wrestling / Columns
Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2025 (#90-81)
Image Credit: AEW
Click here for part one of the list, looking at numbers 100 through 91.
90. Saori Anou vs. Tam Nakano – STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen 4/2/25
Very good back and forth action to start this one. You could tell both women had their working boots on. Tam had some fun with a spot, and Saori got annoyed, responding with a kick to the face. That helped kick this into next gear as they eventually moved into a pretty brutal forearm exchange. That’s right up Saori’s alley and sneakily something Tam does well. The last shot that saw them both fall was especially vicious, and they just amped it up by then sitting across from each other for more shots, including Tam laying the boots into Saori. I liked the little things like Tam desperately getting her feet on the ropes to block an apron German suplex. They did several cool bits like that. From there, Saori began throwing big bombs, racking up the near falls on some of her best offensive moves. At one point, Tam slapped her, and you’d think these were being dished out by a heavy-handed huge hitter, only for Saori to put her hands behind her back, opening up to take more and more of them. All for Saori to WRECK her with a slap of her own. One and it took Tam down. Tam came back, and while a Screwdriver wasn’t enough, Twilight Dream kept Saori down at the 18:35 mark. That was an awesome, violent encounter. [****¼]
89. Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura – NJPW G1 Climax 7/22/25
These are two of the guys who New Japan needs to build around. The feeling out process here felt evenly matched. You could tell that these are two guys they believe in. They were given time and those early exchanges were entertaining. They didn’t feel like filler, which is too often the case with New Japan main events. Yota’s arm was damaged throughout by things like a Divorce Court but he took control and hit a Spanish Fly. That was followed by what commentary dubbed a “soul crushing chop” and they weren’t far off. It sounded brutal. That set up a great final few minutes here with them trading big blows, countering each other, and delivering the kind of hot finish that this company tends to do so well. The crowd was also completely into every spot. When Yuya busted out High Fly Flow, I thought he had this won. Then I REALLY thought he won after countering the Gene Blaster with a rana for two. Once Yota got up from that, he hit the Gene Blaster to win in 16:56. Best match of the tournament to this point Two awesome wrestlers delivering in a big way. This is the stuff I want from the G1. [****¼]
88. WWE United States Championship: Ilja Dragunov [c] vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Smackdown 12/12/25
It’s always nice when you get a reminder of how great someone can be. Tommaso Ciampa was on an incredible run in the back half of the 2010s but injuries and time caught up to him in recent years despite some fantastic tag matches. It was great to see him back in a big singles spot and he delivered. Ilja Dragunov was on a tear as United States Champion, being the only thing worth talking about on Smackdown weekly. These two went out for 17:04 and pretty much attempted to kill each other. Ciampa stopped Ilja’s early momentum by targeting his bad knee and it looks gnarly. A suplex where Ilja’s leg hit the steel steps only furthered Ciampa’s control. They worked through two commercial breaks and never slowed down, as every shot was vicious and impactful. Ilja had a busted nose and I’m surprised these two didn’t look worse for wear during this. Ciampa nearly stole it thanks to interference from Johnny and Candice before a bloodied Ilja rolled him up to retain. An absolute war and just what I want from my weekly wrestling TV shows. [****¼]
87. CMLL Japan Women’s Championship: Koguma [c] vs. Hazuki – STARDOM in Korakuen 10/11/25
BIG MATCH HAZUKI. She always delivers in major singles matches, especially with titles on the line. Here, we have two partners squaring off and it’s a pairing I haven’t seen against each other before. I love that, although they’re best friends, Hazuki still didn’t shy away from aggression. She has failed to win several major singles titles and it has been weighing on her. Early on, she offered a handshake only to get in a cheap shot. That’s what winning a title means to her. Koguma also wasn’t holding back, returning the favor and showing that she was up for the challenge of competing in a big singles match, which she doesn’t often do. The early stages here were more of a battle of them one upping each other until it became more intense and bitter as it progressed. When we got to that point, this was taken to the next level. Hard hitting shots, trading big offensive moves, and all in front of a hot Korakuen crowd. The near falls down the stretch were so well done. Hazuki finally kept her partner down with a Brainbuster after 22:12. One hell of a match that got progressively better and ended at the right time. It’s a booking crime that Hazuki hasn’t won her major singles title in STARDOM yet. [****¼]
