I was playing the game “Two Truths and a Lie” with my kids the other day and was having fun coming up with the most egregious lies I could think of (“Did you know Daddy invented Spider-Man? True story.”) and something started the gears turning in relation to this column.
There’s a lot about wrestling that I deeply love. The athletics, the ability to tell a story, the pomp and (dare I say) the circumstance, which are all unique in the entertainment landscape. Like any good fan though, there is a bunch of stuff I absolutely can’t stand as well — playing music during run-ins, inconsistent rule enforcements and the obsession with wrestling as a “business,” to name a few.
I am also pretty tired of reading and writing about complaints within and around the industry. So, on an occasion like this where there’s no one topic bouncing around in my brain for my fingers to convey to you, I thought why not do some quick hits in the form of Two Loves And A Loathing, so that I’m bringing a little bit of positivity while also pointing out something I feel needs improving. So with all that said:
LOVE: AEW Double or F*cking Nothing
A lot has been said about AEW’s Double or Nothing show this past weekend with WOR’s Dave Metlzer and Bryan Alvarez agreeing that it was one of the best AEW PPVs of all time. I heartily agree and think AEW is entering a really good period at the moment. They are telling great stories and featuring some incredible talents.
One thing that stuck out to me during the show was the use of profanity, particularly during the opening tag match that saw Christian Cage telling FTR to “go f*ck themselves” and that he “banged [Dax]’s mom.”
Now, I’m not going to argue that wrestling needs more salty language and mom jokes (well, it does need more mom jokes) but my head snapped up both times I heard Cage tempt the censors. I don’t know if this is a regular thing or it was because it was on PPV that they felt like they could get away with more, or if it was just how it went in the moment, but it weirdly added to the authenticity of the match.
If I’m getting my hand smashed with a chair while inside a cinderblock on top of some steel stairs, I’m probably not going to say, “No, sir. I decline your invitation to quit” when they stick a mic in my face. I’m going to use swear words and insults that would make Shakespeare blush. It was a little thing amongst a lot that was good about Double or Nothing, but I really liked it.
Loathe: The Promo Parade
Something that bugged me to no end in WWE from five or six years ago was The Promo Parade. This would occur, usually to open the show, when someone would come down to the ring and cut a promo. A few minutes in, someone would interrupt and cut a promo on them. Then someone ELSE would interrupt and cut a promo on THEM. This would get sometimes four or five wrestlers deep and suddenly the first half hour of WWE would be over with nothing accomplished.
I had hoped I was done with this phenomenon but sadly, when I took over recapping TNA recently (Thursday nights and it’s actually a lot of fun) I discovered that the Promo Parade was alive and well in the place where the Action is Total and Nonstop.
One of the things that takes me out of suspending my wrestling disbelief is when the show as a show stops making sense. This includes making main event matches on the fly (what were they going to do if Rey Mysterio wasn’t in that night or didn’t want an Intercontinental Title shot?), contract signings and ending shows on talking segments repeatedly.
The Promo Parade ticks all these boxes at the same time. It makes it look like the show (which is supposed to be a sporting event, I remind you) is unplanned, It takes up TV time setting up matches that could have just been announced and executed. The method may get a PLE plug in there, but at the cost of seeing something that would have made me way more excited to see said event.
Promos obviously have a place within the show and they are a key part of selling the idea and story of pro wrestling. All I’m saying is we don’t have to do them all at once and at the same time.
LOVE: Rey Mysterio as GM of AAA
On this past weekend’s episode of AAA, leading into part one of the two-night Noche de Los Grandes this weekend, WWE Hall of Famer, former World Champion and deadbeat dad Rey Mysterio Jr. was named the promotion’s general manager.
Does Rey have the chops and history to handle running the AAA ship? Absolutely. Does this mean that he and his no-good son Dominik (the current AAA Mega Champion) will be at odds? Almost certainly. Will this lead to more twists and turns in the Psycho Circus clown drama? I dunno, but I hope so!
Bringing in someone like Mysterio is a great idea because he has the love and pedigree of lucha libre that make him a natural choice. Lucha Libre can be a little daunting and inaccessible to a casual fan, but Mysterio has the name recognition that will perk up the casual fan’s ears.
While I’ve noticed a few WWEKO-isms creeping into AAA (Obsession with authority figures, “street fight” type matches and contract signings) I think that making Rey the GM will go a long way to getting people checking out what is arguably the best, most entertaining wing of the WWE empire.
Next Week: I play checkers with my kids and tell you how the NWO Hollywood vs NWO Wolfpac story should have played out.
With Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston gone from WWE, it raises the question of what potential dream matches could be waiting for them outside the company.
That is not to say it is a foregone conclusion that Kingston or Woods will continue their wrestling careers outside of WWE. However, if they choose to do so, there are numerous opponents out there for them and several potential dream matches that many fans would like to see.
Below, I’ve listed some of what I feel are the best potential matches awaiting Woods and Kingston.
Young Bucks social media screenshot (Image credit: Young Bucks social media screenshot)
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
There is no other way to start this list than with New Day vs. The Young Bucks.
Not only is this a dream match between two of the most successful tag teams in the history of professional wrestling, it’s actually about something far more important than that: It’s a match between quite possibly the two greatest merchandise-selling tag teams in the history of wrestling.
The Young Bucks, prior to AEW, sold so many T-shirts through Pro Wrestling Tees and Hot Topic that it helped spawn a wrestling promotion. The Elite’s merch sales were so strong that a company now employing quite possibly the largest roster of professional wrestlers ever assembled exists in part because of it.
As for New Day, there was a good 10-year period where you could not go to a WWE event without seeing people wearing their merchandise in the stands. Not to mention boxes of Booty-O’s and unicorn horns.
I can’t think of two other tag teams with such a history of fans wearing their merchandise.
Granted, the wrestling merchandise machine wasn’t exactly as much of an opportunity back in the Road Warriors’ or Rock ‘n’ Roll Express’ heyday, but still.
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage take in the crowd at Forbidden Door. (Image credit: AEW)
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
I don’t know how much longer either Cage or Cope have left in their in-ring careers, but if they can hold out just a little longer, another dream match is now possible.
While Edge & Christian didn’t have the longevity as a team in WWE that New Day did, these are still two of the most famous tag teams in WWE history.
It’s definitely an era-spanning match, and one that didn’t happen in WWE simply because while New Day were at their peak, Edge & Christian were not active.
But finally, with Kingston and Woods’ WWE departures, this match can happen, provided Copeland doesn’t have to film Percy Jackson or something.
FTR make their entrance at AEW Revolution 2026. (Image credit: AEW)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Revival/FTR…but in AEW
New Day and The Revival have wrestled before, but we’ve never seen New Day vs. FTR.
New Day and The Revival spent about half a year feuding in late 2019 and early 2020. Granted, most of those matches featured Big E teaming with Kingston, but we have technically seen this match before.
I think it’s fair to say that there would be fewer handcuffs on an FTR vs. New Day match in 2026 AEW than there were in 2019/2020 WWE. We’d get to see a bit more of what the two teams can do.
Both teams have further cemented themselves as the top teams of their generation in the years since then as well. It would feel far more like a “dream match” now.
Photo: JJ Williams (Image credit: Photo: JJ Williams)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) & A Partner vs. SkyTeam (Máscara Dorada, Místico and Neón) at Arena Mexico
I just kind of want to see what New Day would look like at Arena Mexico, and while perhaps not a likely occurrence, the possibility of it happening now exists.
There is something about the old, over-the-top, unicorn-loving, pancake-eating New Day gimmick that feels like it would translate well to that environment.
I’m not saying this would be a five-star match or anything like that. I would just like to see Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston under the old New Day gimmick in a venue like Arena Mexico. They could wear masks with little unicorn horns on them. I’m sure those would sell.
Ideally, they would wrestle either SkyTeam or Mistico and a partner, just so they’d be involved in something bathed in the sort of aura that Mistico creates in that building.
House of Torture njpw1972.com (Image credit: NJPW)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. any combination of House of Torture members
Just give me a second to explain this.
Thank you. Okay, once again I am not saying this would be a five-star classic, I just think it would be fun to see Kingston and Woods, who can both be absolutely hilarious when the situation calls for it, responding to the blatant HOT interference.
Woods being incredulous that Hiroshi Tanahashi continues to allow House of Torture to do this could be pretty funny. Them coming up with ways to irritate Don Fale or Dick Togo? Come on, I can’t be the only one who sees this.
I just think New Day being in NJPW at all would be fun. An act you never thought you’d see outside WWE all of a sudden causing chaos in Korakuen Hall would be great.
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods pose for a picture. (Image credit: WWE)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) in an AEW Tag Team Continental Classic
This one might be a bit of a stretch.
I’m not certain this idea is appealing to a 44-year-old and a 39-year-old, but AEW has more than enough tag teams to do a really great tag league style tournament.
You could put New Day against any number of AEW teams like The Hurt Syndicate, JetSpeed or Gates of Agony.
I don’t know that older teams such as Cage and Cope or Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin would be into wrestling that often within a month either, but if AEW ever decides to do this, think of the teams that could take part:
The Young Bucks
FTR
Cage and Cope (if possible)
Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin (if possible)
New Day
JetSpeed
Gates of Agony
Rascalz
Top Flight
The Infantry
The Dogs
Eddie Kingston & Ortiz
The Outrunners
Grizzled Young Vets
Big Bill & Bryan Keith
Juice Robinson & Ace Austin
Some combination of Death Riders
Some combination of Don Callis Family guys
There are definitely some fun potential matchups there.
Months ago, I would have bet my mortgage that Chris Jericho would be in WWE by now and in fact, I may have said that exact thing on my shuttered podcast or a Sunday episode of Wrestling Observer Live.
Thankfully for myself and my marriage, I didn’t put any money down on that.
I had a column in drafts for the past four months about how Jericho and WWE were the perfect fit for each other at this stage of things. For Jericho, it was a chance to go back where he became fully realized, to have a final run as a part-timer with interesting programs and meaning for whatever he has left in the tank, and to go out to massive recognition and a WWE Hall of Fame induction in a few years from an accepting fanbase.
Alas, that was not to be and I was surprised by that fact as I think most of you reading this probably were when he popped up on AEW Dynamite last week.
