We started this little year-end series by sharing some of the staff’s favorite matches of the year. When we did, we said we wouldn’t be telling you there was one, objective “Best”. As we move into performers,
we’re still not going to do that. But “best” becomes a little less subjective for wrestlers because there are some measurable metrics to look at like titles, shows main event-ed, and the like. So some of us may present a stronger case for a wrestler than they would for a match or moment.
The goal here is still to talk about wrestlers whose work we loved, and maybe even personally believe are the best — and encourage you to do the same.
Let’s get to it.
Becky Lynch
by Geno Mrosko
I really wanted to say Rhea Ripley, simply because I believe she’s reached a level in the women’s division comparable to Roman Reigns, but I’ve been most consistently entertained by Lynch. I wouldn’t have imagined in a million years her ripping off Donald Trump would work so well but she’s committed so fully to the bit, and has infused such energy into her performances, that I can’t wait to not just see her on television but even just open up social media to witness her latest.
Naomi
by Sean Rueter
This one was tough. AEW/ROH has three or four solid options (two who were selected by my colleagues, plus Athena, who continues to amaze but other than TV time her 2025 looked a lot like her 2024, and Kris Statlander, who beat both the wrestlers picked below, but still doesn’t feel like a bigger star than either of them). In WWE, I always have time for any gimmick The Man wants to try, and her Trump=y heel has been a masterstroke. And while she’s cooled off since winning the title, Stephanie Vaquer wasn’t even on most wrestling companies radars a couple years ago, and not only landed a job with the biggest wrestling company the world has ever seen but got so over there she lapped other, more hyped talent it signed around the same time she did.
Perhaps someone who when you missed the last five months of the year shouldn’t be named the best of that year. But when you owned the screen (and the feeds) for the first seven months of the year with a cackling, scooter-riding, non-PG chaos agent who won Money in the Bank en route to a Women’s World title? And you’re leaving to become a mother for the first time? We’ll make an exception…
Toni Storm
by Cain A. Knight
Toni Storm might just be the biggest star in all of AEW.
She was consistently the most entertaining promo/interview in pro wrestling in 2025, giving her an edge over elite workers like IYO SKY and Mercedes Mone.
Toni had a damn good year in the ring too, with her best performance coming in the Hollywood Ending world title match against Mariah May. Her win over Mercedes Mone at All In was also one of the best women’s matches of the year.
Storm helped push the AEW women’s division to new heights in 2025, playing a key role in the first ever women’s Blood & Guts match, and putting over Babes of Wrath as the inaugural AEW women’s world tag team champions.
Toni Storm
by Claire Elizabeth
I said it over and over again, mostly in predictions, but truly, how can I have anything but boundless solidarity and love for my fellow messy queer blonde polyamorous lady who loves ultraviolence and dresses like she comes from a decade without color television? She wasn’t perfect, week-to-week the gimmick could occasionally drag, but in the big moments, in the big matches, she always delivered and delivered big.
And then her shift to tag team competition late in the year, bolstering that division and helping make the newly-minted AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship feel like a living, meaningful championship right out the gates? That’s real pillar of the division stuff right there.
Mercedes Moné
by Marcus Benjamin
Ultimo Moné ruled 2025. Yes, the belts are cool and of course a testament to her talent, but the sheer amount of work she put in to obtain all that gold is what puts her over the top. Mercedes worked around the world and sometimes around the clock and never once phoned in anything. This was her year from start to finish.
Toni Storm
by Manolo Has Pizzazz
Toni Storm turned what many assumed to be a character with a limited shelf-life into a thriving megastar. The Timeless gimmick started in 2023, and she has consistently found unique and creative ways to keep the gimmick hot all through 2025. Storm produces moment after moment on TV. Not to mention her ring work carrying the pressure of the world title scene for most of the year. All of that has made Storm one of AEW’s biggest stars overall.
Toni Storm
by Kyle Decker
The toughest things about these are remembering what happened in the first third of the year. But when you take in the totality of the year, I have to give this to Toni.
She started the year still doing her fake amnesia bit after she lost the AEW title to Mariah May, which was wildly entertaining. Then she revived Timeless to win the title back in Grand Slam Australia. Finally they went to the final match of the trilogy – The Hollywood Ending – which was a fantastic close to the story.
Toni held the title most of the year, keeping her in the spotlight she deserves. It’s rare that a long term champion stays entertaining but because of how damn good she is at this character, even matches you knew what the outcome would be were very enjoyable.
Even after losing the title, she’s still wildly entertaining every time on screen. It’ll be fascinating to see now that they doesn’t have the world title and failed to win the tag titles with Mina Shirakawa, where she goes next. Knowing Storm, it’ll be creative and entertaining.
IYO SKY
by M. G0MEZ
A funny thing happened on the way to WrestleMania 41.
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley seemed destined for a dream match with Bianca Belair, two of wrestling’s most powerful women meeting on WWE’s biggest stage. All Ripley had to do was get past Iyo Sky, which felt like a formality.
Except it wasn’t.
Sky stunned Ripley to win the Women’s World Championship, blowing apart visions of the long-anticipated Ripley-Belair showdown. To many, it appeared WWE was simply delaying that match, opting instead for a triple-threat encounter at WrestleMania, with Sky seemingly cast as the fall person.
Along the way, however, Sky’s two challengers grew increasingly dismissive. In promo segments, they talked past her as if she wasn’t even there. Having had enough, Sky snapped — slapping both Belair and Ripley and vowing to prevail at WrestleMania. In what was arguably the best match of WrestleMania Night Two, Sky did exactly that.
From there, her popularity surged. Fans rallied behind her as she entered an emotional storyline with Asuka and delivered memorable matches against Ripley, Naomi, and Stephanie Vaquer.
Already a beloved superstar, the nearly 20-year veteran broke through as a bona fide star, headlining Evolution, WWE’s second all-women’s premium live event. Through her emotion and in-ring work, Sky captured hearts and gold in a way that made her WWE’s most endearing superstar — and a joy to watch all year long.
Those are just the picks of a handful of internet blowhards, though. There are plenty of female wrestlers out there. Tell us about the one or ones you thought were the best during 2025 in the comments below, or start a conversation about your choice in The Feed!
