I have been lucky enough to be included in the Voices of Wrestling (www.voicesofwrestling.com) Match of the Year voting process for 2025. In truth, being able to participate in this poll was a major factor in finally starting this website and beginning to write about wrestling in 2026.
Wrestling as a whole, but especially in 2025, was very up and down. For my personal tastes, major league professional wrestling has been trending downward consistently. I thought I would struggle to even reach ten matches for this list, but after revisiting the year and giving it proper thought, I ended up with close to twenty and found it difficult to whittle them down.
This was a reminder that even when wrestling feels dire and it becomes a struggle to stay invested, there is always great work out there. Wrestling is amazing. It rocks. Sometimes you just have to dig a little to find the diamonds in the rough. It only takes one match to reignite your passion and become obsessed all over again. Compiling my top ten was a fantastic reminder of that.
Polls like this, and websites like Voices of Wrestling, are more important than ever. With the way social media has evolved, and with co opted media and industry shills becoming increasingly common, knowledgeable and competent voices in this space have become vital. People who are willing to champion what wrestling was, and what it can still be, are essential to keeping the medium honest.
Because Voices of Wrestling has cultivated a knowledgeable and worldly audience, this Match of the Year poll truly covers all bases. Votes come in for matches, promotions, and styles from all over the globe. Subject matter experts passionately vote for joshi, deathmatches, and lucha, alongside more mainstream offerings from WWE, AEW, and New Japan. Nothing is lost to history, and the final list offers a broader and more meaningful snapshot of the year when compared to other prominent polls.
At times, I find it difficult to clearly define my taste in wrestling. It does vary, but I would still say I fit firmly within a particular lane. The oft repeated “many flavours of ice cream” analogy is regularly misused in wrestling discourse, and I generally despise it. Too often it is used to justify wildly inconsistent cards or to excuse sports entertainment style segments and matches. I mention this because while my tastes do vary, and could technically fit that analogy, the style I truly dislike most, namely the WWE sports entertainment style, is usually the one being defended when that argument is deployed.
My favourite wrestlers change all the time, but at the moment that list would include names like Jon Moxley, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Terry Funk, Vader, Bret Hart, prime KENTA, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and Bryan Danielson.
I loved AEW when it launched. I loved the ranking system, and I believe it genuinely worked. My biggest takeaway from that period is that I love wrestling presented as close to a sport as possible. I want it to feel like a competition. I want wrestlers doing everything they can to convince me they are trying to win. The matches I voted for this year strongly reflect that mentality.
Looking back at my list, I hope next year’s submission features a wider variety of promotions. I’m going to try and make a conscious effort to branch out more in 2026 than in years past. While the Voices of Wrestling poll only requires a top ten, I have included more than ten matches here, though they are ranked, and only the top ten will be submitted.
With that said, here are the matches I am submitting for the Voices of Wrestling 2025 Match of the Year.
Backbreakr.com Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year 2025 Submission
1. Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher 27.12.2025 AEW Worlds End
Over the last few years, my Match of the Year has more often fallen near the start of the calendar, usually coming out of Wrestle Kingdom. This year, it arrived right at the buzzer, taking place just four days before the end of 2025.
Jon Moxley is my favourite wrestler. Prior to 2025, my favourite in ring year of his was 2019, highlighted by his incredible G1 run and the beginning of his post WWE catalogue. However, 2025 may now surpass that year for me, capped off by this outstanding match.
Going into this contest, we were reaching the peak of Moxley’s organic face turn, which began when he lost the AEW World Championship. While the full turn would be completed in the match that followed this one, the process was already well underway here, with Moxley clearly occupying the babyface role opposite Fletcher.
What made this turn special, and what elevated this match, was that it was accomplished entirely through in ring storytelling. Over the course of the Continental Classic, Moxley transitioned from the company’s top heel into one of its leading babyfaces in a natural, organic, and seamless way, reclaiming his role as the ace of the promotion. This was achieved through his performances in the ring, supported by restrained backstage and post-match promos. This is the essence of professional wrestling, and it was executed perfectly here before reaching its conclusion in the Continental Classic final.
