200 Mei Seira (6 ballots, 294 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 176
High Vote: Venellope (7)

199. ISHIN (5 ballots, 295 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 342
High Vote: TayKZ (13)

198. Rina (7 ballots, 298 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 727
High Vote: Venellope (9)

197. Jun Akiyama (8 ballots, 303 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 203
High Vote: Sm D (9)

196. Mascara Sagrada NG (7 ballots, 304 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 129
High Vote: TyPls (31)

195. Dustin Rhodes (12 ballots, 304 points) – LOWEST 12 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 87
High Vote: jon (23)

194. Mariah May/Blake Monroe (9 ballots, 307 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 178
High Vote: MC (38)

193. Nanae Takahashi (11 blalots, 309 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 156
High Vote: Stephen (26)

192. Lunatik Fly (6 ballots, 311 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 255
High Vote: chris (33)

191. Utami Hayashishita (8 ballots, 314 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 233
High Vote: Cody Milkman (14)

190. Jamie Hayter (9 ballots, 315 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 571
High Vote: Andrew Lacelle (6)

189. Ahura (5 ballots, 316 points)
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: Ben A. (1)

188. Sabu (13 ballots, 318 points) – LOWEST 13 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: pto (1)

“Sabu had the rare perfect year in wrestling, and would that more wrestlers would follow his blueprint: emerge from the ether, have one astonishing five-star kratom-crazed match, and then have the dignity to die forever.” ~ pto

187. Robbie Eagles (7 ballots, 320 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 219
High Vote; Ben A. (12)

186. Drake Younger (6 ballots, 321 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 352
High Vote: Jon B. (10)

185. AJ Styles (8 ballots, 324 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 179
High Vote: puroluchitas (13)

184. DOUKI (4 ballots, 325 points) – HIGHEST 4 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 125
High Vote: Mr. Bushiroad (12)

183. Miku Aono (7 ballots, 325 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 775
High Vote: JML (11)

182. Hiromu Takahashi (9 ballots, 327 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 207
High Vote: Jacob S. (8)

181. Noisy Boy (9 ballots, 329 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 287
High Vote: chris (14)

“One half of the tag team of the year in the Mexa Boys. He’s not as good as Spider Fly but it’s close!” ~ Padraig

“While Spider Fly seems to have taken a bit of the hype from the Mexa Boys as the more grounded of the two, I am a sucker for Noisy Boy’s sheer recklessness. Where many other luchadores’ matches can bleed together, Noisy Boy manages to do at least one thing a week that makes my jaw drop.” ~ chris

180. Daiki Odashima (11 ballots, 337 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 393
High Vote: Tanner (22)

179. Chris Jericho (5 ballots, 340 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 230
High Vote; Mr. Bushiroad (7)

178. Kaito Kiyomiya (8 ballots, 342 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 76
High Vote: Jon B. (23)

177. Yuu (9 ballots, 342 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 78
High Vote: Stump H. Puller (4)

176. Travis Williams (11 ballots, 346 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 151
High Vote: Dan Rice (8)

175. Cody Rhodes (9 ballots, 349 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 104
High Vote: puroluchitas (24)

174. Megan Bayne (11 ballots, 354 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 302
High Vote: jon (30)

173. MIRAI (6 ballots, 357 points) – HIGHEST 6 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 325
High Vote: Troubles (7)

172. Yuma Anzai (8 ballots, 360 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 67
High Vote; Troubles (26)

171. Yuki Yoshioka (8 ballots, 360 points)
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: Lucas E. (9)

170. Mizuki (7 ballots, 364 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 245
High Vote: Cody Milkman (13)

169. Suzu Suzuki (12 balltos, 364 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 187
High Vote: Stephen (24)

168. Mr. Condor (9 ballots, 365 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 656
High Vote: Padraig (24)

167. Kazuki Hirata (8 ballots, 366 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 470
High Vote: pto (6)

“Hirata winning the KO-D Openweight Champion was the type of special moment only a promotion like DDT could produce.. Hirata and wrestlers like him don’t get enough respect, shown here by him not making the vp100, but I think a moment like that reminds me that wrestling can be so great in so many different ways. The rest of Hirata’s year was great him doing what he always does but this moment, it got to me. I’d recommend checking out everything involving his title reign.” ~ Padraig

166. Natsupoi (8 ballots, 367 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 171
High Vote: Andrew G. (16)

165. Shota Umino (9 ballots, 371 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 188
High Vote: MC (8)

164. Anthony Henry (14 ballots, 371 points) – LOWEST 14 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 141
High Vote: Corwo (39)

