Ranking WWE and AEW's Best In-Ring Performers of 2025
What makes a great in-ring performer in 2025?
Is it an expansive move set learned during years spent working across the world? Is it an ability to have a great match with wrestlers of any style? Perhaps it incorporates the ability to seamlessly intertwine important story beats while twisting opponents into submission or wowing fans with aerial artistry.
Or is it a combination of all of them, mixed with consistency and the ability to captivate the fans with their mannerisms and facial expressions?
The WWE and All Elite Wrestling stars on this countdown of 2025's best in-ring performers possess all those traits and more.
10. Drew McIntyre
1 of 10
Drew McIntyre is a bruiser and a brawler, a competitor with roots in Europe and whose physicality and strikes reflect as much. He is also not a wrestler beholden to that style, though, as he evolves his style and skill set, allowing him to work well with opponents from other backgrounds and influences.
He can have a hard-hitting brawl with Damian Priest one night, work a main event-style bout with CM Punk the next, steal the show with Seth Rollins or LA Knight on another, and wrap up the week against a luchador such as Rey Mysterio.
McIntyre is as well-rounded a professional wrestler as there is in WWE, and his recent character development has allowed the accentuation of the rest of his work.
9. Sheamus
2 of 10
There is no wrestler more underrated or overshadowed than Sheamus.
The Celtic Warrior is one of the rare breeds who could step foot in a WWE or AEW ring and get over with either audience based solely on his ability to have a great match with anyone.
Whether he is clubbing Bron Breakker with his unforgiving forearm shots, working a more technically sound match against Ludwig Kaiser, overpowering a smaller competitor such as Finn Balor, or beating the life out of Drew McIntyre, the Irishman is a sure thing when it comes to delivering one of his trademark bangers.
That he puts the same effort in whether he is in the main event or working with Grayson Waller in the second match of a forgettable Raw, he is consistently great and hopefully will earn all of the flowers he deserves and then some.
8. Mercedes Moné
3 of 10
It took the AEW fans a while to warm up to the artist formerly known as Sasha Banks, but it never adversely affected her ring work.
And in 2025, she has been one of the most consistently great performers on the AEW roster, a legitimate megastar who can be counted on to deliver in big matches and moments.
She is fresh off an Owen Hart Foundation Tournament victory over Jamie Hayter that would have been the best match on any other PPV, defeated Athena in a fantastic bout earlier in the tourney, had one of the best matches of Julia Hart's career at Dynasty and kicked the year off with a strong outing against Momo Watanabe.
Trips to Japan for matches with Mina Shirakawa have only served to strengthen her argument for consideration as one of the standard-bearers in AEW this year.
7. Stephanie Vaquer
4 of 10
No Superstar has moved up the ranks in any promotion as quickly as Stephanie Vaquer since her arrival in the fall of 2024.
La Primera has proved her nickname is accurate across WWE with extraordinary performances that will likely earn her a permanent spot on Raw or SmackDown sooner rather than later.
A performer who can take to the air when necessary but is as adept at hurling her opponent with a German suplex or twisting them into submission, the Chile-born wrestler has captivated fans with a blend of aura and show-stealing in-ring work.
Her matches with Giulia, Roxanne Perez, Jordynne Grace and Iyo Sky have all been among the best on any show she has appeared on, and the depth of the women's divisions across WWE only suggests there is plenty more of that where it came from.
An inevitable showdown with Rhea Ripley has genuine main event potential while a matchup with Becky Lynch could be one of those show-stealers that makes the uninitiated sit up and take notice.
6. Kenny Omega
5 of 10
He may not be as good as he once was, but even an aging Kenny Omega is pretty damn extraordinary.
The reigning AEW international champion showed out against Konosuke Takeshita, defeating the future "ace" of the promotion to win the title at Revolution, then successfully retained against "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Ricochet in a Triple Threat at Dynasty, before throwing his body around Anarchy in the Arena like it was 2019.