The match itself was phenomenal. Kyle Fletcher has been operating on another level throughout 2025 and once again proved that he belongs at the very top of the card. Moxley, meanwhile, was firing on all cylinders. Fletcher, as the young, cocky, yet immensely skilled athlete, was the perfect foil for Moxley, the veteran rediscovering himself through competition.
The Continental Classic rules have proven to be a blueprint for producing great, no-nonsense wrestling, and this match was the crown jewel of a tournament that truly found its identity in its third year. It also served as a powerful reminder of what AEW can be at its best, and what the company’s identity could still be.
This match had me jumping, cheering, and pacing around the room. It reminded me exactly why I love professional wrestling, and it is one I will return to again and again.
This is my Match of the Year.
2. Kenoh vs. KENTA 20.07.2025 NOAH 25th Anniversary ~ New Departure
This was Kenoh and KENTA’s second meeting of 2025. Their first encounter took place at NOAH’s New Year show, while KENTA was still technically under the New Japan umbrella. That match was good, but this rematch surpassed it in every way.
Since leaving NOAH the first time to join WWE and later New Japan, KENTA often felt like a shell of his former self, missing the edge and attitude that once made him one of the best wrestlers in the world. That all changed upon his return to NOAH, where something seemed to click, ushering in a genuine return to form.
“Prick” KENTA was back, and Kenoh was the perfect opponent for the return. The two men beat the hell out of each other. This match was pure physical violence. The force behind their strikes felt genuinely teeth rattling, and there was not a single smile to be found. KENTA looked reinvigorated in NOAH, producing a delightfully brutal and inspired match that served as a reminder of just how incredible wrestling can be.
This match lands directly in my sweet spot. I genuinely wish every wrestler in the world would watch it and take something from it.
In simple terms, this was two angry athletes attempting to physically dominate one another.
It represented both the return of an often-forgotten style and the resurgence of a NOAH great.
3. Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Anzai 31.12.2025 AJPW New Year’s Eve 2025
I am always thrilled when an All Japan match finds its way onto a list like this, especially this high up. Thankfully, they delivered this match right at the end of the year.
Kento Miyahara is undeniable at this point. It feels nearly impossible for him to enter a Triple Crown title match without producing something exceptional. This match, in particular, featured one of the best closing stretches, especially the final ten minutes, that I can recall. The strikes were crisp and punishing, and the match felt like a struggle from bell to bell. That sense of struggle was exemplified by Miyahara’s repeated attempts to properly hook the Shutdown German suplex to deliver the finishing blow.
This match evoked memories of All Japan’s golden era and left me longing for a wrestling landscape where All Japan could once again occupy a prominent position, just so more people could be exposed to incredible matches like this.
Anzai is clearly the future, or more accurately the present, of All Japan. At just twenty six years old, he already feels like a cornerstone. But Kento isn’t going anywhere. Throughout the match, both men had me convinced at different moments that they were going to win.
This was a shining example of the King’s Road style still thriving, even if the rest of the card does not always live up to that standard.
Of every match on my top ten, if you were to go out of your way to watch just one, this would be it. It is extraordinary work that far too few people will see.
4. Adam Page vs. Will Ospreay 25.05.2025 AEW Double or Nothing
I love tournaments, so this match being the final of the Owen Hart Cup gave it an immediate advantage. Beyond that, like many of AEW’s major matches in 2025, it was a crucial chapter in the Death Riders storyline and the pursuit of Jon Moxley’s championship.
The finals determined who would challenge Moxley at All In, and you could make the assumption that the winner of this match would go on to dethrone him. While it may seem obvious in hindsight that Page was the choice, at the time there was a legitimate case for Ospreay as well. We entered this match with two credible outcomes, both of which fit the broader narrative, a rarity in modern wrestling.
With all that behind it, they had everything going for them to have an all-time match, and they delivered in spades.
While the match bordered on melodramatic, which I normally don’t like, it didn’t take away from the hard hitting, incredible in ring action. Ospreay took the more antagonist role, which gave the match a unique feel, while still living up to his incredibly high standard.
