Penta, Mercedes Moné and the 8 WWE, AEW Stars Having the Best 2025

The first quarter of 2025 has produced its fair share of highs and lows for WWE and AEW, and it's already been an eventful and exciting period for wrestling on the whole.

Both companies are amid pivotal periods with milestone shows on the horizon: WrestleMania 41 for WWE and Double or Nothing for All Elite Wrestling. As such, it's all the more important for stars to stand out and make the biggest impression possible in the months ahead.

Of course, strong booking can go a long way in showcasing top talent, but WWE and AEW having such deep rosters—and showing no signs of slowing down on the acquisition front—ensures opportunities are that much harder to come by.

Even while lacking direction, certain competitors consistently make the most of the limited television time they have with standout performances inside the squared circle or on the mic, effectively putting themselves in prime position to be pushed.

From Penta's rapid rise to Mercedes Moné finally finding her footing as TBS champion, the following eight athletes are having the best 2025 so far.

Penta

In just under three months, Penta has surpassed all expectations fans had for him upon debuting on WWE's main roster.

It was unknown how he'd be used fresh off his AEW departure, especially without his brother, Rey Fenix, by his side. However, he's since shined as a singles star, gone undefeated one-on-one and organically gotten over with the audience in short order.

Becoming a weekly fixture on Raw has helped him continue to build momentum to the point where he now finds himself hot on the heels of intercontinental champion Bron Breakker following his feud with Ludwig Kaiser.

Regardless of what form the match takes, there's a significant chance of the lucha legend walking out of WrestleMania 41 with the gold in his grasp.

A reunion with Fenix now that he's also officially joined WWE could also be in the works sooner rather than later.

Penta has proved to be the perfect fit for the WWE landscape and is on track to be a guaranteed hit in the years to come.

'Hangman' Adam Page

In many ways, Adam Page truly is the "main character" of AEW that fans see him as.

His well-documented journey to the AEW World Championship was extremely fun to follow, but although it took time, he's managed to reclaim the same stardom he had in late 2021.

Coming into 2025, there was no definitive road for Hangman following his failure to dethrone Jon Moxley for the prestigious prize at Worlds End, but he remained relevant in a mini feud with Christopher Daniels and put him into apparent retirement by beating him in a brutal Texas Deathmatch.

Page then gradually started to embrace the audience again as he showed remorse for his actions toward Daniels and transitioned into a program with MJF, who brought the best out of him on the mic and even in the ring when they went one-on-one at Revolution and Hangman soundly defeated him.

Going forward, Page should set his sights back on AEW's top title, making him a front-runner to win the 2025 men's Owen Hart Cup and punch his ticket to the main event of All In on July 12 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes' spot on such a list should come as little surprise given how hot of a babyface he's been since clinching the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40 last April and returning to WWE in general.

He started 2025 embroiled in a ruthless rivalry with Kevin Owens, who he fought tooth and nail in a grueling ladder match at the Royal Rumble to retain his coveted title.

It was hardly interesting to see him subsequently rekindle his rivalry with Solo Sikoa and the bootleg Bloodline, but that was thankfully scrapped in favor of his impromptu storyline with The Rock.

As rushed as it was, the angle did lead to The American Nightmare finding not only his WrestleMania 41 opponent but also a worthy foil for him in heel John Cena.

The vicious attack he endured at the hands of the 16-time world champ at Elimination Chamber lit a fire under Rhodes that hasn't been there in recent months and has lent more meaning to his appearances and promos.

The feud is still in its early stages, but what we've seen so far has been promising. Every exchange they have from here on out is bound to be must-see, and the match itself has the makings of one of the biggest WrestleMania main events ever.

Mercedes Moné

Mercedes Moné made waves within the AEW women's division when she put pen to paper with the promotion in the spring of 2025. Within months of debuting, she captured the TBS Championship, a title she's had a stranglehold on ever since.

In 2025 alone, The CEO has stepped up her character work considerably, starting in her short-lived storyline with Harley Cameron that culminated in an entertaining outing at Grand Slam: Australia.

After successfully retaining against Momo Watanabe in a hard-hitting affair at Revolution, Moné shifted her focus to newcomer Billie Starkz and brought the best out of her when they collided on the March 19 edition of Dynamite.

