Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2025 (#20-11)

Click here for part eight of the Top 100 Matches Of 2025, looking at #30 through 21.

20. WWE Tag Team Championship TLC Match: The Wyatt Sicks [c] vs. Andrade & Rey Fenix vs. DIY vs. Fraxiom vs. The Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Street Profits – WWE SummerSlam

Image Credit: WWE

The Dudleys and Hardys were in the crowd to honor 25 years of that iconic TLC match. This was pure madness as expected with 12 people involved. They hit us with big spot after big spot and as usual in these matches, I can’t talk about them. It’s so much to keep up with. Each team got a few spots to showcase themselves. We also got individual rivalry moments for the likes of DIY/MCMG. Andrade and Fenix had a cool spot where Andrade helped his partner stand on his shoulders to try and get to the belts. There was a series of people going through tables in a row including Fenix hitting a dive onto one and Axiom doing a Spanish Fly on Dawkins to the outside through two tables. An incredible sequence of absurd spots. Candice LeRae showed up and climbed the ladder only to get cut off by B-Fab, who then got stopped by Nikki Cross with a back suplex off the ladder. Candice climbed back up with Johnny holding the ladder for her, only for her to get knocked off and through a ladder outside. Holy shit. Ciampa ending up dangling from the belts as Frazer climbed a ladder across from him for a Spear but Ciampa hoisted himself up higher, as Frazer missed. Frazer springboard moonsaulted right into a dope superkick too. Uncle Howdy got involved late, sending DIY through four tables outside and climbing the ladder himself only to get cut off by other teams. He took a sunset flip bomb onto a ladder at the end of that. The Wyatts took out Fenix and Gacy grabbed the belts to retain after a WILD 16:03. One of the best cluster ladder matches you’ll ever see. One of my biggest issues with these matches is that since we see so many, even the biggest spots are kind of forgettable. Here, we had spots that I think I’ll remember for a long time. [****½]

19. AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm [c] vs. Mercedes Moné – AEW All In

Image Credit: AEW

Lots of pomp and circumstance for Mercedes’ entrance, which had cheerleaders dancing with her titles. She also had a robe with the names of everyone she’s beaten. Toni’s entrance was really cool too. The feeling out process was good and Toni made sure to inject it with personality, sliding under the ropes instead of going through them when Mercedes held them open for her. She also mocked Mercedes’ CEO dance, pissing off the TBS Champion. Mercedes found a way to turn the tide and force Toni to take her a bit more seriously. The section where Merecedes held serve slowed the pace down but the Three Amigos getting booed was a bright spot. Toni turned things around with a short Storm Zero for two. I don’t like that near fall, especially since it was so early that there was no drama behind it. The spot where Toni could’ve Tombstoned Mercedes but instead shoved her face in her crotch was kind of perfect. Mercedes also kissed Toni only to get hit with a Pearl River Plunge (I’ll kind of always call it that) for two. The big near fall came when Toni delivered three Storm Zeroes in a row and only got two. The Mercedes inside cradle near fall after was much more effective. Then Toni surprisingly got the win with a Bret’s Rope Storm Zero at the 25:11 mark. An expertly paced match that felt like a huge deal, had great wrestling mixed in with character moments, and never felt like it went long. [****½]

18. AEW World Championship: Hangman Page [c] vs. Kyle Fletcher – AEW All Out

Image Credit: AEW

The Man in all of wrestling right now against a guy who absolutely feels like he’s one of a select few who is next in line to lead the way. They came into this saying that Kyle Fletcher would not have help from the Don Callis Family and they delivered on that promise. They didn’t find some goofy way to get past that. They just let two of the best out there go for a whopping 38:10 and it worked. Both guys went out there with a plan of trying to hurt the other one’s neck. Kyle held serve first with that before Hangman swung the momentum and the crowd ate up every bit of it. Some of the spots were wild and at times, I wasn’t sure if either could continue after some of the bumps they took. My favorite part was the callbacks to past rivalries, with Hangman going for One Winged Angel and hitting the JML Driver, while Kyle busted out Hidden Blade. Hangman looked done after taking several Brainbusters. Kyle made a key mistake late, toying with Hangman and giving him the opening to rally. Kyle did weather that storm a bit and set up for a Brainbuster on the exposed turnbuckle, only for Hangman to slip free and hit a ridiculous avalanche Deadeye. Page then finished him with the Buckshot Lariat. Hangman proves again why he’s the best male wrestler around and Kyle has his coming out party in a main event. Also, Bryan Danielson and Don Callis added so much to this on commentary. [****½]

17. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Starlight Kid [c] vs. Rina – STARDOM Path of Thunder

Image Credit: STARDOM

Image Credit: STARDOM

The pre-match video package focused a lot on Rina’s backstory, including her bond with the late Hana Kimura, who trained her. Rina also had her hair styled similarly to Hana and came out with Hana’s old light up sword. Though the heel, Rina had the hometown crowd advantage and used that to get the early upper hand. She still used underhanded tactics like a good villain. Starlight Kid’s arm was targeted and she responded by going after the leg, looking to set up the Black Tiger Leg Destroyer. They’d kind of been building to that on the preview tags in recent weeks. That was the crux of the match going forward. Rina hit the champion with everything she could, including her signature diving knees off the top. That led to “Rina” chants and I love that they didn’t make this a typical HATE match with a bunch of interference. Rina was out there to show that, despite being just 18, she was ready for this main event spot. Starlight Kid got going after that and came close a handful of times. Rina made a crucial mistake by attempting Hana’s Tiger Lilly move. The crowd wanted her to connect but she couldn’t and it may have cost her. Starlight Kid had survived a Gory Bomb and a Vertebreaker so Rina had to dig deep but that stopped her momentum. Starlight Kid hit a Tiger Driver and then took the kickout right into the Black Tiger Leg Destroyer to retain in 23:21. What an outstanding performance from Rina. She stepped up in a huge way. The pacing was fantastic, the action was nonstop, the crowd was hot, and you had the added emotion of Rina’s connection to Hana to boost it. Starlight Kid truly is one of the best in the world. [****½]

16. ROH World Championship: Bandido [c] vs. Konosuke Takeshita – ROH Supercard of Honor

Image Credit: ROH

When we talk about the best wrestlers of 2025, that conversation simply cannot happen without Konosuke Takeshita and Bandido. Seeing them go one-on-one made for one of the most anticipated bouts of the year. The first third or so of this 29:25 match involved back and forth action with neither guy taking a clear upper hand. It was when the Don Callis Family got involved that this kicked into the next gear. That interference was limited to that moment and set up Takeshita busting Bandido open with a chair. Bandido fighting the rest of the way while bloody added a lot of this as you really felt like he was in serious trouble. Bandido busting out Cattle Mutilation popped me as a Bryan Danielson superfan. As usual with these big matches, the closing stretch was electric and with Takeshita in between title reigns, you could buy him as a winner here. He looked unstoppable, especially when he survived the 21 Plex. However, Bandido countered Raging Fire into an inside cradle to retain, ending a magnificent match. [****½]

15. Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Semifinals: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Will Ospreay – AEW Spring Break Thru 4/16/25

Image Credit: AEW

I love that there are some weeks where AEW is like, “here’s an all-time TV banger just because we can.” Will Ospreay and Konosuke Takeshita are two of the best in the world and their match in 2024 was stellar. They delivered more of the same here despite this being on TV and not a PPV. As part of the Owen Hart Tournament, these two put on one hell of a show for a stellar 21:43. They played into the previous outing and managed to put little twists on what they did there, giving this a fresh vibe. I don’t need to go into detail about the specific spots they pulled out because, as great as those are, it was just captivating to watch these two masters go at it. From those sick exchanges to the intense drama since either guy was a viable winner, it was great. Their first match felt like a war but this one was more like two guys who were basically evenly matched trying to outdo each other. In the end, Takeshita fell to Stormbreaker and Ospreay advanced. We need the end of this trilogy in 2026 because it could be perfect. [****¾]