Page does have a tendency toward melodrama, and this match was no exception. However, he wrestles with such intensity and snugness that he often earns the benefit of the doubt. He brought everything that makes him great to this performance, including strikes that made it look as though Ospreay owed him money.
This was the best match to emerge from the entire Death Riders saga, surpassing the All In title match for me. Where the All In bout leaned heavily into sports entertainment, this match represented what that final could have been without excessive interference and overt storytelling.
This match is the epitome of what the AEW main event style was in 2025, and I believe a showcase on how AEW wants to present professional wrestling.
5. Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay 09.03.2025 AEW Revolution (Cage Match)
Before this match, I would have named Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers as my favourite cage match of all time. Ospreay and Fletcher have now surpassed it. This match combined the speed and high flying spectacle of that classic with the hard hitting modern main event style that both men excel at.
Fletcher had already broken out at this point but this match firmly cemented him as a future main event fixture. The story heading into the match had real substance and continues to resonate even now. Wrestling has always thrived on young talent rising up the card, and this match is a perfect example of a young star rising to the required standard.
It feels almost pointless to single out individual spots in a match involving these two, as the list would be endless. That said, Fletcher’s Last Ride powerbomb and the Cactus Jack inspired barbed wire spots were particularly memorable.
The one element that lowered this slightly within my top ten was the interference. Cage matches increasingly seem incapable of avoiding it, which undermines the stipulation itself. Thankfully, it was brief and did not detract from the overall end result.
This was an incredible match that I will be revisiting for years to come.
6. Kazuchika Okada vs. Jon Moxley 27.12.2025 AEW Worlds End
Two matches from AEW Worlds End made my top ten, and both involved Jon Moxley, So, I may be repeating some points here that I have already written about for the other match, but I think it’s worth writing about twice.
This match represented the true culmination of the Death Riders and Moxley World Title story. After a two hundred and seventy three day reign that featured more standout matches then you may think, Moxley entered a losing streak before fighting his way through the Continental Classic to reach his final challenge here.
This match is incredible on a number of levels, not only for the outstanding in ring work, including Okada performing at a high level, which seems to happen on a twice-yearly basis in AEW, but also because it perfectly capped off months of IN RING story telling. Through the continental classic, Jon Moxley managed to go from the top heel in the company, and naturally, organically and smoothly transition into one of the company’s top baby faces again. This was all accomplished in ring, along with his backstage, after match promos. This is the essence of pro wrestling and was accomplished to perfection in this match.
After both wrestlers got through their semi final matches earlier in the night, they came into this match with the benefit of the story of their full continental classic campaigns on their backs.
This match was structured and paced slower than the other 2 continental classic matches on this show and I think it benefited from it. Moxley has a different wrestling style now compared to what he had in his 2019 New Japan run, but this new, evolved wrestling of Moxley’s still worked well with Okada’s tried and true style.
By the end of this match, the live crowd was desperate for the now somehow underdog Jon Moxley to pull out a win, and solidify his return to fan favourite and ace of the company.
7. Gabe Kidd vs. Kenny Omega 04.01.2025 Wrestle Dynasty
This was my leading match of the year for the first half of 2025. As is the case with most years, the early January Tokyo Dome New Japan shows normally produce at least one, if not multiple MOTY candidates right out of the gate. Gabe Kidd and Kenny Omega produced 2025’s standout.
The story of this match added to the in-ring work to create an incredible atmosphere and emotional ride bell to bell. Gabe Kidd, defending New Japan from the returning Kenny Omega, complete with the Lion Mark on his tights. It’s a story that shares many parallels with this year’s Takeshita vs. Tsuji IWGP title match, however the Kidd/Omega match felt emotionally charged in a different way. It felt more raw, more antagonistic, had an almost real-life animosity flowing through the screen.
You could, and probably should, attribute a lot of that to Kenny Omega, who seems to be at his best in a heelish role in New Japan, however I would be more inclined to say that Gabe Kidd bought the raw emotion to the match.
