8 WWE and AEW Stars Who Had Their Best Year in 2025

For as many wrestlers who didn't achieve the level of success that they should have in 2025, there were plenty others who excelled and even exceeded expectations in WWE and AEW.

Cody Rhodes remained on top in WWE, having held the Undisputed WWE Championship for a majority of the year in addition to becoming King of the Ring. Seth Rollins was also in his element as Raw's lead heel, winning the men's Money in the Bank briefcase and eventually the World Heavyweight Championship in a SummerSlam shocker.

Meanwhile, AEW's main-event scene was dominated by familiar faces in Jon Moxley, Adam Page, Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe. Will Ospreay was consistently killing it in the ring prior to his injury, and Kazuchika Okada regained most of the aura he seemed to lose last year.

All of the aforementioned headliners had already been at the apex previously and didn't cover much new ground, but an elite few not only broke out but did their strongest work to date.

The following eight WWE and AEW stars had their best year yet in 2025 and are primed for bigger and better things going into 2026.

Jey Uso

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Up until The Bloodline came to be, The Usos were labeled as tag team wrestlers, and as one of the best tag teams to ever grace the division, it was a perfectly suitable spot for them to be in.

Jimmy getting injured at WrestleMania 36 allowed Jey to break out on his own and get the singles spotlight soon after Roman Reigns returned and captured the Universal Championship in late 2020. His new "Main Event" moniker was legit, as he was headlining most SmackDown shows during that period and usually winning against top talent.

He had a solid 2024 and briefly held the Intercontinental Championship at the end of the year, but 2025 was when he truly made it as a main-event player.

As the ultimate dog, his Royal Rumble win was an unexpected treat. He followed that up by finally beating Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41, and although it was a short run, it was exactly what it needed to be.

Uso maintained that popularity in the second half of the year by reuniting with Reigns, battling The Vision and rejoining the tag team ranks. He and Jimmy are setting their sights on the World Tag Team Championship for the foreseeable future, but Uso can tap back into being a fixture toward the top of the card when necessary now that he's proven he can hang at that level.

Kyle Fletcher

Kyle Fletcher at one point suffered a similar problem to Jey Uso in that he was largely looked at as a glorified tag team wrestler until last year. Aligning with The Don Callis Family and betraying his longtime friend Will Ospreay put him in a prime position to shine and he took full advantage of the opportunity.

Their rivalry raged into 2025 and culminated in an outstanding Steel Cage match at Revolution in March. From there, Fletcher continued to build momentum and target the AEW TNT Championship, which he won from Dustin Rhodes in late July.

He then stepped up to challenge Adam Page for the AEW World Championship in the main-event of All Out. There was little chance of him actually taking the title while still TNT champ, yet he had a stellar showing regardless and took Hangman to his limit.

Fletcher finished out the year in a fantastic feud with Mark Briscoe (whom he lost the TNT title to at Full Gear) and almost going all the way in the Continental Classic.

A world championship is clearly coming for Fletcher, and if AEW can keep featuring him prominently, it might be sooner rather than later.

Bronson Reed

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One of the many Vince McMahon wrongs that Triple H righted was bringing back Bronson Reed, who was unceremoniously released from WWE in the summer of 2021.

Despite seeing potential in Reed, Triple H didn't do anything of note with him for nearly two years. Instead, he meandered in the midcard and was primarily utilized as a stepping stone for other stars.

Reed's rivalries with Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins in the final few months of 2024 put him on the right track, but a terribly-timed injury sidelined him from action for six months and halted his momentum.

Thankfully, he was able to pick up where he left off by joining The Vision this past May. Agreeing to align with Rollins ensured he'd be a regular on Raw for the remainder of the year and in many main-events with the likes of Jey Uso, LA Knight, CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

Reed even scored a massive victory over Reigns at Crown Jewel in his native Australia, becoming the first person since Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 to beat The Tribal Chief in singles competition. He's been wrecking shop ever since and is guaranteed to have gold around his waist in 2026.

Bandido

Bandido missed the entirety of 2024 with an injury but bounced back in a major way with a phenomenal 2025.

After unseating Chris Jericho as ROH World champion at Dynasty, Bandido went on to pull double duty between Ring of Honor and AEW and showed out on every single occasion. He didn't have a consistent story throughout the year, but whenever he was in action, he brought fans to their feet.