Despite the feelings some fans have toward him, Jericho is no dummy. Throughout his career, he has constantly evolved and in doing so, he has had two HOF worthy runs alone, if not three. He branched out into different forms of media and often performed better in those forms than his brethren. From a band to improv to acting to whatever else he is up to, Jericho is always trying new things. I admire that.
But he’s got a pretty big challenge in front of him at 55 years old: making AEW fans truly care about him again.
Part of that surprise of him returning was due to Jericho fatigue, a non-medical disorder that ran through a good portion of the AEW fanbase in 2024 and 2025. I think he and Tony Khan would agree that final go-round with The Learning Tree wasn’t it. He was playing off the internet chatter about him being a succubus for younger talent and not really achieving what was intended: to leave them in a bigger and better spot.
Was this his fault or Khan’s or a combo? Success has a lot of fathers, but failure is an orphan. Regardless, that last few months felt a lot like the forgettable last AEW act of Cody Rhodes with the never-ending inter-Nightmare Factory feud. I’m shuddering as I type that.
After a year away with plenty of chatter and scuttlebutt about him (remember that TNA comment?), Jericho returned in great shape and looks revived. He did the smart thing in that return (no big surprise) in making fans wait for the kickoff to this next chapter of the story, simply saying he was “home” and leaving people guessing.
That attempts to be answered tonight on Dynamite, but I suspect there will be even more to come as the intrigue gets drawn out. I don’t expect him to wrestle at Sunday’s Dynasty, but that next breadcrumb feels like it will be found in Vancouver.
But what could the plan be? Here’s a few thoughts.
One of the reasons I thought Jericho returning for WWE would be smart is there were more fresh matchups there, plus the all-important old rivalries to work from. In AEW, there are opportunities at the upper level as his MJF, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page feuds are now years old. He’s never wrestled Swerve Strickland or Andrade. He’s only wrestled Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada and Kyle Fletcher once each.
But, do any of those feel like dream matches in 2026? That’s where I’m struggling a bit. I don’t think he is returning for another mid-card run, but a final run at or near the top. He could be inserted into the war against the Don Callis Family (remember the Golden Jets with Omega?) which would seem like a natural fit if he wanted to be a babyface.
The bigger question: are AEW fans ready to accept him at that level again? I’m skeptical of that. A lot has changed in a year and all those guys above, as well as Konosuke Takeshita, are the top tier and have made the World title picture consistently mean something again. There has to be something compelling for fans to want some of those Jericho matches in that mix.
They other option is the midcard that is already too packed with talent trying to break through to have another name dropped in trying to get attention. That would feel too much like the end run in 2025 and I don’t think he came back just to put the
A big challenge lies ahead for both Jericho and Khan to not just make this work, but make it succeed. Tonight will be the first step toward seeing if they can make that happen.
It’s been several hours and six dayssince Hangman Page’s ability to challenge for the AEW World title was taken away from him.
Whether you believe this is a good thing or a bad thing, the stipulation that someone can no longer challenge for the world title is now a big part of AEW history. It’s been a major storyline point twice. It permanently altered the course of Cody Rhodes’ career in the company and now is going to do the same for Page.
There are, of course, only two possibilities for what happens next: Page either breaks the stipulation, or he doesn’t.
I think many AEW fans are worried about this, but it isn’t the existential crisis for the company some feel it is.
We know how it would play out if Page never breaks the stipulation, because we’ve already seen it. That’s what happened with Cody Rhodes. There were other factors at play, but Cody’s storylines in AEW began to feel disconnected from the rest of the show after, and fans noticed. I don’t know how much his existing in his own universe factored into fans turning on him, but I’m certain it played a role.
As for how Page might break the stipulation, Khan has clearly laid out how this could happen.
Tony Khan clarifies AEW World title stipulation
Here is what Khan said at the post-AEW Revolution media scrum about the stipulation:
“It’s the same thing with Cody, it was a gentleman’s handshake with both of them,” Khan said when asked how strict the stipulation is. “They both came to me and said, ‘I want to put this at stake.’ And both of them, I told them, ‘That sounds f***ing nuts, dude.’ Both of them really wanted to do it. And in both cases I said, ‘Are you sure?’ And they both said, ‘Yeah.’ So it is an agreement we made. Second time it’s happened. [Page] is somebody that’s known for being a man of his word, and we made an agreement. So it’s a verbal contract.”
What Khan is saying here is that the stipulation is not an AEW contractual rule, but more of an honor-bound agreement. Granted, that’s not exactly the understanding many fans came away with, but essentially he’s saying Page can break it if he chooses, but it would be dishonorable, i.e. making him a bad guy.
Now despite this explanation, Page choosing to break the verbal agreement Khan referenced above would still have the same effect in undermining how stipulations work in AEW. It would send the message to fans: yes, we have stipulations, unless we can find a way around them. That certainly sounds bad, but it’s essentially how things have always gone in wrestling, whether you view that as a good thing or a bad thing.
Yes, Junkyard Dog lost a Loser Leaves Town match to Butch Reed, but then this masked Stagger Lee guy shows up. Macho Man lost a retirement match but then Jake Roberts’ snake bit him, so he was allowed to wrestle again. Sting lost a match to Bully Ray with the stipulation he could never challenge for the TNA World title again, but then just did like six months later because the company was under different management. Other than the latter example, these didn’t kill the stipulations entirely, just somewhat.
If Page breaks the stipulation, fans know the next time this specific stipulation comes into play again, and it will, that it actually means the person can’t challenge for the title again without turning heel. It will still have some effect, just not as much.
Is This The Beginning of “Bad Guy” Hangman Page?
Again, the two options are: a babyface Hangman Page adheres to the stipulation, has feuds over the TNT title, International title, National title, whatever, and that’s how the rest of his time in AEW goes. Or we get “Bad Guy” Hangman Page. And there’s something exciting about the possibility of what that character could look like.
You know that at some point Khan dreamed up an angle for Cody to break the stipulation, turn bad guy, and feud with AEW’s top babyfaces. We can only speculate that this was the plan, but if it was, maybe we’re about to see it. Maybe Hangman Page is about to do the storyline we never saw Cody do.
We’ve seen glimpses of what bad guy Hangman would be, because it came out in his rivalry with Swerve Strickland. I’ve embedded below a promo that Page did about his feud with Swerve and fans still choosing to cheer Swerve despite that whole breaking-and-entering incident earlier in their rivalry. Page sort of half goes down the “because of the fans…” angle. It might serve as a bit of a preview for things to come.
I really hope this is not the end of babyface Hangman Page in all of wrestling. There’s a reason why fans are so drawn to the guy, to the point that he was chosen over Will Ospreay and so many others to dethrone Jon Moxley at All In. He’s great in the role and there is no better example of this than his performance at Grand Slam Mexico last year.
Page’s promo in Spanish at Arena Mexico was one of the greatest things I’ve seen or heard. I’m not talking about just wrestling, and I’m not even talking about entertainment. I am saying that out of all the things I have ever seen and heard in my life, Page’s promo at Arena Mexico was one of the greatest. It transcended wrestling and was inspiring AF.
AEW posted the below video with English subtitles of Page’s promo:
I bet had Page not even been a wrestler, but rather just some dude who grabbed the microphone on this show, it would have had the same effect.
It’s hard to believe that the babyface who cut that promo will no longer be around. But wrestling is a very peculiar industry, and the stories Page tells in it are not finished by a long shot.
The Road to WrestleMania is upon us, and it means it’s time for the yearly WWE 2K game to grace fans with its presence. Yes, WWE 2K26 is set to hit the ring for this year’s edition and unlike the actual Road to Mania this year, it’s a game that manages to excite players as usual, but not without its fair share of issues that keep it from being a Hall of Fame-worthy experience.
Look In My Eyes, What Do You See?
WWE 2K26’s in-ring action does remain largely the same from previous years, but new additions include a new debuff that appears when your stamina runs out completely. This meter essentially locks you out of reversing moves, so careful strategizing will be prioritized over spamming moves over and over again. Expanded combat on barricades and the inclusion of corner springboard attacks add to the variety of ways you can dish out pain.
And speaking of “dishing out pain,” WWE 2K26 adds a new bevy of weapons to the chaos, with thumbtacks being the most notable of them. For an added touch, the thumbtacks remain stuck on wrestlers who take bumps on them. These weapons now work in tandem with the reintroduction of weapons physics and even some ragdolling, especially on falls from high distances. This is none more evident in the new Backstage Brawl environment known as The Scrapyard which seemed to be designed with the new physics in mind. This environment features many high ledges where wrestlers can throw each other from great distances to create some truly insane high spots, along with several weapons ready for your use at your disposal. While those high-danger spots are fun to pull off, nothing beats the simple joy of delivering a powerbomb on the side of some steel steps.
There’s four new matches that add to the growing number of match types already present from previous games. Three Stages of Hell, which we recently saw play out on SmackDown early in the year, is basically a more extreme ⅔ falls match where you can pick unique match stipulations per “Stage”. With damage taken retaining through each stage, this match type truly lives up to its hellish namesake.
“I Quit” matches make their return to the franchise with a new mechanic. At various points during the match, you can get the ref to ask your foe to say those two infamous words, triggering a mini game where a wrestler on the verge of quitting has to prevent a meter from draining completely by hitting green markers within a circle. The more damage you take, the tougher it is to avoid the meter from draining. A neat touch is that a few WWE wrestlers have unique lines tied to this match on top from the generic voices heard.
The Inferno match is also back, where the goal is to set your opponent on fire.The ring is surrounded by fire and moves performed will fill a meter that causes the fire to shoot up completely once filled. Then it’s a matter of dragging your opponent to the fire to set them alight for the win. For added chaos, you can freely leave the ring before the fire reaches full Inferno and grab weapons to make these fiery encounters feel even more brutal.
Last and probably least, is the Dumpster Match, which is just literally the previously-introduced Casket Match, but with a dumpster instead of a casket. It’s nice for those that want some variety, but it’s otherwise nothing to write home about.
Presentation-wise, the game truly shines as it feels more like a true-to-life WWE broadcast than ever before. Before matches there’s now a degree of control where you can blast pyro at will or hit a couple of preset taunts. It’s not necessarily game-changing, per se, but does make for some entertaining moments when, say, Seth Rollins’ usual entrance strut is occasionally broken up by him doing a few “crybaby” emotes randomly.
This emphasis on presentation extends to even the start of the matches, where players can choose to shake their opponent’s hands (or deliver a devious cheapshot), engage in a little chain wrestling action, or even just rush them down. It helps make the matches in WWE 2K26 feel even more like their real-life counterparts.