14. Kyle Fletcher vs. Mike Bailey – AEW Winter is Coming 12/10/25

Image Credit: AEW

A win for Kyle gives him a nice cushion over the rest of the field. Right from the start, I loved that Speedball kept going for pins. He knows he’s the underdog and this is all about trying to get points. Kyle’s power game came into play here and it forced Bailey to have to fight from beneath, which was the best story to tell here. Speedball hit his hope spots, like a sweet twisting plancha to the outside. In one of the wildest spots of the year, Kyle body slammed Bailey onto the top of the guardrail heading into commercial break. Once the match came back from break, it got taken to another level. The Lawn Dart into the Last Ride powerbomb near fall was madness. Bailey goading Kyle into a strike exchange only to go for a kick that set up another stellar exchange was fantastic. When Bailey hit Ultima Weapon and got two, I just about lost it. He missed an attempt outside and took an apron bomb which made me think it was over. Kyle hit the Brainbuster inside but when that only got two, I legitimately got goosebumps. Seriously something special. They jockeyed over position on pin attempts and just after the “one minute remaining” announcement, Bailey got the advantage on one to secure the upset, winning in 19:10. A spectacular pro wrestling match that was the best of the tournament to this point. Just unreal. [****¾]

13. Anarchy in the Arena: Death Riders and The Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega, The Opps, Swerve Strickland and Willow Nightingale – AEW Double or Nothing

Image Credit: AEW

In just a few short years, AEW has established Anarchy in the Arena as a wild match that is always going to be enjoyable. This year was possibly the best. The people involved shocked me as I never expected to find the likes of Katsuyori Shibata and Samoa Joe in a big plunder match like this. From “Bodies” playing over and over to Willow fighting Marina outside to the barrage of huge spots, this was 35:19 of non-stop fun. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone having a bad time watching this because it’s the best kind of combo of how violent yet absurd pro wrestling can be. Willow getting chained to the ring post by her ear hole was one of the sickest things I’ve ever seen. Marina stapling Swerve’s tongue wasn’t far off either. We even got interference from Gabe Kidd and Mark Briscoe, keeping things as fun as possible. In the end, a Swerve Stomp with tacks kept Matt Jackson down, capping one of the coolest matches of 2025. [****¾]

12. IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Yota Tsuji [c] vs. Gabe Kidd – NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka

Image Credit: NJPW

These two guys feel like the pieces to build around. Gabe is way over, walking through the crowd for part of his entrance and hyping them up. They came face to face at the bell and slapped each other before smirking. That let you know what this was going to be. Not that it wasn’t about winning but it was about these two looking to wage a war and show their fighting spirit. They were out to bring back what made New Japan so special at its highest point. Some of the chops and forearms they delivered were absolutely brutal. Seriously, one section was just them trading chops at a level that brought the crowd to its feet and even saw Yota surprised at how hard he hit Gabe. It’s nuts that Gabe has popped me twice this year on abdominal stretches. The one he did here to stop the Spear was perfectly timed. They just kept up with the vicious shots and the crowd ate it all up. The highlight of the match though was Gabe having another Gene Blaster counter ready, except this time it was into a piledriver. That’s mental. Gabe turned Yota inside out with a lariat late and went for a big knee but got caught with a Gene Blaster from out of nowhere. The crowd came unglued. Neither man could answer the 10 count, giving us a draw after 21:42. An absolutely absurd match in the best way. Two warriors who are looking like the future and present of New Japan. A war and I even loved the result. . [****¾]

11. IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Iwatani [c] vs. Syuri – STARDOM All-Star Grand Queendom

Image Credit: STARDOM

Mayu came in as champion for just over two years but New Japan often forgets the title exists. Meanwhile, Syuri is one of the best in the world but has kind of been floating around since losing the World of Stardom Title at the end of 2022. Mayu announced that she was leaving STARDOM, meaning this was her final match with the promotion that she has been the face of since basically day one. The match was some really good back and forth stuff that, when done by two of the best, is captivating. Things took a turn when Syuri hit a tornado DDT on the outside. Still, neither woman had the advantage for too long as this truly felt like a battle between two women out to be the best more than it was for a title. When Syuri locked in an armbar, I was so bought in that I believed it was the finish. But from there, we got even more. The spot where Syuri turned one brutal submission into another as Mayu began to fade only to barely get a foot on the rope was epic. Mayu tried the reverse rana that beat Syuri last year only for it to come off poorly and have to resort to a moonsault for two. Then there was Syuri kicking out of the Two-Step Dragon Suplex, which was breathtaking. Mayu kicked out of a German at one, then took two knockout kicks and got her shoulder up only on a reflex. She was done but part of her was still fighting. I think this should’ve ended with just one more move but Mayu survived that and then fell to Syu-Sekai in 21:54. Epic pro wrestling. As good as a sendoff as Mayu could’ve had, ending an all-time great title reign in an all-time great match. Mayu is the GOAT, Syuri is special. [****¾]