86. AEW World Championship: Hangman Page [c] vs. MJF – AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
The title can change hands on a countout or DQ. Hangman was the aggressor to start until MJF pulled him into the ring post. There was a hilarious spot where Hangman thrust his, um, groin, into MJF’s head as some revenge for MJF doing that to him in the past. They built up to some really good exchanges that played off how well they know each other including a dope spot where MJF countered the Buckshot Lariat into the Salt of the Earth. Hangman hit Deadeye off the apron and through a table, which MJF responded to by Tombstoning him onto the broken table. That gave us MJF trying for a countout win. Both men got busted open at various points. The pin attempt exchange was breathtaking. MJF tried to goad Hangman into cheating, spitting at him and giving him the Dynamite Dozen ring gimmick to use but Hangman instead just spit back at him. MJF did his own cheating and got a three count on Hangman but Hangman’s foot was on the bottom rope. Mark Briscoe showed up but was stopped by security. The referee then saw Hangman’s foot and declared that this wasn’t over. MJF also used the contract he won at the last PPV as a weapon for a near fall. He got caught using the ring and when the referee tossed it aside, Hangman leveled MJF with the contract and hit the Buckshot Lariat to retain in 31:37. That was great. A few bits surrounding the stipulation were odd and it lacked some drama because there was no way MJF was winning while having that contract but otherwise, it was fantastic. [****¼]
85. Natsupoi vs. Sareee – STARDOM Dream Queendom
My most anticipated match of the night. The pre-match video package focused a lot on how Natsupoi has lost every big match over the past year, dating back to dropping the white belt to Starlight Kid at this event in 2024. The idea is that Tam Nakano’s retirement also threw Poi for a loop, and she has somewhat lost her love for wrestling, which Sareee is kind of trying to reignite. Within 30 seconds, Poi took a slam onto the edge of the apron, and I thought this would be filed with a ton of fire. Instead, Sareee went into a stretch of dominance on offense, which isn’t her strong suit in my eyes. That said, it worked here to set up the Natsupoi rally. When they happened and they started beating on each other like they were rivals, I got what I wanted from this match. They were just throwing bombs, and you bought into the story of Sareee bringing out the best in Natsupoi, with both out to prove that they’re superior. Each woman survived the signature moves of the other. When Natsupoi kicked out of the Uranage, Sareee proceeded to hit three additional ones, and that still wasn’t enough. She added another and got the win in 18:20. That was really good, though not quite the MOTYC I was hoping for. [****¼]
84. Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Semifinals: Hangman Page vs. Kyle Fletcher – AEW Dynamite 4/30/25
A few months before their classic at All Out, Hangman Page and Kyle Fletcher had a stellar match on TV. As part of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, which was exceptional in 2025, these two met in the semifinals and both felt like legitimate choices to advance. While the in-ring action was stellar and the exchanges were breathtaking, it was something more simple that made this click so well. Kyle was an absolute asshole heel with his taunts, viciousness, and more, while Hangman was, as always, a fantastic babyface who could give him his comeuppance when he needed it. They were given 23:24 and made you hang on for every single second. The Fletcher low blow/Brainbuster spot that led to a near fall was a thing of beauty. I do think part of the finishing stretch felt a bit rushed with Kyle having to get up almost instantly from an apron Deadeye and things like that. Alas, Hangman used the Buckshot Lariat to the advance to the finals and add another feather in his incredible resume of awesome TV matches. [****¼]
83. IWGP Women’s Championship: Sareee [c] vs. Suzu Suzuki – STARDOM To The World