Commentary sees Wade Barrett and Booker T join Michael Cole and Corey Graves to call the action, and I have to say, this commentary quartet is really good in the game. Of the two new additions, Barrett’s commentary is the strongest and you can tell he had a lot of fun recording his lines.
Still, it’s not all perfect when it comes to presentation, as while wrestler models can look really good, some still look a bit off and long hair physics still remains a persistent issue, even with the move to current-gen only for these games.
“Do I Have Everyone’s Attention Now?”
Showcase is front and centre once again, with cover star CM Punk being the focus this year. Players will play through some of Punk’s greatest WWE matches, as well as some fantasy contests that casts Punk in “what if” scenarios. If you’re familiar with the Showcase format, then you’ll know how it works: complete specific objectives before winning the match to unlock arenas and wrestlers – most of which are Punk variations. It’s not exactly what I’d call “fun”, especially if you’re halfway through and you’re asked to hit a certain amount of moves on Punk’s foe for what feels like the 100th time. At the very least, cutscenes between matches that feature Punk’s insights on the particular match you’re about to compete in are well-done.
For those not wanting to go through that busywork, there’s a 20-man gauntlet that can be played instead. This is an alternate way to get all of the Showcase unlockables, but be warned, it’s automatically set to the game’s hardest difficulty, and it’s designed to see if you’ve got what it takes to be called “Best in the World”.
MyRise is back once more and as the title of this year’s edition indicates, it’s all about “The Comeback,” where you take your created male or female wrestler on a journey back to the top after two years away. Story branches throughout this mode allow you to make your wrestler a face or a heel and offers up unique rewards, most of which are earned through so-called “Rise Matches” that you complete to progress to the next part of the story. It’s relatively short compared to previous MyRise stories, but I liked the story and the voice acting, particularly from the main player(s) which was well done.
The Creation Suite, a perennial favorite among fans, has seen the biggest benefit from WWE 2K26 moving to current-gen consoles only. Now with 200 create-a-wrestler slots to play with, as well as the return of body morphing and two-tone hairstyles, plus improved layers, there’s more ways for players to create the wrestler of their dreams as they see fit. Unfortunately, that same level of attention for Create-a-Superstar doesn’t seem to be evident in Create-an-Arena, where the only notable changes are the addition of LED barricades and a large library of ring aprons from past WWE events.
Universe Mode, the popular sandbox for players to create their own shows and let things play out however they see fit, has definitely seen quite a few improvements. A new “Creation Wizard” allows players to shape their Universe even before the action truly begins, with PLE schedules, rosters, and base champions being able to be set in stone. The WWE Draft now appears as a week-long event in Universe Mode and can also similarly be edited to your heart’s desire. This, on top of additions to the promo system and Money in the Bank cash-ins, make it feel like the developers have listened to those wanting to see tangible change in Universe Mode.
The best new addition to Universe Mode, however, is the “Watch Show” feature, which allows players to experience their Universe’s shows as if they were watching a real WWE program. The broadcast camera angle with cuts to action shots really help to add to how lifelike Watch Show can feel at times.
MyGM is back for more with expanded seasons that can run up to 50 weeks, on top of being able to book an even wider variety of matches in order to prove your superiority as the greatest General Manager in offline, online, and even against the computer.
An Island of Issues
There’s tons to like about WWE 2K26, yes, but as mentioned earlier, it’s not all smooth sailing. A lot of that comes down to modes introduced in this game and WWE 2K25, namely The Island and the Ringside Pass.
For better or worse, The Island makes its return in WWE 2K26 and it’s seen some changes. When you enter The Island, there are now cutscenes as opposed to just dialogue screens. They anchor a story of three warring factions looking to take control of The Island after last year’s events: one led by Punk, another by Rhea Ripley, and the third under Cody Rhodes’ command. Even with that change, a lot of the issues I had with The Island’s introduction in WWE 2K25 persists – namely the fact that a lot of creation items are locked to this mod. The story for The Island is fine, but between the constant lags I experienced and needing to plunk down real-world money to make your Island wrestler better or get all the mode-exclusive cosmetics, I’m still not a fan.
The other “big” monetization pit is MyFaction. Intergender support is new for this go-around, as is a chemistry system that takes into account certain attributes amongst your MyFaction roster to determine the team’s overall chemistry. Quick Swap matches are essentially a wrestling version of fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom, where you can swap in your team members out with a push of a button, complete with a nice teleportation animation. Other than that, your enjoyment of MyFaction will boil down on how much you can tolerate these “Ultimate Team” style of modes in sports games and how much of a grind you’re willing to commit to to get the absolute best cards for your faction without spending real-world money on currency.
Of course, we have to talk about the huge new elephant in the room introduced in WWE 2K26, and that’s the Ringside Pass system. Taking inspiration from Fortnite-style Battlepass mechanics, this replaces the former DLC pack model of previous games. Here, players will have to grind across several modes to earn points to unlock new wrestlers, title belts, and other assorted goodies through various seasons. The first “season” centers on the WWE-owned AAA and some of its stars, with Mr. Iguana and Vikingo included among the unlockables.
The Ringside Pass has understandably gotten a mixed reaction from fans, especially those opposed to a Battlepass format for unlockables. And I have to say, I tend to agree with those reactions, especially considering how big a grind is being asked of players. This seems more designed for the hardcore WWE 2K players who can spend long hours grinding to unlock more and more from the Pass. And even then, the painfully slow rate the RXP bar fills will make this grind a very long one. That’s not even getting into the fact that the game seems like it’s subtly pushing players to buy tier skips to just unlock everything. In short, this Ringside Pass system sets a precedent that may turn away players from future games if it becomes something permanent moving forward.
Final Verdict
Even with that, it’s hard to say that the in-ring experience of WWE 2K26 hasn’t improved from previous years. It seems that Visual Concepts has refined the style of wrestling it has been working on since WWE 2K22 and it shows with what 2K26 offers under the hood. As the only game in town when it comes to major wrestling video games, it’s still clearly the cream of the crop. But the increasing turn towards microtransactions in The Island, MyFaction, and Ringside Pass is still very concerning and could very well threaten the franchise’s overall popularity in the near future.
Pros
Nails the little things almost perfectly
In-ring action more refined than ever
Universe Mode’s freedom even better than ever
Presentation at its best, with commentary even better
Ragdoll and weapons physics
Cons
Showcase Mode still feels like a chore
Ringside Pass will be a huge turnoff for casual players
Microtransactions have increased
Graphics could be better, especially on some wrestler likenesses
Rating: 8/10
WWE 2K26 released on March 6th in early access. A review code was provided by the publisher.
Danhausen’s WWE debut at Elimination Chamber on Saturday has drawn comparisons to a time when a giant egg hatched at Survivor Series.
The 35-year-old former AEW and ROH wrestler was revealed to be inside the mystery crate opened on the PLE. The crowd reacted negatively to the segment.
“It was the Gobbledy Gooker. That’s what it was. They finally managed to do another Gobbledy Gooker,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio about Danhausen’s debut.
As a hyped debut built around a reveal from inside a box or egg that the crowd rejected, yes, it was exactly that. But Danhausen’s chances of success in WWE feel much higher than Gooker’s did.
For those fortunate enough to be unaware or to have forgotten, the Gobbledy Gooker debuted at Survivor Series 1990. WWE had spent weeks promoting that a giant egg would hatch at the pay-per-view. When it finally did, an anthropomorphized turkey portrayed by Hector Guerrero emerged. Fans weren’t impressed.
After hatching, the Gooker danced with Gene Okerlund, worked a handful of house show matches, won the 1990 Worst Gimmick award and quietly disappeared.
At the time, theories about who might be inside the egg included Ric Flair, who would debut the following year. The expectations of fans that night may have played a role in the negative reaction Gooker received. Although another credible-sounding theory suggests the crowd reacted negatively because he was, in fact, a man dressed as a turkey.
Perhaps Chicago fans expecting a bigger surprise played a role in how they responded to Danhausen.
Hot take on Danhausen’s debut
I thought it was great. I’ve always had a higher tolerance for wrestling’s more ridiculous acts, however. I understand why others feel differently.
Danhausen’s act requires a significant suspension of disbelief, something Observer subscribers often have less patience for than other wrestling fans. He is going to be polarizing for that reason alone. But there is a campy, Rocky Horror Picture Show-style energy to him that connects with a segment of the audience.
Danhausen has a lot of fans and they will purchase his merchandise. The Gooker was not breaking records on Pro Wrestling Tees before his debut, at least not to my knowledge, anyway. Whether Danhausen can translate his appeal into WWE success remains to be seen, but I like his chances better than The Gooker’s.
I can’t say I’m much of a reality TV guy these days despite it being such a big part of my formative years. Given there are channels upon channels dedicated to whatever form of reality these shows claim to live in, it’s hard to replicate what early seasons of The Real World or Survivor meant back then when we had such fewer options.
Having written all that, I did spend a portion of last Tuesday and Wednesday watching the second season of WWE: Unreal on Netflix for this very website after never having watched more than social media clips of the first go-round. I heard all the criticisms and comments about that first season, but did my best to go into these five episodes with an open mind.
So having written all that, here were my thoughts. I welcome yours.
Triple H really knows everything, huh?
It’s incredible Paul Levesque just happens to make the right suggestion at the right time when the camera just happens to be rolling and focused on him, and everyone agrees with him (see the multi-cut conversation he had with John Cena regarding R-Truth’s surprise Money in the Bank return and his on the fly idea that Cena immediately went with).
I’m being sarcastic, but c’mon. When does he admit he doesn’t have the answers or screws up? He’s a human being in a creative position. No one bats 1.000. Let’s see that process.
There’s not enough actual conflict.
I understand WWE has a heavy hand in production and doesn’t want to show the warts, but there is nowhere close to enough conflict on Unreal. The closest we got was the LA Knight/Seth Rollins deal from MITB where they didn’t go with the planned ending sequence. While they showed Levesque explaining to Knight why the original plan would have been better, that was it. Did Rollins get talked to as well? If not, why not? What happened? They never bothered showing the why for the what.
A close second was Lyra Valkyria admitting all her blunders in her WrestleMania match with Becky Lynch, complete with her in tears afterward. I thought this was pretty good and came off as honest and not an angle for the show. But, it took until the fifth episode to get to this point.
