80. Dominic Garrini (23 ballots, 963 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 95
High Vote: Dan Rice, MC (17)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Kevin Ku vs. Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA (DPW, 1/26)
• w/ Kevin Ku vs. Brick Savage & Dmitri Alexandrov (New Texas, 2/23)
• w/ Kevin Ku vs. Duke Davis & Ganon Jones Jr. (Enjoy, ⅜)
• w/ Kevin Ku vs. James Drake & Zack Gibson (DPW, 4/18)
• w/ Kevin Ku vs. Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (DPW, 4/24)
• vs. Charlie Dempsey (GCW, 8/2)
• vs. Mad Dog Connelly (DPW, 8/10)
• vs. 1 Called Manders (GCW, 9/12)
• w/ Kevin Ku vs. Moros & Nemesis (PPW, 9/13)
• w/ Kevin Ku vs. Bam Sullivan & Matt Tremont (JCW, 10/26)

“Dom for a wrestler who essentially has never fully broken out on his own has been on a few different paths where you could think “He might be the next thing”. First you had the young jiu-jitsu guy in EVOLVE that Dylan Hales loved and would send Fujiwara matches too. Then you had the bloody brawler who may have peaked with the Josh Bishop match during Mania weekend. You could also say he was on the path as part of the most buzzy US indie tag team for a period of time, and maybe still is? This year we got some showings of him being that brawler I loved so much.” ~ Sam D.

“It’s a beautiful thing to watch somebody beat the washed allegations. Garrini hasn’t missed significant time in several years, but it’s felt like he’s been working hurt just about every match for at least two. Violence Is Forever became the premier tag team on the indies, but Kevin Ku was the guy who got all the hype. It felt for a while that Garrini had to beg for singles opportunities. Not so much in 2025. He got singles opportunities against Manders, Mad Dog, Charlie Dempsey and Bear Bronson while remaining maybe the best tag worker on the indies. If anyone still watched AIW, Dom might be in the top 50.” ~ chris

79. Dani Luna (20 ballots, 972 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 420
High Vote: Timothy Robert Buechner (15)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Miyuki Takase (DPW, 1/26)
• vs. Hyan (DPW. 2/16)
• vs. Hyan (DPW, 3/16)
• vs. Takumi Iroha (DPW. 4/18)
• vs. Nicole Matthews (WCPW, 6/1)
• vs. Nicole Matthews (DPW, 6/15)
• vs. Lena Kross (DPW, 8/8)
• vs. Shayna Baszler (Prestige, 11/1)
• vs. Miyu Yamashita (wXw, 11/21)
• vs. Indi Hartwell (TNA, 12/6)

“Having a great wrestling year while being under contract to modern day TNA is the most impressive thing any wrestler has ever done. Put her number 1 i say.Luna best work is clearly her stuff in DPW maybe she did good work in TNA i wont be the one to check ill take your word for it.” ~ Padraig

“Dani Luna has paid her dues in brawls and stip matches, working with women of varying skill levels—and somehow the level of consistency is always there. In a fair and just world, someone would finally do the blindingly obvious and book a Dani Luna vs Mad Dog Connelly dog collar match. Let her live her truth!!” ~ Nick Yeoman

“The indie work is great and it’s what got her on my list but she had a great brawl in *2025 TNA*, against *Indi Hartwell* of all people. If that doesn’t tell you why she deserves to be on this list, I don’t know what will.” ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

“Another case of DPW understanding TNA wrestlers more than their own employers. One of the areas Deadlock needed to improve on was their women’s title scene, and Luna spearheaded that in the first half of the year. She kicks a ton of ass. “ ~ Stevan S.

78. Dax Harwood (26 ballots, 972 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 85
High Vote: Flae (6)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 1/29)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong (AEW, 3/15)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong (AEW, 4/23)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Daniel Garcia & Nigel McGuinness (AEW, 5/25)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd (AEW, 7/2)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey (AEW, 7/23)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Adam Priest & Tommy Billington (AEW, 9/11)
• w/ Cash Wheeler & Megan Bayne vs. Kevin Knight, Mike Bailey & Willow Nightingale (AEW, 10/8)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey (AEW, 10/18)
• w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Bandido & Brody King (AEW, 11/22)

“There are immutable laws of the universe: gravity, entropy, and the annual inevitability of Dax Harwood’s name appearing on this list, as if etched into the Book of Life by some Midnight-Express-obsessed demiurge. Every year, I try to summon a fresh take, only to find myself staring into the abyss of Dax’s consistency, and the abyss, naturally, stares back with a pair of tiny square glasses and a sausage-shaped finger and the strangest effeminate Southern accent that I have ever heard. After the fever dream that was 2024, Dax and Cash remembered their sacred calling: to channel the ghosts of Mid-South tag team glory, conjuring heel heat and hot tags with the kind of precision that would make Jim Cornette ejaculate into Bill Watts’s cowboy hat. They have become the gatekeepers of AEW’s tag division, simultaneously elevating the next generation and reminding us that nobody, but nobody, can make a hot tag feel like the second coming quite like these two. And Dax—oh, Dax—he remains a living monument to the art of wrestling, all while wearing trunks that resemble a pair of trunks that resemble an ill-fitted diaper. I adore Dax Harwood: his ridiculous little sausage finger, his tragically bald, walnut-shaped dome, and his unwavering commitment to being the queerest heterosexual man in all of professional wrestling.” ~ Orchid

