Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2025 (#80-71)

Click here for part two of the list, looking at numbers 90 through 81.

80. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: wing*gori [c] vs. Mei Seira and Suzu Suzuki – STARDOM Path of Thunder

Image Credit: STARDOM

The champs attacked quickly and the teams were slugging it out at the opening bell. Like their previous outing, this worked because every pairing ruled. Hanan kept up with Mei in some action that would’ve felt at home in a High Speed Title match while Suzu and Saya were throwing bigger bombs at each other. But when they’d switch off, the exchanges were all still engaging. Like, Suzu and Saya were just laying into each other like they were in a NEVER Title match. The Tequila Shot always looks cool. Due to the exhaustion of their battle, Hanan and Mei got stereo tags and kept up the pace. Also, Hanan sells desperation better than most as she looked like she was struggling big time in the STF. Great job. The final few minutes featured some great close calls, culminated by wing*gori using a back suplex/diving shoulder block combo followed by a Hanan back suplex to retain in 17:12. A step up from their already great match in 2024. STARDOM has the best in tag team wrestling these days. [****¼]

79. Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Finals: Jamie Hayter vs. Mercedes Moné – AEW Double or Nothing

Image Credit: AEW

Sometimes, booking is really easy. You can just put two of the best in the world in the ring together and let them do their thing. That’s what Tony Khan did at Double or Nothing with the finals of both the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. They bookended the show which began with Mercedes Moné against Jamie Hayter. It’s clear that Hayter lost a lot of momentum with her injury but she has shown flashes of the star she blossomed into a few years ago and it was never more evident than here. The beginning of his 21:17 encounter focused on mat work before Mercedes shifted focus to Jamie’s neck. Mercedes held serve for the most part, furthering Jamie into the underdog role and the crowd was way into her. When she started the comeback, this got taken to the next level. Jamie kept going to the lariat, using her power to wallop Mercedes. As was the case when she beat Kris Statlander twice, Mercedes knew she was in trouble and resorted to a tight inside cradle to steal the match and the tournament. Just high quality wrestling. [****¼]

78. 5STAR Grand Prix First Round: AZM vs. Hanan – STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 8/20/25

Image Credit: STARDOM

Hanan made it to the semis last year, while AZM is someone who I have wanted to see get a big push for a while now. As you might expect, these two got off to a fast start. With the number of pin attempts, I really thought they might pull the STARDOM move of having a match end in a few minutes. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and these two were allowed to do their thing. AZM held serve in the ring before Hanan came back with a plancha to the outside. From there, this was basically an even match with both neither woman gaining a clear upper hand. They never allowed this match to get dull and kept up that ridiculous pace from bell to bell. AZM got too cocky after hitting a diving double stomp, lazily pinning Hanan which likely allowed her to kick out. The near fall where they struggled over Hanan trying her back suplex a few times into the Azumi Sushi was masterful. AZM hit a Destroyer and turned the kick out right into a vicious armbar. As Hanan fought to get free, AZM found a way to tighten her grip and Hanan had to submit after 10:18. That was excellent wrestling from start to finish. [****¼]

77. AEW TNT Championship No Disqualifications Match: Kyle Fletcher [c] vs. Mark Briscoe – AEW Full Gear

Image Credit: AEW

If Mark loses, he must join the Don Callis Family. These guys usually deliver against each other. It wasn’t long before weapons were brought into play here, as we had the steel steps, a steel chair, and a ladder all in use within the first five minutes. Mark missed a somersault plancha and took a rough bump onto a ladder. Don Callis called Mark a crayon eater on commentary, which was really funny. Both men were busted open in under 10 minutes and they were dropping each other on their heads, delivering a ton of punishment. Mark started to get going despite taking a Dragon Suplex outside but a Don Callis distraction allowed Kyle to knock Mark off the top and through a table. Inside, Kyle put him through another table in the corner and then hit a Last Ride yet that wasn’t enough. Kyle brought thumbtacks into play that backfired when Mark hit a Fisherman Buster onto them. They kept going with the big spots until Mark brought a barbed wire table in as Don handed Kyle their trademark screwdriver. Kyle successfully used it to gouge at Mark, who still managed to escape and get two on a Brainbuster onto the tacks. Kyle set up the screwdriver so it was poking up through the top of the turnbuckle but thankfully, Mark blocked a Brainbuster on it. Kyle got going once more but Mark withstood it, hit a Razor’s Edge and then added the Jay Driller to win the title in 24:49. An awesome moment for Mark. Kyle can move up to bigger things, Mark gets a huge win and a feel good moment. [****¼]

76. Rina vs. Starlight Kid – STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 8/16/25

Image Credit: STARDOM

Right at the top of the list in terms of highly anticipated matches in this Grand Prix given how good their title match in February was. Both had strong tournaments and both were in playoff contention. Rina exploded out of the gates and she was one step ahead of Starlight Kid for a bit. When Starlight Kid got going, the focus was on Rina’s leg, as usual. Matches where they work the leg can be hit or miss but for SLK, it typically hits. Meanwhile, Rina’s target was the arm. I liked Rina trying a Gory Bomb on the apron because that’s a wild spot I don’t think I’ve seen before. The end result being a reverse vertical suplex on the apron was still pretty nuts. Rina survived a lengthy Black Tiger Leg Killer and rallied with her own vicious looking submission that she kept rolling back into whenever SLK tried to wriggle free. When SLK made it to the ropes, the frustration on Rina was evident. She flubbed a Gory Bomb so she tried it again, only for SLK to counter with Code Red. Rina kicked out of a moonsault at one and I was locked in. She nailed another Gory Bomb but as she covered, time expired at 15:00. One hell of a way to do a draw. Rina comes one step closer to beating SLK and they’re telling quite the story with these two. Fantastic match. [****¼]