A few other nominees: the admission that the Cena/Cody Rhodes WrestleMania match didn’t work, and Brian James pushing for Truth (via a Truth request) to shave his head before returning and throwing a minor tantrum when being questioned about it. As I wrote earlier, I’d love to see a segment when Levesque second guesses himself. No one is perfect. Show that.
Everyone seems so damn happy all the time.
Conflict creates interest beyond anything else in reality shows, but Unreal didn’t really have a lot. One reason: everyone comes off as incredibly happy all the time. Everyone loves each other, everything is fine, everything is awesome, no one can do anything wrong, etc. I thought wrestling was supposed to be about backstabbing, jealousy and backstage politics? If Unreal season three featured a daily locker room daily kumbaya session, I wouldn’t be shocked.
And for the whatabouters, I didn’t like the short-lived AEW reality show either and I don’t think I was the only one.
Triple H swears a lot, huh?
I never know if people overcompensate in situations like this, but Levesque drops the f-bomb quite a bit. It reminded me of Cena’s Joe Rogan appearance as compared to his other media interviews leading into his last match. Is it legit or UNREAL?
Is Unreal helping WWE gain any new fans?
In terms of non-wrestling viewers, I’m sure there’s some but I feel like this is WWE fan catnip and for some general wrestling fans as shoulder programming. It also felt like this season was quieter on social media from those who love WWE those who love to hate it.
The idea was to replicate the F1 Need for Speed phenomenon, but this doesn’t feel like it’s succeeding in the same way. It’s a different world, but with some conflict (Khanflict?), could this get some attention like Total Divas used to on E?
Did you know WWE is about moments and telling stories?
If you watched Unreal and didn’t feel like that was drilled in your head, you were looking at your phone too long.
The Penta focus was great.
In a year, WWE did more to make Penta feel like a huge deal than AEW did during his entire run. I know, I know: he’s not having MOTY quality stuff in his new home, but does he need to at this point? This is what a show like Unreal can do and they nailed it here.
We don’t appreciate how big of a production WWE is.
We are completely desensitized to just how much time and effort and manpower it takes to put on WWE events from all angles. It’s more like a theatrical touring group or major rock event vs. a rasslin’ show, and Unreal reminded me of that.
Also, I think I would feel claustrophobic if I was working in the gorilla position and there were that many people hanging out there all the time. Maybe make a ‘chimpanzee’ overflow area or something (dad joke quota met).
Is anything organic?
I’m not sure if this was the case in season one, but I didn’t realize there was that much communication from the back to the referee to the wrestlers. Sure, I assume there’s some as needed but the way Unreal portrayed it, it comes off as every…single…thing is called. Is anything organic allowed in WWE? That mindset would be interesting for them to delve into. These are trained pros so why not let them work like it?
I have John Cena thoughts…
…but I’ll save them for the next drop of episodes this summer where I’m sure all truths will be told, especially about The Rock, Levesque, Travis Scott and WrestleMania.
Voices of Wrestling’s annual match of the year balloting is ending today and I have arrived just in the nick of time with my own top 10 matches of the past year. 2025 was another amazing year in terms of wrestling quality, with ****+ star matches happening on a weekly basis . It’s been that way since 2019 with AEW’s launch, but standards are so high these days it’s harder than ever before to pick 10 matches that stand out among the rest. I think I managed to do so, but each year it becomes more difficult to choose.
Keep in mind while I try to watch everything, some things fall through the cracks, so if you’re questioning why I don’t have match X on here or match Y, well, it’s either because I didn’t see it or it didn’t make the list. Sorry!
Anyway, here are the ten matches I chose for this year’s balloting, in reverse order. After all, gotta keep you on the edge of your seat..
10. IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley – WWE WrestleMania 41 (April 20)
SKY was one of the best wrestlers of the year, male or female, and had a terrific match with Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley on the second night of WrestleMania. The great, heated back-and-forth encounter that saw SKY retain the Women’s World title was the best match of that weekend, edging out the main event of the previous night’s card. Her match with Ripley later in the year at Evolution was also a standout.
9. The Street Profits vs. DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns – WWE SmackDown (April 25)
In hindsight, why wasn’t this match on the WrestleMania card? It was much better than most of the matches from that weekend. These three teams went out there and had a super memorable ladder match, which is hard to do in an era where AEW and WWE take turns doing a bunch of them every other month. But this was top notch and definitely the best ladder match of the year.
8. Anarchy in the Arena – AEW Double or Nothing (May 25)
This match always appears in my year-end match listings and for a good reason: it lives up to its name! Like every year, the 2025 bout at Double or Nothing can best be described as fun chaos with ten million things going on at once. It takes skill to do a match like this and not have it feel tiresome by the end, so kudos to these men and women who went out there, had fun, and entertained the crowd while doing so. More promotions, by the way, need to pick up on the idea that music during wrestling matches always works.
7. Kosei Fujita vs. YOH – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors finals (June 1)
This was a fantastic Best of the Super Junior finals. On that night Kosei Fujita looked like the future of the junior heavyweight division, a fresh new face that had the work ethic and charisma to be at the top. Too bad New Japan decided otherwise. At a time where you need to make people NJPW seems tepid to really get behind anyone in the heavyweight division, let alone the junior heavyweight division, and Fujita is a prime example of that mentality. Great match at least…
6. Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW New Beginning (February 11)
Goto finally realizing his dream and defeating Zack Sabre Jr. for the IWGP World title felt cathartic in a way that really can’t be found in any of the other matches I will list on here. He spent YEARS, decades even, chasing NJPW’s top title. For him to finally win it felt incredible, a feel-good moment that feels increasingly rare in a pro wrestling world filled with heat. If there was one highlight in NJPW this year, it was Goto’s great run with this championship.
5. Kyle Fletcher vs. Speedball Mike Bailey – AEW Dynamite (December 10)
This was absolutely one of the best television matches of the year. Mike Bailey is one of the best signings AEW made in recent memory as he’s able to have a great match with anyone, and since Kyle Fletcher is one of the best young wrestlers in the world, these two had an incredible, heated match on cable television. Fletcher is a top-tier main event level talent, it’s just a question of when AEW will pull the trigger. It should be this year.
4. Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher – AEW Worlds End (December 27)
Fletcher had one hell of a December thanks to the Continental Classic as this match with Moxley ended up being the best match of the tournament, far better than the match Moxley had with Kazuchika Okada later in the night (and that was still good!). Moxley’s heel heat run for the first half of the year did nothing for me but once he dropped the title, the matches got better and he too also shined bright in the tournament.
3, Bandido vs. Hechicero – ROH Death Before Dishonor (August 29)
These two had some tremendous matches in the last year, but this was the best of the bunch. ROH cards usually aren’t hyped much and there’s no real build to any of what they do but last year’s Death Before Dishonor was memorable thanks to these two, who put on an absolute clinic with a hot crowd. Bandido without a doubt was one of the best wrestlers in the world in 2025 and this was a shining example.
2. MJF vs. Mistico – CMLL 92nd Anniversario (September 19)
There were plenty of fantastic matches in 2025, but this stood out the most in terms of drama. Good vs. bad guy wrestling, when done right, is some of the best wrestling in the world. People loved Mistico that night and no one loves being the heel more than MJF. Both played their roles perfectly and we even got to see blood in a CMLL match, which is quite rare.
1. Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd – NJPW Wrestle Dynasty (January 5)
The biggest question going into this match was if Kenny Omega still had something after being on the shelf for all of 2024. The answer was a resounding yes. I’ve never seen anyone look so good after being gone for so long. Maybe this isn’t the Kenny Omega of old but the Omega in this match knew what he wanted to do and everything he did was on point. He helped Kidd be on his level and be a better wrestler coming out of it, that was how good this match was. It did such a great job setting the tone for the year, and while there were plenty of fantastic, incredible matches, this one tops the list.
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s last match on Sunday hit me far harder than any other recent retirement.
I’ve re-written this article several times trying to figure out why. I was definitely sad when Jushin Thunder Liger retired a few years ago, and John Cena’s retirement last month felt big. But I think Tanahashi’s retirement on Sunday had a far bigger impact on me than anyone else because he was the one that made me realize that what pro wrestling is, and should be can’t be defined by just one promotion.
I first started watching professional wrestling in 1999, with my first show being that year’s SummerSlam. I don’t know what motivated me to keep watching, but I was 12 so I guess The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin swearing and saying funny things in their segments grabbed me. I continued to watch through 2001 when WCW and ECW closed and WWE pretty much became the only promotion in town, save for the always struggling TNA.
Something I didn’t realize back then was when WWE became a virtual monopoly, it taught a generation of people that pro wrestling could be done only one way because everything else had been snuffed out. ‘WWE style’ became a thing, and while their way of wrestling can be very good at times, it could also be terribly boring. Vince McMahon had one way of presenting wrestling, and it was either his way or the highway. Yes, there was TNA, but often times they were either incohertent in the ways they were telling stories or just tried to copy WWE, often poorly.
So by 2012, bored with what was going on with wrestling in the United States, I yearned for something new. By that time, internet streaming finally reached the point where shows could be seen in full live and in decent quality. NJPW was among the first to experiment with this, and I vividly remember my first show: Wrestle Kingdom 7.
I had seen Hiroshi Tanahashi several times in TNA, but here he was headlining against Minrou Suzuki in the main event, and I was amazed by what I saw. He was uniquely charismatic, someone that the fans obviously loved. There were no shades of grey here: Tanahashi was a full-blown babyface at a time where those were, and still are, rare. I quickly became a fan of NJPW simply because the quality of wrestling was miles better than what was being offered in the United States at the time.
What cemented it for me was the next big show, The New Beginning, where Kazuchika Okada defeated Tanahashi to win the IWGP Championship. I was stunned. They were going to go with an unproven wrestler like Okada, who not only went nowhere in his TNA excursion but pretty much bombed his return match at Wrestle Kingdom? Why not keep it with the proven Tanahashi? I wanted to see how this story play out, and the rest was history.
NJPW and Hiroshi Tanahashi finally made me realize that wrestling doesn’t have to be what one company dictates. People, primarily podcasters with WWE ties, often complain that AEW and other promotions “don’t tell stories.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. WWE has a style of storytelling that works, but watching NJPW taught me that stories in professional wrestling can be told in different ways. With his rivalries against top stars like Shinsuke Nakamura, Katsuyori Shibata, Kenny Omega, and Kazuchika Okada, Tanahashi taught me that the actual wrestling can be the focal point of a story.