77. Calvin Tankman (22 ballots, 979 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 46
High Vote: Jon B. (15)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Trevor Lee vs. Colby Corino & Masato Tanaka (DPW, 3/16)
• vs. Royce Isaacs (WCPW, 3/22)
• vs. Gabe Kidd (DPW, 4/13)
• w/ LaBron Kozone vs. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA (DPW, 4/24)
• vs. Adam Priest (DPW, 6/15)
• w/ LaBron Kozone & Manny Lo vs. Dominic Garrini, Erick Stevens & Kevin Ku (DPW, 8/8)
• w/ LaBron Kozone & Manny Lo vs. Anthony Henry, Cedric Alexander & JD Drake (DPW, 8/10)
• vs. LaBron Kozone (DPW, 10/19)
• vs. Manny Lo (DPW, 11/7)
• vs. Kevin Ku (DPW, 12/12)

“Tankman did cool down quite a bit after a solid 202t. I think Sam’s assessment of him in 2024’s VP100—that he doesn’t always stand out unless he’s the top guy—feels especially true after last year. Still, he turned in some solid work in DPW during the company’s home stretch of closure. He especially impressed against Labron Kozone at Super Battle 2025 and Kevin Ku at 4th Anniversary. A solid worker who can be great (in spurts) if the cards are aligned, it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll be able to catch up in another profile. Odds are, he falls off this list next year.” ~ Orchid

76. Syuri (21 ballots, 983 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 227
High Vote: John C. (4)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Sareee (Sareee-ism, 3/10)
• w/ Hanan & Saya Iida vs. Hazuki, Koguma & Mayu Iwatani (Stardom, 4/24)
• vs. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom, 4/27)
• vs. Alex Windsor (EVE, 6/6)
• vs. Sareee (Stardom, 6/21)
• vs. Ranna Yagami (Stardom, 7/6)
• w/ Hikaru Shida vs. Aja Kong & Sonoko Kato (OZ Academy, 9/7)
• vs. Sareee (NJPW, 10/13)
• w/ Saki Kashima vs. Ami Sourei & Lady C (Stardom, 11/23)
• w/ HANAKO, Maika & Ranna Yagami vs. Chihiro Hashimoto, Manami, YUNA & Yuu (Stardom, 12/24)

“Syuri continues to enjoy her role carrying Stardom wrestlers to good matches. Her tag run with Saki Kashima was very enjoyable as some goofy buddy-cop drama spread over multiple matches to the impending conclusion of Saki actually trying a little bit and every couple of months she gets to prove just how great she is elsewhere. Real shame a lot of her year was taken up in some of the most nothing house tour tier material you can imagine.” ~ Stump H. Puller

75. Cash Wheeler (26 ballots, 990 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 90
High Vote: Flae (7)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 1/29)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong (AEW, 3/15)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong (AEW, 4/23)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Daniel Garcia & Nigel McGuinness (AEW, 5/25)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd (AEW, 7/2)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey (AEW, 7/23)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Adam Priest & Tommy Billington (AEW, 9/11)
• w/ Dax Harwood & Megan Bayne vs. Kevin Knight, Mike Bailey & Willow Nightingale (AEW, 10/8)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey (AEW, 10/18)
• w/ Dax Harwood vs. Bandido & Brody King (AEW, 11/22)

“Cash gets the FTR blurb due to his unwavering commitment to eating shit on dives.

As a team, FTR seemed to be the common denominator between the peaks of AEW’s tag division. I feel the real hits are in some of the lower profile work, taking a team like the Outrunners to career matches, or the 2.0 bloodletting.” ~ Stevan S.

“I think we’re at the point where somehow FTR is underrated despite their push and accomplishments. They’re the tag team that has good matches that works for the good match company. Them having a good year is just par for the course. Of course you were on TV working 20 minutes every week and basically every time (except the E&C match) you had good matches showcasing your talents and elevating your opponents. Big whoop. Go fuck yourself.” ~ chris

74. Brody King (21 ballots, 1002 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 62
High Vote: Andrew Lacelle (10)

Recommended Matches

• vs. David Finlay (NJPW, 1/5)
• vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 3/26)
• vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 4/12)
• vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kenny Omega vs. Mascara Dorada (AEW, 6/4)
• w/ Bandido vs. Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona
• w/ Bandido vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 8/6)
• w/ Bandido vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 8/20)
• w/ Bandido vs. Hechicero & Josh Alexander vs. Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 9/20)
• w/ Bandido vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 10/18)
• w/ Bandido vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 11/22)