163. Saori Anou (8 ballots, 374 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 184
High Vote: John C. (7)

162. Yurika Oka (10 ballots, 375 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 59
High Vote: Corwo (45)

161. KENTA (11 ballots, 381 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 446
High Vote: Stump H. Puller (18)

160. SANADA (7 ballots, 384 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 201
High Vote: Mr. Bushiroad (9)

159. Lunatik Extreme (7 ballots, 401 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 116
High Vote: chris (10)

158. Valiente (8 ballots, 406 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 150
High Vote: Cake (17)

157. Ben-K (9 ballots, 410 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 348
High Vote: Jonas G. (16)

156. Je’Von Evans (10 ballots, 412 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 591
High Vote: Alice S. (23)

155. Flamita (11 ballots, 412 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 321
High Vote: TayKZY (11)

154. Ryoyta Tanaka (7 ballots, 417 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 806
High Vote: TayKZY (15)

153. Tam Nakano (9 ballots, 423 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 190
High Vote: Stephen (18)

152. CM Punk (11 ballots, 429 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 105
High Vote: purouchitas (5)

151. Dragon Dia (8 ballots, 431 points) – HIGHEST 8 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 198
High Vote: TayKZY (24)

150. Great-O-Khan (9 ballots, 431 points) – HIGHEST 9 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 131
High Vote: Mr. Bushiroad (14)

149. Katsuyori Shibata (19 ballots, 432 points) – LOWEST 19 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 73
High Vote: Andrew Lacelle (26)

148. Kapeeka (5 ballots, 435 points) – HIGHEST 5 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 275
High Vote: Justice (2)

“One of the more compelling frameworks to view pro-wrestling through is as a reflection of the broader culture each company corresponds to. The Mr. McMahon Netflix docu-miniseries released in 2024 made a point in its early episodes to describe WWE as a brash distillation of Americana. The rise of Western video essayists like Showbuckle, in the wake of NJPW’s surge in overseas viewership during the mid-2010s, argued that Tetsuya Naito’s popularity was partially attributed to domestic fans relating his character and conflict to Japan’s underlying economic tensions. 

In the case of SGW Uganda, a company that went viral a couple of years back, their success stems from how their in-ring product is both bred out of circumstance and illustrates the nature of their country to their audience. Though they now have access to a traditional wrestling ring, their makeshift mud-based mat lends itself to gritty, abrasive matches, with enough looseness in their execution to elicit a sense of peril. It’s this instability and absence of security that reflect the environment that formed SGW. Though they often seek virality, matching their initial boom through racy, raunchy angles that sometimes border on modern minstrelsy, it’s through the language of their wrestling and limited resources that they convey the spirit of their culture. 

Kapeeka is at the heart of this driving force. Do not mistake the aforementioned point about wrestling mirroring its respective culture as purely doom-mongering about Uganda’s conditions or quality of life; it’s through Kapeeka’s infectious energy, charisma, and connection to the always-present crowd that SGW can, in its best moments, drive history. Many of the talent in SGW wear their WWE main event influences on their sleeves through their big signature moves, with Kapeeka being no different. What prevents these from feeling like shallow gestures is how they’re integrated as small features into matches with clearly distinct themes and narratives. The broader strokes of these matches contrast starkly from the matches of those whose moves they borrow from, as evidenced in bouts against Hamis Diamond and One Man Army. 

Should SGW continue to operate with its current level of minimal protection or vetting of its production, I hope they reduce their reliance on crass, ironic storytelling and place greater emphasis on their brand of visceral earnestness. Kapeeka is the man to steer that ship.” ~ Sol

147. Ilja Dragunov (7 ballots, 435 points) – HIGHEST 7 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 249
High Vote: Tylar (1)

146. Arez/El Clon (10 ballots, 444 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 138
High Vote: chris (11)

145. Spider Fly (10 ballots, 445 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 330
High Vote: Cody Milkman (7)

“One half of tag team of the year in the Mexa boys whose quick high octane style makes for great viewing. In a promotion that is a real mix bag of quality like IWRG the Mexa boys were a consistently entertaining act. Throw on any Mexa Boys match and I think you’ll get something out of it but I’d recommend Noisy Boy & Spider Fly vs. Ovett Jr. & Super Boy and Latigo & Toxin vs. Noisy Boy & Spider Fly” ~ Padraig

144. Bobby Lashley (17 ballots, 449 points) – LOWEST 17 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 526
High Vote: Owen R. (28)

143. Star Jr. (13 ballots, 451 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 209
High Vote: Cake (15)

142. Hikaru Sato (12 ballots, 458 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 56
High Vote: Sm D (17)

141. Seri Yamaoka (14 ballots, 468 points)
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: Stump H. Puller (24)

140. Keigo Nakamura (10 ballots, 469 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 499
High Vote: Cody Milkman (20)