Referred to as The Best Bout Machine during his days in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, he returned from a devastating illness and has wasted no time in 2025 reiterating to the wrestling world that he may be a step or two behind the furious pace he set for himself at the peak of his in-ring career, but he is more than capable of adjusting his style to ensure the fans go home happy.
5. 'Hangman' Adam Page
6 of 10
"Hangman" Adam Page has been embroiled in an emotional journey for so long, and was a part of such violent contests with Swerve Strickland, that fans almost forgot how great of an in-ring performer he is.
He reminded them at Double or Nothing, where he matched Will Ospreay's excellence for 37 minutes in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, ultimately defeating The Aerial Assassin to earn a world title opportunity.
That match came on the heels of two other tournament bouts, with Josh Alexander and Kyle Fletcher respectively, that reminded the audience he does not need hypodermic needles or staple guns to have unforgettable in-ring outings.
As he transitions from his dark, moody and conflicted side back to the hero AEW needs and deserves, expect more of the work that earned him acclaim early in the company's formative days.
4. Seth Rollins
7 of 10
Seth Rollins has spent 2025 ascending to the top of the WWE and becoming the central figure on Raw.
Now the heel leader of a group that features Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman, The Visionary is the competitor around whom the entire flagship show revolves.
As such, expectations of his already excellent work become even greater. Luckily, though, he has yet to disappoint this year.
Rollins delivered one of his finest performances at WrestleMania 41, a five-star classic against Roman Reigns and CM Punk, the same Punk with whom he kicked off the year at the Raw on Netlfix premiere.
The main event of the Memorial Day episode of Raw, which saw him best Finn Balor and Sami Zayn, only added to an already impressive resume that regularly features the best in-ring work on the WWE roster.
3. Iyo Sky
8 of 10
Iyo Sky has become one of the rare Superstars on the WWE roster who can almost guarantee a great match. It should not be a surprise, either. It has been a trademark of hers at every level she has competed at.
From Japan to NXT to the main roster, her ability to blend technical skills with a high-flying aerial assault is second to none in the WWE women's division.
Her Triple Threat against Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 41 was a legitimate Match of the Year contender. And a recent tag match pitting her and Ripley against Roxanne Perez and Giulia highlighted her excellence in tandem action, too.
2. Gunther
9 of 10
Arguably the best wrestler in the world bar our No. 1, Gunther has consistently reinforced the "wrestling" part of the WWE name with physical wars against opponents of all backgrounds, styles and techniques.
Dubbed "The Ring General" as he attempts uphold the sanctity of the squared circle, he has proved his greatness between the ropes in 2025. While he has not wrestled the number of matches he has in the past, he has delivered dramatic encounters against opponents from every area of the roster.
Before dropping the world title at WrestleMania 41, he starred in matches against Akira Tozawa and Otis that had fans believing the underdogs may upset him.
At WrestleMania, he had a superb match with Jey Uso that not only served as the first major title switch of the weekend but also legitimized the popular babyface as a main event competitor.
Then there was his match with Pat McAfee at Backlash, a showdown with a non-wrestler that was better than it had any right to be, thanks to Gunther's ability to tell a story that masks his opponents' weaknesses.
While the year has yet to produce that Match of the Year contender that leaves everyone buzzing, the time will come and confirm why he belongs so high on this list.
1. Will Ospreay
10 of 10
Will Ospreay arrived in AEW in February 2024 with a ton of hype and fans recognizing him as the best wrestler in the world.
And he has not disappointed.
Ospreay has backed up every claim of his greatness with show-stealing contests and Match of the Year candidates in nearly every PPV. In 2025 alone, he has wowed fans with fantastic matches with Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight. And he saved his best for the men's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament final against "Hangman" Adam Page.
A worker who blends extraordinary athleticism with undeniable physicality and meshes it all with his ability to tell a story through raw emotion, Ospreay is the best wrestler in the world with no one else at or near his level.
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