Watching Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony on Sunday felt like the end of an era, much more so than John Cena’s retirement. After all, the WWE machine will continue without him as they have an established roster that will carry the company for years to come. Tanahashi, meanwhile, represents the final domino of NJPW’s golden era falling. Everyone else has either moved on to other companies or has retired, and strong questions remain regarding who and what will carry the promotion forward.
Still, I can’t thank Tanahashi enough for what he has done for me as a wrestling fan. He helped me open my eyes to a world I never experienced until 2012. Seeing him vanish into the smoke-filled stage after a literal parade around the Tokyo Dome hurt, but you know the saying: don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
With just a few days left in 2025, it’s time to go over more Wrestling Observer Awards.
Last week, I took a look at the first batch of Category B awards, which featured a lot of the bad awards. Thankfully this time around, it’s nothing but smiles and rainbows celebrating the best in pro wrestling this year. Depending on how scheduling goes, I’ll have my Category A awards picks out next weekend.
Like I mentioned last week, I’m including awards I have thoughts on, so most of the MMA awards and some other categories are being left out as I just don’t have any thoughts on them. So without any further hesitation, let’s get going!
Best Non-Wrestler: Stokely Hathaway
I have been waiting for years for Stokely to find someone to click with, and finally it took place this year when he started his association with FTR. He’s always charismatic and fun, and most important of all he compliments FTR. The current AEW Tag Team Champions are good promos on their own, so they don’t need a manager per se, but Hathaway adds to the act, making them a formidable trio.
Rookie of the Year: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Dave Meltzer provided a list of wrestlers who qualify for this award in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, so there is a large selection to choose from. But no one on that list really resonates with me. Zaria from NXT stands out as the most notable name, and she’s fine, but I think she’s miscast right now as Sol Ruca’s friend, a stark departure from how she was initally introduced. Yutani from CMLL has also gotten some big opportunities in the last year, but I haven’t seen enough of him to make a final judgment.
In other words, I have no idea. I may just sit this one out.
Most Underrated: The Beast Mortos
It’s frustrating that someone so consistently good like Mortos the guy that does jobs for everyone, no matter what promotion he’s in. Mortos didn’t even get a spot in the Continental Classic this year! Yes, he’s one half of the ROH Tag Team Champions but, and I’m about to make a lot of people mad, does anyone even watch the weekly Ring of Honor television show? Mortos deserves to be in a better spot than he is and I wish he was featured more in AEW, CMLL…anywhere!
Most Overrated: EVIL
No one really sticks out in this category this year, but they put EVIL in the G1 Finals. That is going overboard with the House of Torture shtick, an act that was featured heavily up and down NJPW cards this year to get HEAT that they never got. Keep that in the midcard if you have to do it (they do not have to do it).
Best Flying Wrestler: Mascara Dorada
Dorada is simply amazing to watch at times and has had a tremendous year both in AEW and CMLL. Something Dave Meltzer said in a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio rings true, however. Komander as of now is probably the best high flyer, but between being injured for a lot of the year and being featured mainly on ROH, he hasn’t had the chance to stand out like Dorada did.
Bruiser Brody Memorial Award: Darby Allin
Absolutely no one takes the kind of damage Darby takes whenever he wrestles a match. It’s not just that he’s violent, he takes some of the sickest bumps I’ve ever seen, and usually that happens in not just one but every one of his matches. He’s a modern-day Cactus Jack that somehow takes even scarier bumps.
Best Technical Wrestler: Zack Sabre Jr.
With Bryan Danielson largely retiring, this is pretty much Sabre’s award until he retires or someone else pops up to take the mantle. No one does the kind of technical work Sabre does at his level.
Most Charismatic: Roman Reigns
Whenever he does appear, Reigns is by far the biggest star WWE has and commands the biggest reactions. Cody Rhodes is close, but Reigns has a presence and personality that only a few have in this industry right now.
Most Improved: Kendal Grey
I am amazed at how good Grey is and how much she’s improved over the last year. She is absolutely someone to watch out for because she is excellent at the level she is at. Every time she was in the ring this year she managed to stand out and get over, and now she’s challenging for the NXT Women’s Championship next week. If she is able to find her charisma and get promos down she absolutely can be a top star in WWE.
Feud of the Year: Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley
There wasn’t any other story this year that was as good as Hangman Page’s redemption arc and triumph at All In. Watching him pin Jon Moxley and reclaim the AEW Championship that Moxley had put away, lock and key, for the duration of his run felt incredible. Nothing else in pro wrestling this year touched it.
Women’s Wrestling MVP: Saya Kamitani
She won the Tokyo Sports MVP award, something no woman has done. I don’t even admit to watching a lot of Stardom this year but whenever I did see Kamitani I could see why she was a big deal. Mercedes Mone and IYO SKY might have had more mainstream popularity but Stardom’s success in what was an otherwise middling year for wrestling in Japan can be attributed to Kamitani.
Non-Heavyweight MVP: Mistico
The legendary CMLL star has had one of his best years ever, maybe even better than his inital burst of popularity 20 years ago. He and the new Sky Team have been doing record business for the promotion and it’s clear he’s the top star. Other non-heavyweights this year may have had better matches but Mistico’s success at the top of CMLL this year can’t be denied.
Mexico MVP: Mistico
See above. No one in Mexico this year even touches Mistico and I can’t imagine this category being close.
Japan MVP: Hirooki Goto
Not a great year for wrestling in Japan, but Hirooki Goto’s story did stand out, and he was champion for most of the year. I enjoyed seeing him on top after years of chasing the IWGP Heavyweight title, only to finally capture it this year. It took most of NJPW’s top talent to retire or move to other places, but Goto still was a terrific champion.
US/Canada MVP: Jon Moxley
I admit, there were many times in the last year where I got tired of the constant heat put on the Death Riders. And I think my points were valid, as a lot of AEW’s shows at the start of the year felt like mid-2010s WWE where the goal is to constantly book HEAT. But the story leading to All Out was the feud of the year, and Hangman Page’s victory was absolutely one of the great moments of 2025. That can be attributed to Moxley’s role as the heel. He also consistently had great matches once he dropped the title, including an excellent match between himself and Kyle Fletcher on Saturday.
And that finishes off the category B awards! I will be back soon for Category A, the big awards!
The end of the year is almost upon us and thus, it’s awards season. Over the next three weeks, I’ll be sharing my own thoughts on these awards, specifically ones that I have the most interest in. So sorry MMA fans, I have no opinion on what’s going on in MMA, at least in terms of awards talk.
I’m breaking up my picks into three articles that will be released over the next month. The big awards I will hold out for the last column, and the other two will focus on Category B awards. Keep in mind as you read these that these are my own personal choices, so if you get mad at who I pick please direct all flame bait to my X account, where you will be promptly ignored or muted unless you’re nice.
So without further adieu, let’s look at the first half of Category B, which just happens to include a lot of the bad awards. Uh oh.
Best Pro Wrestling Documentary:The Scream Queen: Daffney (Dark Side of the Ring)
Vice’s long-running docuseries returned earlier this year and one of the more striking episodes focused on former WCW and TNA star Daffney, who passed away in 2021 following mental health struggles. While the documentary did go over her career, the episode primarily dealt with her personal issues, how her career had an affect on her well-being, and how she bonded with other women who were struggling with the same issues. It’s a sad and personal story, but also one that showed how many lives she touched. Definitely the highlight of season seven.
Worst Gimmick: House of Torture
I am so over this gimmick. This group drives every NJPW show they’re on into the ground. If I wanted to see low-level WWE heat, I would watch WWE where somehow it’s not only better, but actually gets heat. Some people may like this ironically but my interest in NJPW has waned, and they are a part of the reason why.
Best Gimmick: Toni Storm
She’s had this gimmick for a few years now, but I think Storm has done a fantastic job translating her shtick into something really great. Her interviews, which feel both fresh and funny, have made her one of AEW’s top stars. Her association with Mina Shirakawa has given her new material to work with over the last few months and they have great chemistry, giving them a big boost as a tag team heading into the new year.
Promoter of the Year: Salvador Lutheroth III
The major surprise of 2025 was the explosive growth of CMLL, who had record sellouts week after week. There’s no question that the company feels hotter than ever, and some of that has to be attributed to Salvador Lutheroth III, the current promoter of the company.
Best Booker: CMLL booking committee
From what I understand, who actually books CMLL is a bit complicated, so I’ll just go with generalities here. The promotion has had some fantastic matches this year with the featured trio the Sky Team of Mistico, Neon, and Mascara Dorada. AEW’s relationship with CMLL have also seen some of their top luchadores wrestling as well, with Bandido, Hologram, The Beast Mortos, and others wowing the Arena Mexico crowds, who are usually super hot for everything.
Out of all the promotions, I kind of like CMLL’s shows the best right now. The pace is brisk, the sellout crowds are hot, and the top matches that sound good on paper almost always deliver. You can’t ask for much more than that and right now, CMLL is delivering.
Worst Promotion: TNA
TNA’s trump card at this point of their existance is their deal with WWE. There’s really no arguing that, and that has helped them with their crowds this year, especially at Slammiversary. But the weekly storytelling his hideously bland, with nothing sticking out.
In fact, the only time anyone seems to talk about TNA is when they do something very, well, TNA. For example, Mike Santana finally won the TNA Championship at Bound for Glory only to lose it in his first title defense. When you are the distant number three promotion in the United States, why do something where the goal is to make people upset and mad? You can’t afford to do that to the few fans who actually tune in every week to watch your program.
It’s not that TNA is consistently terrible. But the standard for pro wrestling is so much higher these days, and TNA putting out middling to bad content each week just doesn’t cut it, even if WWE is your new best friend.
Worst Feud of the Year: Whatever is going on between Max Caster and Anthony Bowens
After splitting them up and realizing they’re probably better off together, AEW made the move to reunite the former members of Acclaimed. I think most people welcomed the idea, but the execution has been very, very bad. For whatever reason, in storyline, Tony Khan is convinced these two, who constantly bicker and argue together, equal ratings and thus have to be a tag team that doesn’t get along or else they won’t be booked.
