When you consider all the matches that take place in promotions all over the world and try to whittle that list down to just twenty-five matches that is a daunting task. However, I have put together the twenty-five must see matches of 2025, but I have decided due to the sheer volume of quality that has taken place I’m adding some honorable mentions in no particular order as well.
This is my fifth annual best of the year list; my personal best matches of the month lists have led up to these 25 best matches of the year list. It was a lot of fun for me to put together the best matches of the month lists. Sometimes matches didn’t happen that exact month when I finally got around to seeing them. The one requirement that I stuck to was, it will not be considered for match of the month, because that would be unfair but could be on the list and make the end of the year top 25 matches list.
There are only so many hours in a day and only so much wrestling I can watch. Please keep in mind these are just my opinion of the best matches I saw this year and is not a definitive list and is not the official Wrestling Republic ratings and rankings.
I had to make a lot of tough choices with the list to narrow it down to a final 25 and I tried to be well rounded and impartial with the listings. Although, you may not agree with the order or the matches on this list or you think I should have included other matches; that is ok because again this is subjective. For me, I factor in not only the match itself but the storyline, the presentation (promo packages), storytelling in the ring as well as the finish (did it make sense, was it clean, was it believable, did it further the story along or conclude it), when determining whether to include it on my monthly or yearly list.
Update: Starting in 2026, I will slightly be changing the rating system, I will be adding honorable mentions in no particular order to the end of year list. Also, the MOTM winner will no longer be guaranteed a top 25 match spot, but will instead at a minimum be guaranteed an honorable mention spot. The reasoning is it affords the ratings more flexibility and more realistically should capture the year’s best. For example, some match could be the MOTM winner for February, but a non-MOTM winner in June could be better than that February MOTM winner. I think this evolution in the rating system will be more fair and accurate representation of the year. In addition, matches are subject to re-evaluation so a MOTM winner maybe ranked lower than a non-MOTM winner upon re-evaluation because the impact of the match may change throughout the year or upon re-evaluation it maybe be better than I thought it was at the time with a fresh set of eyes. I want to capture the most accurate representation of the best throughout the entire year and I believe these changes will help me to do that.
The rankings were determined as follows for 2025:
Winners of the Best of the Month lists – Guaranteed 12 Slots (Bold signifies it was a MOTM winner on the table)
The remaining slots will be made up of matches on the Best of the Month lists
The top 25-matches list is in order unlike the monthly that are in no particular order.
The Honorable Mentions are not in particular order and will be on the list table at the end of this article.
25) Leon Slater (c) vs Je’Von Evans for the TNA X-Division Championship – TNA Bound for Glory 2025
These men are two of the youngest and brightest stars collided in a dream match for a championship representing arguably the greatest contribution that TNA has given professional wrestling the X-Division. The tag line of there are no limits that has been the cornerstone of the X-Division since its inception 23 years ago was built for these two men that weren’t even born when the championship came into existence. These 21 year olds did everything that we expected of them and then some. On TNA’s grandest stage of the year, these men proved that they are truly bound for glory and that is pun fully intended. The only reason that this match is not the match of the year is because of the finish that could have been a situation where neither company wanted their guy to lose clean since they see so much in both of them or perhaps they wanted to build bigger interest in a re-match on a WWE show. Either way this is an absolute must see match.
24) Laredo Kid (c) vs Jack Cartwheel vs Je’Von Evans for AAA World Cruiserweight Championship – AAA Guerra De Titanes 2025
Two of the biggest wrestling stories of the year was WWE’s acquisition of AAA and their WWE ID program and when you add in NXT’s Je’Von Evans into a match with AAA’s Laredo Kid and WWE ID prospect, Jack Cartwheel they had all the paint to paint a masterpiece on that canvas. Je’Von has an absolute breakout year and at only 21 the sky is the literal limit for him as he makes his second appearance on my list. Laredo Kid is an absolutely amazing talent that I was a fan of since I first saw him in TNA and Cartwheel has been a high flying dynamo on the indies. These men absolutely lived up to the rich history of the Lucha Libre style. WWE airing the AAA shows on YouTube for free has been a brilliant marking move to push the recently acquired brand and they have been putting on some of the most fun and entertaining shows of the year. The future is bright for all three men and makes me want WWE to perhaps replace the U.S. Championship with a version of TNA’s X-Division so these men can truly showcase their capabilities on the WWE grand stage properly.
23) Iyo Sky (c) vs Bianca Belair vs Rhea Ripley for the WWE World Women’s Championship – WWE WrestleMania 41: Sunday
Three of the top women’s wrestlers in the world on the grandest stage of them all and they absolutely delivered in this instant classic. Three different styles created a melting pot of the match that somehow just worked as these women brought the best out of each other. Rhea and Bianca are so established as stars they don’t necessarily need the title but that doesn’t mean they don’t want it. Iyo herself continues to impress as the empress of the skies. This likely won’t be the last time this match happens and I’m sure they will create magic again.
22) Fletcher & Takeshita vs Ospreay & Omega – AEW Grand Slam Australia
Although this show was repeatedly buried before the show even happened because of how AEW handled this international show, this match was solid and lived up to the hype. All of these performers know how to put on a show, and they did in this feud. Omega in his first high profile AEW return match showed exactly why many consider him one of the best in the business and AEW sorely missed his presence and Ospreay continued to show the world he can go in there. Takeshita and Fletcher both continue to impress as this was both men’s breakout year as the future of not only AEW but the business as a whole. This was my February MOTM winner and although this is a match that may not be as remembered as others this is one that is worth checking out.
21) Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens in an Unsanctioned match – WWE Elimination Chamber
There are just certain people that have perfect chemistry together no matter how many times they have faced each other and there is no question that Sami and KO never miss. This was a renewal of a rivalry that has spanned ROH, PWG, NXT and WWE and they are forever fight partners. These two men are like brothers outside the ring, so they know how to bring the best out of one another. When people go “they are fighting again?”, I’m like yes I’ll take more because these men have a warehouse full of painted masterpieces over their careers and considering KO’s neck situation, I’m not sure if we are going to get another one of these masterpieces.