75. Mayu Iwatani vs. Utami Hayashishita – Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix 8/30/25

Image Credit: Marigold

This is the big one. Two top stars and their first meeting in Marigold. They also haven’t met one-on-one since 2023. This opened with a simple feeling out process before Utami established her dominance. She slammed Mayu and began tossing her around. Mayu was getting her ass kicked and she had to use her quickness advantage to level the playing field. That included a nice tope suicida. As this progressed, it only got better with Mayu nailing a rebound German and a dope snap Dragon Suplex only for Utami to catch a kick and deliver a powerbomb. Back and forth like that set the tone for the closing stretch here. Utami cut off the Poison Rana spot and nailed a Bret’s Rope Air Raid Crash for two, then Mayu countered Utami’s finisher and hit a rana. I will say, the referee was terrible here. They kept counting 1,2…then waited forever before trying for 3. The rhythm was way off. I know that happens more in Japan than other places but it was jarring here. Both women got closer calls until Utami hit her finisher just as time expired in 15:00. That lived up to the hype. A spectacular match between two of the best on the planet. I’m ready for the big rematch, whenever it happens. [****¼]

74. AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita [c] vs. Kenny Omega – AEW Revolution

Image Credit: AEW

They had a different match than I was expecting. I thought it would be more high octane but they actually worked it at a slower pace to start. They built this around Omega’s injury with plenty of shots to the ribs. Takeshita was a brute, laying into the ribs with straight punches or doing things like front suplexing him onto the edge of a table. The back half of this was filled with action and saw Kenny try the One Winged Angel but fail because of the damage he had taken. That meant he had to resort to other moves and dig deep into his bag. The spot where Takeshita hit him with a pump knee for two and then hit a second pump knee for one was a perfect use of the kickout at one. When Kenny went for his finisher again, Don Callis intervened and saved Takeshita. However, that meant Kenny rolled him into a crucifix for two, Takeshita turned it into his own pin for two, and then Kenny went back to his own pin to win the title in 28:29. One of those matches where at times, I wasn’t sure if it was going to live up to the hype, and at other times, I was in awe. It did go a bit long and I don’t think it needed that. I did love that the finish protected Konosuke. [****¼]

73. AZM vs. Rina – STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 8/6/25

Image Credit: STARDOM

Given how great Rina was in 2025, this was pretty exciting because AZM is one of the best out there. Rina jumped AZM and that gave her early control. AZM fought back and they went into trading shots, seemingly trying to prove who was better than the other. The Korakuen crowd, as is often the case, helped this by being awesome and way into everything. The pace here was outstanding as they never allowed this to let up. They also had so many counters and such for two people going so quickly. AZM turning the Gory Bomb into Code Red and taking the kickout right into an armbar was just great pro wrestling. It was the best looking armbar I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. Rina had her own impressive submission soon after. Both girls came close to winning with various pin combinations. I loved how they nailed the little things, like AZM actually struggling to kick out before finally doing so just in the nick of time. AZM used the Azumi Sushi to win from out of nowhere in 11:50, ending Rina’s unbeaten run. Holy shit that was awesome. I’m likely the high man on this but I don’t care. A hell of a match with tons of action in a short time and you felt like both women badly wanted to win. [****¼]

72. Marigold United National Championship: Mai Sakurai [c] vs. Victoria Yuzuki – Marigold Grand Destiny

Image Credit: Marigold

Mai Sakurai has been a surprise star for Marigold. She’s been so much better here than a lot of her STARDOM work I saw before she left. Yuzuki was shockingly good as a rookie a couple of years ago and has continued to grow in Marigold, with this being her biggest match. Both women came into this with an impressive level of aggression and it always felt like there was a strong desire to win. Too often do we get matches where it’s just people doing moves for the sake of it. It was clear here, from bell to bell, that both women needed to win. Mai even brought a chair into play and hit a Tombstone outside, happy to try and take a countout victory. Yuzuki was in trouble from that point on but found hope in some judo throws and a German suplex on the apron. Yuzuki ended up with a busted mouth because of how vicious parts of his were. The trading of strikes late was fantastic and when Yuzuki kicked out at one, I lost it. Yuzuki survived everything Mai threw at her, from a Tiger Suplex to several STF attempts. My favorite part was the finish though, as Yuzuki’s normal finisher wasn’t enough so she went up top and debuted a Spiral Tap to claim the gold in 20:36. A fantastic match that cements Yuzuki as a top star in Marigold. Her rise to this point has been a joy to watch, while Mai has established herself as a major player. [****¼]

71. AEW World Tag Team Championship: Brodido [c] vs. Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita – AEW WrestleDream

Image Credit: AEW

I love Brodido. They came from out of nowhere to form one of the better random and oddball teams ever. On paper, they aren’t alike but that’s part of what makes them so good. They were putting on fun matches each week and this was their biggest story. The Continental and IWGP Champions stood across from them and the end result was a great combination of action and storytelling. Yes, they gave us solid tag formula with a hot Bandido followed by the heels isolating him and then giving us a blast of a Brody hot tag. They executed it well and included some memorable spots like the four-man German Suplex bit. The real kicker of this 27:26 affair came from those story beats. The constant tension between Takeshita and Okada was part of everything they did. When Okada accidentally hit Takeshita with the Rainmaker, they timed the entire spot perfectly. It’s rare you see them come off this well. And I loved that Okada didn’t do the shocked reaction we see in these stories. He was fine with taking out Takeshita, adding to their story. Of course, it led to his team’s downfall and he was ultimately pin Okada after the 21 Plex. A huge win for Bandido, a great match, and major angle advancement. [****¼]