More often than not, Kidd goes too far and often ‘flies too close to the sun’ for me in regards to his energy and promos, but in this match, he was absolutely perfect. I cared more than I had in a long time, I was invested in who was going to win or lose. I would think is the ultimate goal of any big match.
This match is incredible and, in my opinion, overshadows everything else produced by New Japan in 2025.
8. Mistico vs. MJF 19.09.2025 CMLL 92 Aniversario (Mask vs Title)
The sole CMLL match on my list this year, and one could argue the biggest CMLL match of the year for an English-speaking audience. The feud leading up to the match had me hooked, with MJF stealing the mask of Mistico, and attacks and angles spanning AEW, CMLL and even MLW (where the action never stops).
The match itself was fantastic, MJF controlled most of the match, letting Mistico work for comebacks, showing exactly why he is the megastar he is in Mexico. Mistico in a big match in Arena Mexico is unlike anything else. It may not translate to anywhere else, but watching Mistico in his home arena is on another level.
They timed the match perfectly, working right up to the crescendo where they took it home at the exact right point. Another match under the belt of MJF to prove he is an elite level in ring worker and another match to push forward Mistico’s wrestler of the year candidacy.
9. Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher 15.02.2025 AEW Grand Slam Australia
I was in the building live for this match, AEW’s first trip down under, and also the first ever live wrestling show I got to attend with my 10 year old son, so this does match being included on this list does have some emotional bias behind it. Luckily, though, it’s also a fantastic match that highlights the current day positives of AEW.
Over the last 2 decades, WWE has conditioned fans to view tag team wrestling as lesser or inconsequential. Luckily the rise of AEW has fought against that narrative, where tag matches can be taken as seriously as a one on one main event. This match embodied that philosophy.
This match ist the epidemy of fun. It’s exciting, it hard hitting, the crowd is completely invested and having a blast, this match just rocks.
The super team of Ospreay and Omega taking of the brash, up and coming team on Takeshita and Fletcher was compelling on its own. However, this also benefited from multiple interwoven storylines, relationships and history between all 4 of the competitors.
Omega had already had a match of the year contender the previous month at Wrestle Dynasty, so getting another one so quickly, especially on his more limited schedule over the last few years, just adds to how much of a treat this match is.
Even being handicapped with a smaller than normal ring, this match was incredible start to finish and absolutely worth seeking out if you haven’t seen it yet.
10. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Suwama 03.11.2025 GLEAT Ver. MEGA in Yokohama
I went back and forth on adding this match to my list, and realistically, it should be much lower, but I felt like it needed to be represented somewhere in this poll.
GLEAT was far from my favourite promotion in 2025, I only parachuted in for key matches throughout the year and was lucky this was one of them. Katsuhiko Nakajima may have been my favourite wrestler in 2023/2024 during his AJPW Triple Crown reign, but again fell off my radar once he left for GLEAT.
This match reminded me exactly why I ranked Nakajima so highly. This match was a struggle in the best of ways, both men throwing bombs at each other, trying to inch closer and closer to a victory. Every strike laid in so tightly that you would have to convince me it wasn’t real.
The whole premise of this match really drove home that they were trying to do as much physical damage to each other in order to win, which should be the point to every single wrestling match, but capturing that feeling seems to be harder than ever.
While slower than I may have liked, this was just two mean, tough assholes hitting each other as hard as they could to win.
How could it not be great.
Some matches that I heavily considered including in my top 10:
- Adam Page vs. Kyle Fletcher 20.09.2025 AEW All Out
- Kaito Kiyomiya vs. OZAWA 01.01.2025 Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada 20.09.2025 AEW All Out 2025
- Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley (I Quit) 18.10.2025 AEW WrestleDream 2025
Please make sure you follow Voices of Wrestling as they begin revealing their Match of the Year countdown. Regardless of how many of the matches above make the final list, there will be plenty of entries worth seeking out, and hopefully a few will send you down an exciting rabbit hole of discovering new wrestling.
As this list shows, 2025 was a stronger year for wrestling than I initially gave it credit for.
Wrestling rocks.