While routinely defending the ROH World title, Bandido joined forces with Brody King to chase and ultimately capture the AEW World Tag Team Championship at Forbidden Door in August. They had a surprisingly excellent reign before dropping the belts to FTR at Full Gear.

The masked marvel ended his year by clinching the Dynamite Diamond Ring, earning him a shot at the AEW World Championship at next month's Maximum Carnage edition of Dynamite. All signs point to him not winning, but another standout performance can go a long way in permanently elevating him to main-event status in 2026.

Iyo Sky

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Iyo Sky has been among the most skilled wrestlers in the world for years now, but all she needed was more chances to show what she can do in order to connect with the audience.

That was the only thing keeping her from ascending to that next level in WWE, but in 2025, she finally reached the pinnacle of the women's division through her remarkable body of work in the ring and organically got over in the process.

Sky started the year going the distance in the women's Royal Rumble before beating Rhea Ripley in unexpected fashion to become the new Women's World champion in March. On top of that, she emerged victorious in her tremendous Triple Threat with Ripley and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 41 to retain the title.

The rest of her reign was fairly forgettable, but her main-event against Ripley at Evolution was not. They tore the house down in one of the best bouts all year ahead of Naomi's exceptionally-executed Money in the Bash cash-in.

Sky put together an amazing résumé over the five months that followed and forged a friendship with Ripley that saw them make enemies out of The Kabuki Warriors. Whether they win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship on Jan. 5 or not, Sky should have an equally promising 2026 and stay in the mix at all times.

Ricochet

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Ricochet was often referred to as a human highlight reel throughout his tenure in WWE and held gold both in NXT and on the main roster but was never able to escape midcard purgatory.

He was headed for a similar spot in AEW upon arriving in the promotion last year, but turning him heel really revitalized his character and put him on the path to greatness in 2025.

Ricochet's rivalry with Swerve Strickland in the first few months of the year saw him step up his game on the mic to match his awe-inspiring aerial abilities. He then bested Mark Briscoe in an Ambulance match at Double or Nothing before forming The Demand with The Gates of Agony.

That spawned a three-month feud with The Hurt Syndicate, and although they failed to dethrone them for the AEW World Trios Championship, Ricochet did come out on top in a Casino Gauntlet match at Full Gear to become the inaugural AEW National champion.

For as many years as Ricochet has spent on the grand stages of WWE and AEW, 2025 was the first time he was booked like the can't-miss attraction he's always been.

Dominik Mysterio

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Dominik Mysterio has leveled up every single year he's been in WWE for, but in 2025, he was closer than ever before to breaking through to the main-event scene where he belongs.

There was no indication he was factored into any important plans at the onset of the year, but winning the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 41—to a raucous reaction, no less—completely changed his trajectory.

Mysterio took on all challengers and knocked off the illustrious likes of Penta, Octagon Jr., Rusev and AJ Styles multiple times to retain his title, all the while becoming more and more of a fan favorite and a focal point of The Judgment Day.

His hot momentum came to a screeching halt in November when he lost the prestigious prize to John Cena in an impromptu match on Raw, only to regain the gold later that same month at Survivor Series. He's also been the reigning AAA Mega champion since September and is a pivotal piece of the AAA brand.

Having officially outgrown Raw's midcard picture, Mysterio is one Money in the Bank cash-in away from winning his first world championship in WWE, and there's no reason to think his stock won't continue to soar going forward.

Mercedes Moné

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Mercedes Moné has enjoyed several successful years during her iconic career, but none better than 2025 after everything she accomplished.

Ultimo Moné racked up a whopping 13 titles at one point, including the many championships from across the independent scene. She started and ended the year as AEW TBS champion, breaking Jade Cargill's record as the longest-reigning title holder in company history at well over 500 days.

She won the Women's Owen Hart Cup but fell short of securing the AEW Women's World Championship not once but twice. On both occasions, however, she had show-stealing outings against Toni Storm and Kris Statlander, respectively.

Moné has managed to take women's wrestling to new heights in AEW this year and has shown no signs of slowing down in 2026. Once she inevitably wins the Women's World title, it will be a monumental moment, and the road she takes to get there will be a story worth following.

Her promos remain her biggest weakness, but otherwise, she's the best she's ever been and her exemplary output of matches this year can confirm that claim.

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.