I think I get the idea of what AEW is going for here. We are supposed to be entertained by these two bickering every week until, eventually, they reunite and everyone is happy. Problem is, people probably would have been much happier if they just did that in the first place. And this is one of those AEW storylines that seem to drag on for weeks at end with no real conclusion in sight. Will they get the reaction they want when they finally pull the trigger? Who knows. But this hasn’t made for good television and somehow, AEW might walk away with this award for the third year in a row.
Worst Match of the Year: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes (WWE WrestleMania 41)
This category is usually a struggle because it’s rare these days to find a match that is just downright bad at a national level. But the choice was easy this year thanks to this high-profile DUD.
Nothing went right here. For starters, Cena was clearly hurting on this night and spent the first half of the match doing everything in his power to avoid taking an actual flat back bump. It featured some of the most lifeless, tepid wrestling you’ll ever see. Then we got to the finish, where Travis Scott came out and proceeded to do absolutely nothing. Then there was the insipid Lifetime movie moment where Cody struggled to use the WWE title on a man who violently turned against him months prior. Cena promptly low blowed Rhodes, smacked him with the title, then pinned him to break WWE’s record of 17 World title wins.
There may be matches this year that, on a technical level, are worse than this match. But I was stunned seeing THE MAIN EVENT OF WRESTLEMANIA bomb this badly. Nothing about it worked. Every single thing they came up with failed miserably. Thankfully, Cena’s matches got better by the end of the year but I can’t forget this monstrosity of a match anytime soon.
Worst Television Show: TNA Impact
See Worst Promotion. Nothing TNA is producing right now is lighting the world on fire on a creative level and while Impact may not be a terrible show most weeks, is anyone really talking about it?
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic: WWE brings back Brock Lesnar despite being named in Janel Grant lawsuit
Brock Lesnar eventually resurfacing in WWE wasn’t a surprise, at least to me. I just didn’t think it was going to happen before the Janel Grant lawsuit was settled.
By choosing to have Lesnar return at SummerSlam, WWE sent a strong message to those concerned about Grant’s sex trafficking allegations: we’re going to do what we need to do, and if you don’t like it, too bad. There are many questions about Lesnar, who was named multiple times in the lawsuit where it was alleged that Vince McMahon offered Grant to Lesnar as an incentive to re-sign with WWE. But for whatever reason, WWE decided to weather the storm and bring him back, ending SummerSlam weekend on a very sour note for some.
In one of the scummier, cowardly moves of the year, WWE made the move to announce the end of their post-show press conferences right after Lesnar made his return, ensuring that no one (read: Triple H) had to go on record and explain why they brought back someone named multiple times in a sex trafficking lawsuit. It was inevitable, as WWE had scaled back the Q&A portion of their press conferences and had largely stopped inviting anyone who might actually ask a question beyond “what’s your Waffle House order,” but choosing that weekend to eliminate it once and for all was quite pathetic.
Best Wrestling Maneuver: Sol Ruca’s Sol Santcher
It’s a cool move! Ruca, who I think is a very bright star, has done a great job getting her flipping cutter finish over and will probably become one of the more iconic moves in the next decade if everything goes her way.
Worst Major Wrestling Show: TNA Bound for Glory
This wasn’t a terrible show mind you, but for being their biggest show of the year, TNA Bound for Glory’s booking left a lot to be desired.
A lot of the undercard just wasn’t that good, far below what TNA’s WrestleMania should be. A tremendous match between Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater was ruined by some of the worst booking possible and one of the worst finishes of the year. The dreaded heel winning a title shot whenever he wants trope came roaring back with not one, but two winners in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet in another completely hideous finish. The show picked up towards the main event, which ended with Mike Satnana winning the TNA title. But that didn’t save the show from feeling like one of the weaker cards of the year.
Best Major Wrestling Show: AEW Double or Nothing
Looking at my star ratings tracker for the year, I gave 5 matches 4 stars or higher at Double or Nothing, more than any other card this year, so I think that makes it the winner! AEW’s strongest suit in 2025 were their pay-per-view events and this particular one was awesome. Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page was a classic wrestling match and the Anarchy in the Arena bout was great, chaotic fun as always.
Worst Television Announcer: Booker T
Some people (Bryan Alvarez) are fans of Booker T’s shtick on NXT. And to his credit, in select cases, he does get things a bit more over, like Trick Williams’ theme song. Problem is, Booker T then has to call matches, and it is there where often just completely out to lunch. Sometimes I think he doesn’t even remember names, let alone storylines he’s supposed to get over. He doesn’t have good chemistry with Vic Joseph, who would probably be my second choice in this category, and is so loud and shrill I just tune him out. I’ve never understood why he’s been in this role for so many years in WWE as I think he detracts more than he adds.
Jim Ross Award (Best Television Announcer): Walker Stewart
I always like how well prepared Stewart is, and I think out of any other potential choices in this category I think he’s done the strongest job of getting people, matches, and angles over this year in NJPW. He has clearly studied the company’s history and it’s good to have someone very knowledgeable about NJPW at your side like Chris Charlton. The duo are easily the best commentary team in the business right now.
Time to cut off part one here. Next time we’ll look at more Category B awards, including the MVP awards, most underrated, most overrated (uh oh), and more.
The Death Riders were built on the act of betraying a mentor figure. In fact, current leader Jon Moxley pulled the trigger on that, leading his fellow Blackpool Combat Club teammates in excommunicating Bryan Danielson.
It’s about time that fellow senior member Claudio Castagnoli takes that mantle, fittingly usurping the purveyor of paradigm shifts.
I write this not as a denigration of Moxley; far from it. It’s possible that such an angle can steer all parties into new territory. Moreover, Claudio, as the leader of the pack, will have a distinct image change of the group.
Observing the past month of AEW programming, the seeds for Castagnoli stealing the reins have already been sown.
Why a Castagnoli-run Death Riders is plausible
Moxley’s had a rough second quarter of 2025. Losing the AEW World title to Hangman Adam Page at All In Texas was the start. Yet, he still maintained his momentum. His bravado hid all traces of diminishing confidence. A few losses here and there, but the Death Riders remained on top.
Then came WrestleDream. Thanks to interference from Sting to offset the heels, Darby Allin defeated Moxley in a memorable I Quit Match. Since then, Moxley has consistently lost on AEW shows with a recurring story of seeing his shield chip thanks to Kyle O’Reilly and his ankle lock. From late-October to late-November, Moxley exercised every means possible to escape O’Reilly’s unforgiving technical prowess.
A disqualification and a double countout later, O’Reilly had Moxley’s number, ultimately submitting him at November’s men’s Blood & Guts match. Moxley rebounded with Castagnoli on the following Dynamite, but then, Full Gear saw Moxley submit to O’Reilly in a no holds barred match. His promo afterward did carry his usual confidence, but that same confidence was not shared in the eyes of his teammates.
Despite a successful start to the Continental Classic in a triumph over CMLL’s Mascara Dorada, Moxley has since lost to Castagnoli himself and Konosuke Takeshita. Conversely, Castagnoli’s 2025 has seen a marked improvement.
Though he spent the early half in frustration, he recovered and eventually became the soul of the Death Riders; Moxley had simply become the lungs. In trios or tag bouts with either Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, and/or PAC, Castagnoli stewarded his team to wins and began to have a silent winning reputation, with a smattering of losses here and there. He even became the CMLL World Heavyweight Champion.
Coincidentally, he went on a brief winning streak, broken only by Mascara Dorada in his third Continental Classic bout followed by a draw with Takeshita.
Death Riders under Castagnoli’s leadership
Castagnoli has worked excellently with PAC and the younger Garcia and Yuta. They even accompany him to his matches. On the surface, he seems like an older brother who knows how to navigate the world. Thus, their eyes, though hardened and serious, appear loyal and curious. Yuta, PAC, and Garcia seem eager to follow, and in doing so, they wrestle more confidently with the reps they get alongside the towering Swiss athlete.
A second glance at Castagnoli gives off militant vibes as though there’s a numb, yet classy, demeanor. Perhaps it’s the way he looks like Agent 47 from the Hitman video game series, or perhaps it’s the use of classical music. Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” bolster this aura. He may be stoic, but there’s a deadliness beneath.
Not only is it this visage and his presence that entice me to see Castagnoli as the Death Riders commander, but his history. CHIKARA fans will remember his time in the stable Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (The Brotherhood of the Cross) where he became a central figure bent on a hostile takeover of the promotion, teased with the quote “A war (is) coming”.
Often, he has stood in the shadows, in the background and on AEW programming, fans haven’t seen too much of him. Considering this and everything mentioned above, it’s time he steps into this role.
What of Jon Moxley?
The rest of the Death Riders can thrive Claudio Castagnoli just fine and the same as they did with Moxley and Danielson. But the more that things continue as they have, it would make sense in the storyline to have a seismic shift change the group once more. They don’t even have to change the name.
If his twilight in the stable comes by a betrayal, this can leave Moxley in a state where he understands who he is again. He’d be alone, with several of his bridges burned, the embers flickering out long ago. Or, he could remain in the group if the Death Riders so wish, under the direction of Castagnoli.
Moxley would enter this environment as a captain whose crew mutinied against him. Could he repair the fractured relationships with other wrestlers? Can he make peace with enemies? The character Moxley is, he’d be stubborn and scrappy, likely to catch loss after loss, unable to climb up that hill. He didn’t get this far by giving up. Ultimately, though, he’d have to shed the mentality that spawned the Death Riders from Blackpool Combat Club’s ashes to stand a chance.
What’s important to note is that AEW is swimming in a sea of heels. That’s where Moxley comes in; he can be that underdog, yet badass, babyface to challenge this swarm.
In retrospect, the Blackpool Combat Club and Death Riders accomplished their mission by heightening the AEW roster’s potential. In giving AEW’s wrestlers a threat, everyone worked to their full potential. There’s nothing more Moxley can do, but Castagnoli can take the group to another level. To him, there are no limits to the Death Riders as he said in a recent interview with Wrestling Republic.
The Death Riders need to become stricter, meaner. They don’t have a roster to inspire through rage, spirit, or hate anymore. Now, it’s time to take for themselves, not as a band of outlaws, but as a hostile force, a militia of killers. Through this, a relentless approach is needed. Everything must be seized by force.
I am of the mind that Castagnoli is far better than given credit for, but hasn’t had the same time to shine and has done just enough to get by in a still great spot in the company. Were he given this spot, the Swiss wrestler can transform the Death Riders into something soulless like a fascist military seeking a coup to usurp the status quo. Furthermore, he has shown he cares for his teammates, adding an emotional core that would translate well under his authority.