“In 2025, Brody King took chicken shit into chicken salad—after a bunch of stop-starts throughout the Winter and Spring, he struck gold when a seemingly slapped-together tag team with Brodido turned into one of the hottest acts in the company on the lead up to all in, switching up his offense to be more lucha-inspired and turning the tag team into a PWG tribute act. What is directly targeted at the type of wrestling fan who is only entertained when their grandfather jingles a set of keychains in their eyes? Sure! But remember, these are the kind of people who thought Kamala Harris would have deported fewer people than Trump has if she had won the 2024 election. So you take what you can get when the empire is crumbling, I guess. Anyway, here’s to a continued push for one of the best big man wrestlers in America. He’s certainly proved capable when given the ball to run.” ~ Orchid

73. Powerhouse Hobbs (25 ballots, 1007 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 235
High Vote: FUJIWARASMIRK (23)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Big Bill (AEW, 2/19)
• w/ Bandido vs. Big Bill & Bryan Keith (AEW, 3/1)
• w/ Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy & Will Ospreay vs. Brian Cage, Bryan Keith, Lance Archer & Mark Davis (AEW, 3/5)
• w/ Tomohiro Ishii vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 4/2)
• w/ Katsuyori Shibata & Samoa Joe vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 4/16)
• w/ Katsuyori Shibata & Samoa Joe vs. Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 5/21)
• w/ Katsuyori Shibata, Kenny Omega, Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland & Willow Nightingale vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Marina Shafir, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 5/25)
• w/ Katsuyori Shibata, Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland & Will Ospreay vs. The Beast Mortos, Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 6/18)
• w/ Katsuyori Shibata & Samoa Joe vs. Bishop Kaun, Ricochet & Toa Liona (AEW, 8/27)
• vs. Adam Page (AEW, 11/12)

“It’s a shame Hobbs had to retire. Oh well, in his last year Hobbs put in some excellent work. Really thriving in his new trio ‘the opps’ with Shibata and Samoa Joe (and sometimes hook but who cares). He’s a big guy who knows how to use hes height, weight and strength advantage in compelling ways. He gave Hangman his best non Moxley match. RIP Power house Hobbs hopefully you have the keys to heaven.” ~ Padraig

“The Big Bill/Powerhouse Hobbs feud is the best feud in AEW last year that only myself and Flae Blazer talked about.” ~ chris

“Hobbs has been one of my guys since I started really following AEW in 2022, and it was so rewarding to see him have a genuinely world-class year in 2025, even if the Monkey’s Paw dictated that he would go on to permanently enjoy retirement in 2026. Always a great presence on television, really showed out on PPV when he got the chance to, and uber consistent both as a big babyface for most of the year and a bruising monster heel in the last quarter. “ ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

72. IYO SKY (24 ballots, 1016 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 109
High Vote: Stephen (12)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Dakota Kai vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (WWE, 2/10)
• vs. Rhea Ripley (WWE, 3/3)
• vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley (WWE, 4/20)
• vs. Stephanie Vaquer (WWE, 4/21)
• w/ Jordynne Grace vs. Giulia & Roxanne Perez (WWE, 4/29)
• vs. Roxanne Perez (WWE, 5/5)
• vs. Stephanie Vaquer (WWE, 9/20)
• vs. Kairi Sane (WWE, 12/8)
• w/ Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane (WWE, 10/11)
• vs. Mayu Iwatani (Marigold, 10/26)

“Undoubtedly one of the best wrestlers in the world, IYO SKY is unfortunately cursed from working at the stupidest wrestling company in the world. Even still, she played a large part in the sole watchable moment from Wrestlemania 41 (the three way against Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley) and proved in her main event “dream match” at Marigold Grand Destiny that she hasn’t lost the in-ring chops that make her so special in the first place.” ~ Orchid

71. Jake Something (25 ballots, 1047 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 74
High Vote: Andy/ShrimpBizkit (20)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Matt Tremont vs. Adam Priest & Mad Dog Connelly (WCPW, 6/1)
• vs. Mance Warner vs. Steve Maclin (TNA, 6/21)
• w/ The Beast Mortos vs. Anthony Henry & JD Drake vs. Dustin Waller & Kylon King vs. James Drake & Zack Gibson (DPW, 7/13)
• vs. Adam Priest (DPW, 8/10)
• vs. Steve Maclin (TNA, 8/15)
• vs. Myron Reed vs. Trey Miguel vs. Zachary Wentz (TNA, 9/4)
• vs. JD Drake (DPW, 9/14)
• vs. Adam Priest (DPW, 10/19)
• vs. LaBron Kozone (DPW, 11/7)
• vs. LaBron Kozone (DPW, 12/12)

“It’s wild to think that Jake Something tore his bicep and only missed 3 months of work, but that’s just the sort of freak this man is. Once he came back to DPW, he had a few stand-out tag matches before falling directly into a mini feud with Adam Priest to get his belt back, culminating with an incredibly solid Steel Cage match that had both workers treating the apparatus like it needed to change the direction of the match, which is a long-lost art these days. He worked in 11 other promotions in 2025 before signing with AEW and immediately getting hurt again. But it will be interesting to see what he can do in a big promotion if he finally gets the intentional booking he deserves.” ~ Orchid