As you’d expect from these two, they were throwing forearms and trading big shots right from the start before the match spilled outside for more violence. They kept up a great pace and never stopped hitting each other with brutal strikes. I’ve made the comparison before but Suzu matches tend to feel like they’d fit in with the old NEVER Openweight Title and this was right along those lines since Sareee loves that style too. At one point, Sareee was on the top rope headbutting the back of Suzu’s head. They sounded pretty sickening. I again question Suzu’s apron piledriver spot. They shoot in a way where we clearly see that Sareee lands on Suzu’s thighs, taking away from the potential impact it has. I know it shouldn’t be done to hurt Sareee so just shoot it from a different angle like they used to do with the Tombstone. Watching them fight over suplex positioning outside was much more impactful. Things got taken up a notch when Suzu busted out an avalanche German Suplex. The closing stretch was filled with big offense and near falls. Sareee finally kept Suzu down by dropping her on head with a wrist clutch suplex in 22:33. A hard hitting affair between two of the best with a red hot, split crowd. Sareee’s antagonistic nature has made her big matches in STARDOM feel special. [****¼]
82. Blood & Guts: Darby Allin, Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong vs. The Death Riders – AEW Blood & Guts 11/12/25
We got Darby Allin and Wheeler Yuta to start things. They battled both in and out of the cage, with the highlight being Darby using his thumbtack skateboard as a weapon, much to the delight of Bryan Danielson on commentary. Orange Cassidy was in next and the crowd appreciated Wheeler taking a 2-on-1 beating for a while. Daniel Garcia evened the playing field. Next was supposed to be Mark Briscoe but it’s revealed that he was attacked backstage, which meant Roderick Strong entered instead. Roddy busting out backbreakers took me back to 2005. Damn, I’m old. Claudio was next and I loved the reaction to him. Everyone was just like, “Oh, shit just got real.” Kyle O’Reilly was next and I was surprised that Jon Moxley followed. I thought for sure he’d be last. He brought a fork with him and started ripping people open. Mark Briscoe would’ve been last but he didn’t get to show up. That means the faces were taking a beating and then PAC entered last, putting them at the biggest disadvantage. They got their asses kicked with a bunch of violent spots. Mark finally showed up and broke into the cage. Weapons like pliers and a damn hammer were also brought into play. Mark and Yuta fought atop the cage and I think this part dragged a bit. They brought chairs up in a convoluted way and the payoff was a Jay Driller and that’s it. Gabe Kidd showed up to seemingly abduct Darby. He carried him to the entrance before PAC brought him atop the entrance. Gabe set some tables on fire and Darby took a press slam through them, rolling around with his back actually on fire. My god. In the ring, the Death Riders seemingly had the win in hand as Mox choked Kyle with a chain but Kyle flipped him off rather than quit. OC, who had his hands stapled into his pockets, broke free and the faces started to rally. Everyone on the Death Riders got taken out, leaving Moxley alone to get trapped in an Ankle Lock. Like he did against Hangman and like he did against Darby, Mox panicked and frantically looked for an out before quitting again, losing in 54:08. Another great match, though I preferred the women’s. This one went a bit longer than it needed but the ending was awesome. Mox being, at his core, a coward, is the best thing about his character. Kyle was probably my MVP here. . [****¼]
81. AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Bandido – AEW Dynamite 10/22/25
The year that Bandido had is incredible and needs to be talked about more. ROH may be pretty bad these days but he’s consistently great, his tag team with Brody King was fantastic, and the dude was always putting on bangers. After scoring a pin over Kazuchika Okada at WrestleDream, which is rare, he got a title opportunity days later. Okada and Bandido put on one hell of a main event on this night. Bandido’s style is so different from what Okada is used to and for me, that’s when Okada is at his best. I love when he’s taken out of his comfort zone. Given that this only went 16:19, it meant no Okada formula. That’s what I’m here for. Bandido was given all the room to really do his thing against Okada. He hit his signature athletic stuff, his German suplex, and a Frog Splash. Okada was very giving here, which is something we’ve seen from him as a heel that I really like. Bandido came close a few times and even hit his own Rainmaker but Okada blocked the 21 Plex and won with the Rainmaker. I live for TV main events like that. [****¼]