“I love this bald little idiot. From the first moment I saw him against grappling superhuman Shinya Aoki, I knew I had to vote for him. It’s really apparent in that match, but also in every match he wrestles, really: there is no quit in Keigo Nakamura. Aoki twists the motherfucker into knots, but he refuses to give even an inch. It’s so easy for me to get invested into his matches because, for a midcard guy so relatively low in the pecking order going up against the likes of Aoki or Higuchi or Ueno, he remains defiant in the face of certain defeat. It’s as if he exerts every inch of himself into staying above water, for fear of any brief moment of wavering would send him crashing hopelessly into the bottom of the sea. I don’t care that he basically wrestled half a year before going off on excursion; the rest of the world was lucky that he only worked that long––and that I was too lazy to really make a case for him before voting––otherwise, he might have had a real shot at the top 100 proper. “ ~ FUJIWARASMIRK

139. Miyu Yamashita (10 ballots, 470 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 132
High Vote: Merino (13)

138. Kento Miyahara (10 ballots, 470 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 205
High Vote: Stump H. Puller, Ben A. (8)

137. Leon Slater (13 ballots, 471 points)
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: Venellope (5)

136. Mika Iwata (11 ballots, 473 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 112
High Vote: Sm D (6)

135. Yuki Ueno (10 ballots, 475 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 57
High Vote: Padraig (22)

“Clearly the guy who DDT’s already seen as their next top guy. Yuki Ueno is more than living up to the expectations placed on him. Capable of doing the main event epics but also with the comedic sensibilities that you need for DDT. Watching him torment Hirata with the threat of chashsin in a title shot is when I knew this promotion is going to be alright. Check out Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yuki Ueno from from DDT Wrestle Peter Pan and Kazuki Hirata vs. Yuki Ueno from DDT Dramatic Infinity.” ~ Padraig

134. Rhea Ripley (15 ballots, 480 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 202
High Vote: Tylar, Stephen (29)

133. Taichi (10 ballots, 484 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 536
High Vote: MC (5)

132. Takumi Iroha (13 ballots, 487 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 167
High Vote: JML (29)

131. Sami Zayn (13 ballots, 495 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 34
High Vote: Cody Milkman (15)

130. Gran Guerrero (12 ballots, 497 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 173
High Vote: Corwo (29)

129. Angel de Oro (13 ballots, 499 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 182
High Vote: Andrew (19)

128. Bear Bronson (14 ballots, 506 points)
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: Bucky! (10)

127. Keita Yano (11 ballots, 516 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 146
High Vote: Corwo (11)

126. Masashi Takeda (11 ballots, 518 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 266
High Vote: Jon B. (9)

125. Titan (13 ballots, 530 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 139
High Vote: BQ, MC (21)

124. Shingo Takagi (14 ballots, 531 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 70
High Vote: MC (14)

123. Jun Kasai (15 ballots, 532 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 225
High Vote: Ari Nambudiri (13)

122. Lyra Valkyria (12 ballots, 534 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 476
High Vote: Cody Milkman (18)

121. MJF (13 ballots, 534 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 213
High Vote: Andrew Lacelle (8)

“We’ve reached the point of MJF Discourse where people are so performative about disliking him that they’re doing “here’s a list of 100 types of animal shit that I would rather eat raw than watch a single MJF match” type posts, and you have to imagine that he’s just cackling at it. You guys understand that you’re marks, right?” ~ pto

120. Judas El Traidor (10 ballots, 547 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 196
High Vote: Cal S. (2)

“Maybe the most well-rounded worker in all of wrestling. Equally capable of a technical masterclass, indie spotfest, and bloody brawl. Whatever. I managed to wear you all down on Avisman in the last year, and you should all get ready to learn Judas el Traidor, buddies.” ~ chris

119. Kyle O’Reilly (16 ballots, 562 points) – LOWEST 16 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 119
High Vote: KFG (20)

118. Stuka Jr. (10 ballots, 568 points) – HIGHEST 10 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 83
High Vote: Owen R. (23)

117. Kzy (13 ballots, 581 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 137
High Vote: TayKZY (19)

116. PAC (14 ballots, 583 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 47
High Vote: Chris W. (11)

115. Shelton Benjamin (19 ballots, 590 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 115
High Vote: Owen R. (27)

114. OSKAR (12 ballots, 595 points)
Last Year’s Rank: NR
High Vote: musashibo benkei (2)

113. Mei Suruga (12 ballots, 601 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 270
High Vote: Henry/HeadCheese (2)