With that in mind, this reinvention of the Death Riders can keep the title scene interesting with multiple shifts in the card. Wrestlers could come out of this better or worse than they started — sink or swim.
As the Don Callis Family faces their own plot developments from in-fighting to championship pursuits, the Death Riders will need something else. They’ll need to stand out. That’s what professional wrestling as a business does: it evolves and reinvents itself for the next generation.
The following is opinion-based and reflects that of the author and not our website.
It’s customary in professional wrestling promotions to start early when elevating young talent. All-Japan Pro Wrestling did so in the 1990s with the Four Pillars of Heaven. New Japan Pro Wrestling has achieved this with three iterations of the Three Musketeers and through the development of Kazuchika Okada. In fact, their Young Lion system is for the sole purpose of priming young talent.
Recently, an image circulated on social media comparing the ages of WWE wrestlers in 2025 to those on the 2000 roster. Most of the wrestlers in the current main event picture are in their late 30s to their late 40s. Juxtaposed with 2000, it’s a considerable gap. For instance, The Rock and Big Show were in their late 20s, whereas the oldest was Steve Austin at 36. The 2000’s oldest are younger than 2025’s youngest, who was Gunther.
Though this is a broad overview, it’s symptomatic of a larger issue with WWE. Since the late 2010s, WWE has been hesitant in creating young stars who could generate money through rivalries and spectacular matches. Despite recent improvements following the regime change this decade, it seems that there are inconsistencies and gaps in what should be a melting pot of generations in WWE’s main roster.
When WWE Got it Right
Every so often, WWE would cultivate newer generations of wrestlers as previous iterations aged out. In the early ’90s, the roster included young Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Undertaker, Razor Ramon and Diesel. In the 2000s, the OVW class of John Cena, Batista, Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin and Randy Orton found its footing. Even in the 2010s, The Shield and Wyatt Family highlighted who WWE wanted in the big picture as its future.
What these eras mean is that WWE understands there’s an importance in fostering later generations, just not when. For example, the Attitude Era only propelled WWE back into a boom period when they needed to move with the most popular stars from Austin to The Rock to Kurt Angle. When WCW forced Vince McMahon’s hand during those iconic 83 weeks, he had to reinvent so many ways in which he operated.
Through the merit of hungry talent competing to be the top dog, WWE prospered, eventually leaving WCW in the dust. Although, there’s a lot that factored into the outcome of the Monday Night Wars. That aside, if WWE could make the New Generation and Ruthless Aggression wrestlers become household names once before, they can do it again.
In fact, the WWE’s women’s division is an exception to the main roster product. There are already huge young stars. Roxanne Perez, Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia are in their 20s to early 30s while talent beyond that range are still allowed to be in their notable spots. Now, stars are easily made in that division, while others can still hold their spots and help pass the torch when needed.
Pulling the Trigger
For the men’s roster, they haven’t been so lucky. Bron Breakker is already a huge star, but lacks that “umph” which could propel him higher. Following The Vision’s betrayal of Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel, he should have become a huge star instantly. That’s the moment you observe what landed in your lap. You pivot. Deliver something unpredictable that can utterly transform a talent overnight.
Instead, the following week, he was cost a spot in a battle royal to determine who would face CM Punk for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. That should have been the spot to pull the trigger and instantly have someone feel like a megastar. Not every big plan has to wait until WrestleMania.
Similarly, Carmelo Hayes has toiled uncomfortably long after a grand series of matches against Andrade and a meandering program with The Miz. Back in NXT, Hayes was the top star in the men’s division, probably one of the best since the days of Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole.
The hesitancy to pull the trigger at the right moment will cost WWE dearly when their top talents age out and there are few wrestlers left to fill their spots.
The Future is Now
CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton will inevitably step away from the squared circle. John Cena and AJ Styles are already wrapping up their time in the limelight with their retirements looming at the time of this writing. Time is running out.
If they want to focus on the main roster, stars like Ilja Dragunov, Ludwig Kaiser and Rey Fenix can get an early start and easily fill those slots. NXT talent can also provide some additional substance to a main roster call-up. They could all readily take the torch passed to them and create an exciting future for WWE while also maintaining depth in the undercard. NXT is there for that reason whether it’s indie darlings traipsing into the Performance Center or new prospects like the NIL recruits.
With current champions CM Punk (World Heavyweight), John Cena (Intercontinental), and AJ Styles (World Tag Team) at a combined 140+ years old, the opportunity for more junior talent is there. Seizing gold from a huge name in the industry can alter a fresh talent’s trajectory rather speedily. That would be almost like if Batista or Orton ended the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak in the 2000s.
The Show Must Go On
It’s not as though fresh blood isn’t at the forefront of some of WWE’s biggest angles. Ripley remains one of the women’s division’s most recognizable stars with Stephanie Vaquer and Dominik Mysterio trailing closely behind, all three in their 20s. Bron Breakker is already in high gear, but is still far from reaching his full current potential. 28-year-old Maxxine Dupri’s year-long visible improvement culminated in her becoming Women’s Intercontinental Champion on last week’s Raw.
WWE will soon need drawing attractions that aren’t nostalgia pops. It pains me to say that as I must admit that I do genuinely love seeing the wrestlers I grew up watching still performing. But it’s time to paint the picture of the future. Holding back right now runs the risk of wrestlers not getting as over as they would have been the moment the iron should have been struck.
The audience wants to care. They want to invest. Don’t dangle the keys for too long, and don’t wait for some big PLE. Keep fans on their toes and leave them salivating to tune in before it’s too late.
Whether in a developmental role or jumping from another promotion, the way WWE positions newly-acquired wrestlers matters. For the company, finding out which talent can sink or swim makes all the difference for their bottom line.
As a fan, I’d love to see this type of development. One aspect that I love about AEW is that Tony Khan’s promotion has already created momentum for his young wrestlers. Most of their big stars are in their 20s and early 30s. They got over with the AEW crowds, and some have even won gold.
For a period, WWE almost shared this perspective on talent. After decades of squandering indie darlings and other promising prospects from the previous regime, the Paul Levesque era seemed optimistic in this regard. Instead, the company appears to be resting on its laurels, not bringing that same fiery energy seen from 2022-24.
I’m not declaring that the company must have young blood at the top of the card at all times, just that WWE needs to invest in fresher faces early to prepare for when their current biggest names step away.
Editor’s note: This is an opinion-based column and reflects the views of the author and not the website.
The professional wrestling industry will soon lose two legendary performers in the coming months with John Cena in December and Hiroshi Tanahashi in January.
In their wake, they leave an excess of contributions that have changed the wrestling industry wholesale. Some of these moments in wrestling history were for good, some for the worse. Yet, the memory of what they have done and what they have sacrificed in the ring remains evident for all to see.
Whether it’s by age or the sheer amount of toil they have subjected their bodies to, both men have earned the right to go out with finales befitting of their legacies.
Since Cena and Tanahashi announced their impending retirements, a lot has transpired. It’s undoubtedly going to be bittersweet moments, seeing them hang up the boots, joining their 2020s contemporaries like Jushin Thunder Liger, Sting, Goldberg, and Bryan Danielson (who, to be fair, retired from full-time competition in 2024). The experience of seeing them perform has an expiration date and there may be no more chances like these. Then again, this is pro wrestling, and retirements tend not to stick.
Nevertheless, there’s an air of finality. Tanahashi and Cena have ample reason to walk away for good as the “Ace” also serves as the president of New Japan Pro Wrestling while the Cenation leader is a star in Hollywood, television, and even Honda commercials. They know their time is now, that they can’t move like they used to before, and therefore must leave the squared circle to newer and fresher talent.
As someone who’s observed both men in their final active years in the business, the occasion feels just right to analyze both men’s ultimate runs.
John Cena
The Face who Runs the Place. The Champ. Mr. Money in the Bank. John Cena’s career was spent mostly as WWE’s main protagonist—their ultimate babyface. Whether his understanding of the early 2000s hip-hop zeitgeist, his Marine era, Super Cena, or the open challenges, fans will decidedly recognize these periods of his career.
When he announced his retirement at 2024’s Money in the Bank, Cena maintained his limited appearances. His presence was soon to ramp up at this year’s Royal Rumble, however. Lasting 30 minutes as the penultimate talent in the titular bout, Cena stared in shock after being eliminated in a shocking win by Jey Uso.
Hoping to venture another way for a title bout at WrestleMania 41, Cena self-admittedly politicked his way to Elimination Chamber, stating that it was “best for business.” Locking in his patented SFT on CM Punk, Cena got his wish as he rendered the Voice of the Voiceless unconscious.
The veteran then made even more headlines as he turned heel by attacking undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, aligning with The Rock and Travis Scott. Betraying everything he stood for, Cena sold his soul to his former nemesis and current TKO board member. Oh, the potential this had…
For the first time since his Doctor of Thuganomics days, Cena was the bad guy. He insulted children and berated audiences for their treatment of him for almost two decades, wholly believable in his airing of grievances. Resentful pain reverberated in his voice with dispassionate eyes glancing at the legions who once worshipped him.
Cena’s entrances featured slow strides to the ring, his towel held behind his head, and a bland Titantron video. Little changed in his trademark appearance, but his body language was bitter and vitriolic.
Eventually, this schtick grew old fast, retreading old ground, over and over. The matches themselves were less than satisfying, to boot. Once Cena dethroned Rhodes for the title at WrestleMania in a meandering bout, the magic dissipated. Still, it wasn’t all for nothing. Setting a personal record for 17 World championship wins, Cena’s WrestleMania win marked a huge milestone in his final year.
He went on to defend it against Randy Orton at Backlash in an equally unsatisfying match, and teamed with Logan Paul against Rhodes and Uso during Money in the Bank which did nothing for anyone involved.
Meanwhile, R-Truth took to social media, reporting his release from the company after losing to Cena at the May 24 Saturday Night’s Main Event. Fan outrage grew so intense that WWE inevitably acquiesced to their wishes as he returned in June to face Cena again, this time as Ron Killings. Having endeared himself to fans as the comedic act, Truth’s return came to much fanfare and eventually disappated.
In June, Cena reignited his feud with Punk at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, a place many thought they would never see the Chicagoan wrestle. Though Cena’s homage to the famous “pipe bomb” promo was entertaining, the match itself was a poor follow-up to their 2011 Money in the Bank bout which both men were beloved for. There was no depth in this match; just an overbooked finish and the squashing of the reputation of Punk’s disdain for Saudi Arabia and “blood money.”
