The last Pro Wrestling Illustrated list of the year has arrived. The latest edition of the magazine has its 2025 tag team rankings, aka the PWI 100. Actually, for the first three years of its existence, this one was known as the PWI 50, but for the past three it’s been expanded to 100 teams.
In what certainly could be seen as an indication of tag wrestling’s standing in the modern business, the top ranked team are not on the cover of the issue. They do get a shoutout right under their roster mate
and cover star, Mike Santana, though. They also get top billing in social media promotion of the issue.
Inside, we get confirmation that the sixth PWI Tag Team ranking is headed up by a duo who probably would have won it a few times by now if it the 100 or 50 had been around before 2020 — Matt & Jeff Hardy, who we still think of as The Hardyz, from back when they were Boyz. During the year PWI evaluated, the brothers from Cameron, North Carolina returned to WWE and won the NXT Tag titles for the first time, adding those to the long list of Tag belts from WWE and just about every other company under the sun they’ve held. They also became and remain the TNA Tag Team champions, their fourth time with those straps.
The criteria PWI’s selectors consider are mostly kayfabe: in-ring achievement, influence on the sport/promotion, technical ability, quality of competition, and activity. The rankings cover the period from Oct. 1 of the previous year to Sept. 30 of the current one.
Matt reacted on social media while reposting the blurb about them from the magazine:
Here’s the top ten, which includes teams from TNA, AEW, WWE, Stardom, All-Japan, and CMLL. Last year’s winners, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, split and were not eligible:
- The Hardys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy)
- Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin)
- Wing☆Gori (Hanan & Saya Iida)
- Los Hermanos Chavez (Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja)
- Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
- Fraxiom (Nathan Frazier & Axiom)
- Brodido (Brody King & Bandido)
- El Sky Team (Mascara Dorada & Mistico)
- Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair
- Saito Brothers (Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Senor Saito)
Matt & Jeff join Cody Rhodes and Mercedes Moné atop the magazine’s 2025 rankings.
Let us know what you make of PWI’s latest PWI in the comments below. The link for this issue isn’t up yet, but when it is you’ll be able to order a print or digital copy of the Mike Santana/Tag Team issue here.