112. Nigel McGuinness (13 ballots, 603 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 92
High Vote: Cake (1)

111. Cerebro Negro (9 ballots, 613 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 274
High Vote: chris (3)

“The best wrestler over 50! Carbeo Negro matches in IWRG vs the likes of Bombero Infernal and Caballero de Plata were some of the best in indie lucha and wresting in general in 2025. Hard hitting and one hell of a bleeder. Check him out, you schmuck!” ~ Padraig

110. Shuji Ishikawa (13 ballots, 624 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 153
High Vote: Padraig (5)

“I’m so mad at all of you. Ishaikawa had a brilliant year. Popping up in every promotion under the sun and giving that promotion its match of the year. His most consistent work was for Pro-wrestling evolution where every time somewhere in the middle of the card Ishikawa would be having a great hard hitting match. Check out Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama from Evolution Vol. 32  and Shuji Ishikawa vs. Satsuki Nagao from KTDAN. I’m so mad at all of you. “ ~ Padraig

109. Starlight Kid (14 ballots, 624 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 157
High Vote: John C. (2)

108. Shun Skywalker (11 ballots, 626 points) – HIGHEST 11 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 340
High Vote: Andrew G. (7)

107. Tomohiro Ishii (16 ballots, 628 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 71
High Vote: John C. (19)

106. Shoko Nakajima (12 ballots, 653 points) – HIGHEST 12 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 118
High Vote: Andrew (2)

“There is no Miu Watanabe without Shoko Nakajima. There is no Miu Watanabe without the rest of the Tokyo Joshi Pro roster. This cannot be emphasized enough. This is not to diminish Miu or suggest she is any less than one of the top wrestlers today, TJPW or otherwise. It is gratifying to see the acclaim the current ace of the promotion has received, yet it is important to also acknowledge the system and talent surrounding her. The qualities of Miu that are most praised; her commitment to structure, intensity, and straightforward finishes, were laid out through the path Shoko walked before her.

The Big Kaiju is a student of the game, drawing heavy influence not only from Rey Mysterio, as evidenced by her 619-oriented offense, but also from many of WCW’s greatest cruiserweights. Shoko integrates their pacing and physical discipline with the rock-solid fundamentals that TJPW’s system demands of its wrestlers. It’s in Shoko and Miu’s matches against each other, especially in their Tokyo Princess Cup tournament cup semi-final from last August, that we see this, with Shoko forcing Miu to double down on her strategy and values in the ring in a way no other wrestler in the company has the cache to do. Due to the more acrobatic and riskier nature of parts of her offense, Shoko is susceptible to occasional botches, which I theorize is one small aspect of why she’s fallen into Miu’s shadow among self-claimed critics. On paper, it also doesn’t help her case that she spent much of 2025 teaming with Hyper Misao in comedy matches rather than building an extensive singles catalogue. That said, even these “comedy” matches follow a unique pattern of building into complex and heated bouts, a testament to Shoko’s ability to fluidly and organically bridge between two seemingly disparate match tones (eg, tags from Summer Sun Princess & Wrestle Princess VI, among others).

I recognize that much of Miu’s praise stems from those parachuting in to scout for the best matches from companies that are typical blind spots in viewership. While there’s no shame in doing so, viewing opponents of the singular wrestler you watch based on overheard buzz gives you only limited fragments of information about their opponents. 

To those who see a wrestler like Miu Watanabe as an exception or anomaly in a relatively arid wrestling landscape, let me reiterate: Miu’s talent was not cultivated in a bubble. Sounds obvious, right? When such a glaring discrepancy exists in how we talk about one wrestler vs. their contemporaries, however, we end up doing a disservice to all parties involved or even implied. Don’t let great talent like Shoko fall through these cracks.” ~ Sol

105. Averno (15 ballots, 657 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 94
High Vote: PEN (14)

104. Aja Kong (16 ballots, 666 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 200
High Vote: Stump H. Puller (6)

103. Hologram (19 ballots, 680 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 77
High Vote: Cake (23)

102. Marina Shafir (23 ballots, 681 points) – LOWEST 23 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 365
High Vote: Andrew Lacelle (7)

“As someone who’s been down since the “SELF DEFENSE IS NON NEGOTIABLE” t-shirt days, it’s really heartening to see Marina Shafir find her place in AEW. She and Lindsay Snow still have the best Bloodsport match of all time, by the way.” ~ pto

“All you motherfuckers will vote Wheeler Yuta in the top 100 for being the pretty serviceable pin-eater in Death Rider trios and tag matches, but keep the at-worst second-rawest worker in the stable out of the top 100. VP100 voterbase’s misogyny on full display. I’m disappointed in all of you.” ~ chris

101. EVIL (14 ballots, 686 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 371
High Vote: Mr. Bushiroad (2)