Seth Rollins and WWE, AEW's Early Winners and Losers of 2025
We’re already almost halfway through the year, and it has been interesting to see how some wrestlers have progressed and others have suffered setbacks.
With WrestleMania 41 in the books, WWE has set some of its top stars up to succeed and made confounding decisions with others. The iconic event often acts as a season finale, wrapping up big storylines and creating new ones.
The year’s iteration was no different. Still, the company also neglected some elements of its programming, which harmed some superstars we could have invested in.
Meanwhile, AEW has started the road to its preeminent pay-per-view, All In Texas, with the Owen Hart Cup Tournament. The relative newcomer still has its standouts, but a new star has unexpectedly become the best recent addition to the roster.
These are the winners and losers from AEW and WWE in 2025, so far.
Losers: WWE’s Women’s Tag Division
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One could argue that tag team wrestling hasn’t been presented well overall, but the WWE women’s tag division feels hopeless.
There have been five women’s tag title matches in 2025, and four of the teams that competed in them have disbanded. The division has been underdeveloped for some time, but the recent releases make it hard to believe WWE will ever truly invest in established pairings.
Kayden Carter and Katana Chance were among the few left, and the company never really utilized them on the main roster before they were let go. This is a recurring pattern with other teams, such as Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre or The IIconics.
Even worse, the build and aftermath of The Judgment Day vs. Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria at WrestleMania 41 were a disaster. Lynch and Valkyria didn’t last for even a week, Bayley inexplicably lost her spot on the card, and Alexa Bliss’ tension with Liv Morgan was never addressed again after Elimination Chamber: Toronto.
Winner: Toni Storm
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Toni Storm has become one of the most popular wrestlers on the AEW roster since her return during the Winter is Coming edition of Dynamite last December.
The second act, and culmination of, her feud with Mariah May is one of the most compelling stories the company has ever produced. Their "Hollywood Ending" at Revolution was among the highlights of the year and a fitting finale to their friendship turned bitter rivalry.
In her record-setting fourth world title reign, Storm has undoubtedly become the best women’s champion in AEW history. Her latest run has cemented her as one of the most entertaining pro wrestling characters at the moment.
Loser: Charlotte Flair
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Charlotte Flair’s long-awaited return to WWE has been an interesting case study on how to mishandle an exceptional talent.
No matter what some fans think about her, Flair is one of this generation’s greatest female wrestlers. However, the perception of her rise to prominence and consistent push as a 14-time champion has muddled the reality of her position as a stalwart in this era.
As such, her second Royal Rumble win would inevitably divide many viewers. The belief that she would just beat another up-and-comer also dogged her dream matchup with Tiffany Stratton.
To make matters worse, their match at WrestleMania 41 didn’t live up to the contentious and chaotic build that preceded it. The upset win didn’t stamp Stratton as a future star like it should’ve, and it’s hard to determine what Flair’s character is anymore and where she should go from here.
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Winner: Iyo Sky
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Iyo Sky has been tremendous to start 2025 as the face of WWE Raw’s women’s division.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to longtime fans, but as we noted, it has been nice to see her continue to get opportunities to prove how talented she is. The Genius of the Sky was also undeniable last year, but her shocking world title win over Rhea Ripley kicked off her most satisfying run on the main roster so far.
At WrestleMania 41, Sky, Ripley, and Bianca Belair delivered the best match from this year’s two-night event. The Japanese star has been lighting it up on Raw and NXT in the weeks since in matches with Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia, and Roxanne Perez.
Winner: Ricochet
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It would’ve been easy to assume Ricochet would eventually get lost in the shuffle after he joined AEW, but the generational high-flier has exceeded expectations.
Sure, we all knew that he could have great matches with the current crop of talent, but who could’ve guessed he would become such a funny and convincing heel? This is the finest character work of his career, and the most confident he has ever been on the mic.
That’s quite an upgrade for someone often criticized for his promos and stilted persona during his time with WWE. Even more, his matches have been phenomenal since everything started to click in last year’s Continental Classic.
Ricochet opened 2025 with an excellent IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match against Zack Sabre Jr. at Wrestle Dynasty. His work with Swerve Strickland leading up to their bout at Revolution was also superb.
Loser: Jon Moxley
6 of 7
Jon Moxley’s post-WWE run has been phenomenal. One could easily argue that he is one of the greatest AEW signings ever, but his latest world title run isn’t worthy of such high praise.
It’s a shame, too, because his heel turn started off so well last year, but it has veered off the beaten path. This segments had become the most uninteresting aspects of AEW’s weekly product, and Mox’s last few pay-per-view main events as champion were dreadful.
Even though some of his output as the cryptic leader of The Death Riders has been better lately, it’s still often the weak point on an otherwise enjoyable show. The fact that many fans can’t wait for him to drop the title would prove how effective he is as a heel if this run weren’t so tedious and uninspiring.
Winner: Seth Rollins
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Seth Rollins’s character took the logical next step at WrestleMania 41, and the result was incredible.
The 38-year-old has been a constant for WWE, so it was nice to see him earn a win and a memorable moment to close the main event of night one. Aligning with Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker energized him and made him the top superstar to watch following the company's biggest premium live event of the year.
This also adds another intriguing wrinkle to his ongoing beef with CM Punk and Roman Reigns, but it was gratifying to see The Visionary finally come out on top. Both of these men have spent the last two years saying he would always come in second place to them, and Rollins got the drop on them.
In many ways, it’s a victory he has been working towards since he established himself as the Monday Night Messiah in 2019.
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