. Mascara Dorada & Titan (CMLL, 10/24)
• w/ The Beast Mortos vs. Komander & Mistico (CMLL, 11/21)
• vs. Mistico vs. Soberano Jr. (CMLL, 11/28)
• vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL, 12/9)

“Starting to climb up the rankings of “plug and play” CMLL wrestlers of all-time. Captain for a trios? You got it, going to be a big build to a showoff with someone on the opposite team I’m sure of it. But can also do second lieutenant stuff. Pops in for some big spots that spice up the bout but isn’t the focus. Didn’t get as many big singles, and he was saddled with lesser talent in trios more often than I would have liked, but Cavernario never lets the bottom fall out.” ~ Sam D.