All roads should lead to her entering a rivalry with Starkz's mentor, Athena, who has been with Ring of Honor for the last few years.

The key to Moné's resurgence this year has been consistent screen time and quality matches, which was what made her such a star during her lengthy tenure in WWE. She's easily had the best reign in the short history of the TBS title and still has the AEW Women's World Championship to chase at some point.

She's on track to having an equally strong second half of 2025, regardless of how much gold she has in her possession.

Jacob Fatu

From the moment he made his debut on SmackDown in June 2024, WWE has done everything right when it has come to the presentation and booking of Jacob Fatu.

He was a natural fit in The New Bloodline and wasted little time overshadowing the intended leader Solo Sikoa.

Although Fatu's singles matches were few and far between in the months that followed, he had standout showings any time he was in action, including the main events of Money in the Bank, Bad Blood and Survivor Series.

Sikoa slowly being phased out as the self-proclaimed Tribal Chief has done wonders for Fatu, who became the true focal point of the group in his absence. He's had a fun feud with Braun Strowman and wrestled in a few SmackDown main events.

His path to WrestleMania 41 isn't quite clear, but the tension that has been teased between him and Sikoa will inevitably lead to them squaring off against each other before long, a match that must be won by Fatu.

From there, he can continue climbing the ranks on SmackDown and eventually hold gold of his own. He has world champion potential, and he shines brighter and brighter by the week.

Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega has long had a reputation for being one of the best wrestlers in the world, despite being sidelined for what feels like a majority of his AEW stint.

There was zero guarantee he'd be able to compete again after his bout with diverticulitis, yet he returned to the ring in spectacular fashion at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 19 in January, contesting an early Match of the Year contender against Gabe Kidd.

Upon resurfacing on AEW TV, he rekindled his rivalry with Konosuke Takeshita and embarked on an undefeated streak en route to capturing the International Championship.

Omega avenged his loss to Takeshita at All Out 2023 by beating him at Revolution for the title, in the process proving himself as being every bit as exceptional as he once was.

He'll have his first scheduled defense at Dynasty on April 6 in what is sure to be an exhilarating Triple Threat with Ricochet and Mike Bailey, while a clash of champions with continental titleholder Kazuchika Okada at All In this July is presumably in the works as well.

At his healthiest, Omega is unmatched between the ropes. It appears he's back in full form and won't be creatively underutilized any longer.

Liv Morgan

There can be no doubt Liv Morgan had the greatest 2025 of any women's wrestler in WWE and an outstanding year in general, going from an afterthought in Raw and being left off the WrestleMania 40 card to one of the hottest acts in the entire company.

Although her eight-month run as women's world champion came to an end at the hands of Rhea Ripley on Raw's Netflix premiere in January, Morgan remained a mainstay on Monday nights and had a stellar showing in both the women's Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches.

That's in addition to securing her third WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Liv Morgan the week prior to Elimination Chamber in what was a top-notch main event on Raw.

Being one-half of the tag champs should mean Morgan will make the 'Mania card this year in some form or fashion, along with all of the other excellent work she's done since turning heel. Even if not, she'll make the most of every opportunity that comes her way and hold singles gold again before the year is out.

Morgan must be included in the conversation of WWE's most improved performers this past year.

Will Ospreay

Will Ospreay was already a can't-miss prospect the day he arrived in AEW in late 2023, yet his stock skyrocketed to new heights with the unbelievable résumé of matches he put together in 2024.

The only thing missing was winning the AEW World Championship, and that chase has continued into 2025. Although All In won't be emanating from his native England this year, that would seem to be the perfect place for him to get that crowning moment.

In the meantime, he has stayed busy in his heated feud with Kyle Fletcher. He had some standout television matchups with Buddy Matthews, Brian Cage, Mark Davis and Bryan Keith before a bloody steel-cage affair with Fletcher at Revolution that he emerged victorious from.

He has since announced his intention to target the top title and enter the upcoming men's Owen Hart Cup. Winning that tournament will earn him the opportunity to contend for the prestigious prize in the main event of All In, but only after besting some of the finest competition the company has to offer.

Whenever AEW's product has bottomed out in the early months of 2025, Ospreay has served as its saving grace. He'll be one to watch in the remainder of the year as well with everything he's on pace to accomplish.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.