By then, the reaction to Cena’s heel run had soured for fans. He somehow became just another guy, albeit one fans still filled arenas with cacophonous applause once his music blared through arenas. Sensing that Cena’s relationship to The Rock and Travis Scott wasn’t as present as it was at Elimination Chamber, fans moved on.
Dwayne Johnson claimed that The Rock didn’t follow up on that appearance because he felt that is all WWE would need for him. As for Scott, people within the company remarked that he viewed the medium as a hobby, not something serious.
Ahead of SummerSlam, Cena turned babyface, citing the lack of involvement as a reason to see things clearly. (Well, that and Cody Rhodes’s violent confrontation the week prior.) During the SummerSlam main event, Cena played fair, ultimately dropping the belt back to Rhodes in a positively received street fight — a great finish to a rough storyline.
Unfortunately, the post-match angle soured this experience for some and alienated others from the product. Despite being named in the Janel Grant vs. Vince McMahon & WWE lawsuit as a participant in the sex trafficking of Grant, Brock Lesnar made his return to the company. Moreover, his reappearance focusing on Cena wouldn’t be followed up on until a month later, following Cena’s brief rivalry with Logan Paul.
Attacking Cena during an open challenge for the United States title against Sami Zayn, Lesnar set the ultimate destination: Wrestlepalooza. They wrestled for less than ten minutes in a poor resurrection of their 2014rivalry. Despite him being a draw during this period, Lesnar’s presence means far less than it did before, and WWE’s insistence on keeping him in the fold can only be successfully challenged once he stops getting the reactions and the ticket sales for his product. Even after the match, there was a less-than-lukewarm reception with little to no attending fans standing up.
WWE accidentally made a good choice following this: a reunion match that people actually asked for. The company returned to Perth, Australia, in October. Featured on the card was Cena reigniting his rivalry with AJ Styles, also soon to retire. Little build was created for this match, basing everything solely on their star power and history in the ring. Their match catered to fan service, focusing on both men’s strengths while hearkening back to both men’s past rivals such as Edge, Bray Wyatt, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe. A little heavy-handed, but understandable, when considering that this was a celebration of two amazing careers.
The colloquial agreement of the only truly satisfying moments of Cena’s retirement tour being during his babyface run can’t be ignored. The Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches built nicely to his heel turn. Once that ran its poorly executed course, Cena’s matches with Rhodes at SummerSlam, Zayn’s U.S. title open challenge on SmackDown, and the Crown Jewel spectacle with Styles.
In a year where WWE has made a myriad of odd, sometimes infuriating, or laughable decisions that have miserably affected public relations, one wonders why a substantial portion of his last year was spent twiddling fingers and baby-brained booking.
In all fairness, nonetheless, Cena’s botched heel turn was mostly out of their control. Johnson stepped aside from everything post-Elimination Chamber with some positing this was due either to extracurricular commitments or creative rifts with Paul Levesque. Though Scott assisted Cena at WrestleMania 41, he didn’t appear afterward whatsoever. The people who initiated the heel turn were completely absent, hence his subsequent face turn.
But WWE isn’t without blame—while everyone expected Cena to run it back with Orton, Punk, and Truth, the product would’ve also benefited from Cena building up younger stars outside of matches like the Rumble or the Chamber — something meaningful that fans could sink their teeth into. The time with current top stars is already terminal; best to build the future before disinterests steamrolls the product.
Additionally, this storyline hampered Rhodes and Truth’s momentum. Rhodes looked like a chump after hesitating to strike Cena with his belt at the WrestleMania match when he cratered Styles’ skull with steel steps the year prior. Fortunately, the SummerSlam street fight reinvigorated both Rhodes and Cena. But for Truth, the Ron Killings character was seemingly dropped as Cena turned babyface. Certainly, it didn’t help that the Aleister Black feud floated aimlessly and that Killings kept spouting that he was “driving now” as frequently and relentlessly as the ongoing ICE commercials. Killings’ character change and motivations were made pointless and the lack of television time didn’t help matters.
A part of me wonders that, if WWE had gone with The Rock’s idea of having Rhodes turn heel and Cena be the angle’s babyface, things would have been different. After all, Rhodes’ undisputed WWE Championship had begun to lose steam around this period after the enthralling Kevin Owens feud. Plus, Cena had finally won everyone’s respect and people grew up seeing him as a hero—let him go out as one.
Regardless, Cena’s face turn cemented that better care would be taken to end his career, and I’m all the more glad for it. Every moment since his babyface turn has seen a glimmer in his eye—a twinkle of appreciation for the talent and audiences that gave him the life he has now. There’s an unmistakable gratitude in his smile, despite that this is now a small part of his life now.
And he’s filled the remainder of his time giving back. Understandable, since this is the only time he can do so, after all, his last time is now.
Hiroshi Tanahashi
The “Ace” has had a monumental career since stepping onto NJPW’s cerulean mat in 1999. A historic one, even as early as his victories over the likes of Kensuke Sasaki, Negro Casas, and Scott Hall. Little did anyone know in the early 2000s that Tana would be recognized as the savior of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Dubbed one of the New Three Musketeers in company with Shinsuke Nakamura and Katsuyori Shibata, he had a lot to live up to. Considering that the original Musketeers were Keiji Mutoh (The Great Muta), Shinya Hashimoto and Masahiro Chono, the pressure was on.
Credited later in the 2000s and 2010s for saving the company from Inoki-ism, Tanahashi’s performances combined Western wrestling influences such as lucha libre and American heavyweight as well as mat-based wrestling. This flew in the face of the MMA style then-NJPW promoter Antonio Inoki preferred. Inoki’s vision proved unpopular, especially with Tanahashi. Having gone on an excursion to Mexico’s CMLL promotion alongside fellow young NJPW talent, Shinsuke Nakamura, in 2005, Tana challenged Inoki-ism upon his return with the exciting Westernized wrestling style, resulting in Japanese crowds yearning for more.
With the company nearly in the throes of bankruptcy, Yuke’s Co. Ltd.’s purchase and Tanahashi’s dynamic wrestling capabilities, the process began anew with NJPW being rebuilt to fit what Tanahashi brought to the product. As such, Tanahashi became the face of NJPW, holding some impressive records as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
He didn’t stop there—following Kazuchika Okada’s suboptimal excursion to Impact Wrestling, Tanahashi’s eventual matches with Okada not only shaped the latter’s image, but the vision of NJPW as a whole. Thanks to a prolonged competition between the two, spanning years, NJPW met a boom period, stamped with their rivalry alongside Okada’s parallel series of matches with Kenny Omega and the dominance of stables like Suzuki-Gun, Los Ingobernables de Japon, and most notably, Bullet Club.
Fast-forward to October 14, 2024. Tanahashi stands victorious over the House of Torture alongside teammates Shota Umino and El Phantasmo. He declares that the “finish line was in sight” and that January 4, 2026’s Wrestle Kingdom would host his final match as an active wrestler.
In singles competition, Tanahashi’s 2025 started with a lumberjack match victory over EVIL at Wrestle Kingdom 19 and a five-minute time limit draw against fellow Musketeer and current AEW World Trios Champion Katsuyori Shibata at Wrestle Dynasty. New Beginning in Osaka saw Tanahashi defeat Togi Makabe in a way that compellingly told a story despite both men being at a slower, advanced age. The Ace then passed the torch to then-IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto.
Younger stars were on Tanahashi’s plate as he lost to Shota Umino at Sakura Genesis in an intense bout. AEW’s Konosuke Takeshita would then be Tanahashi’s final match in the United States, defeating the veteran in Chicago. An emotional, yet brutal faceoff between Tanahashi and IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Gabe Kidd kept the latter’s momentum going after his Wrestle Dynasty match against Kenny Omega. The president finally gained a singles victory against a younger competitor, this time in the form of Yuya Uemura at June’s Dominion.
Competing in the grueling G1 Climax, Tanahashi gained four total wins with a victory over Yota Tsuji becoming his 100th G1 win. EVIL would gain revenge for his Wrestle Kingdom loss during the tournament, however, defeating Tanahashi on the A-Block’s final night, leaving Tanahashi at eight points. He’d then defeat Master Wato and Great-O-Khan at Battle Line Hokkaido and Destruction in Kobe, respectively.
At King of Pro-Wrestling, Tanahashi reached a time limit draw against recent ally El Phantasmo, leaving both men looking strong. In his hometown of Gifu, Tanahashi faced the young Yota Tsuji, the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion, who avenged his previous two losses in his career to the Ace in an emotional struggle that ended in a Gene Blaster.
Tanahashi has been an emotional thrill ride in 2025. Grappling with the future of the company, his contemporaries, and stars of the past, he’s done so much. Considering his knees are poor and he’s no longer able to be the same hero who pulled NJPW from the crumbling debris of collapse, what he’s accomplished this year is impressive. He’s truly given his all. Rather than going on as a husk and parody of his former self, he put over talent while still standing tall over others who are already seasoned.
As NJPW President, Tana could have easily, easily put himself at the forefront, become champion, and go on a reign of terror until dropping it to someone, possibly in a dirty finish. He could have, but he didn’t. Maintaining credibility as a wily veteran who won’t go down so easily, he gave bragging rights to opponents who could carry the company in his absence.
This isn’t to say that Tana has been slogging about, going along with the paces without taking risks. At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, he joined Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, and the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) to defeat the Death Riders. Joking about his age and softened bones while offering the expected Tanahashi flair, he gave Western fans one more glimpse before returning home to Japan.
Tanahashi has committed to the deadline of his final bow on January 4. Whether he’s sobbing at the commentary desk or in the ring, his tears flow for how much he’s invested in this business. The Young Lion from the early 2000s has grown older, yet has bite enough in him still.
I’ve connected deeply to this version of Tana in the past year, and I hope he finds peace and solace in his twilight, no matter who faces him. There’s a tenderness to him now, inhaling the knowledge that even in retirement, he’ll continue to exhale into pro wrestling and NJPW to keep it a perpetual machine in motion.
The Verdict
This article could have been briefly summarized to “Yeah, Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement run has been better than John Cena’s.” And, I don’t have anything to detract from that. It’s true, absolutely so. Cena’s direction was misled by creative ranging from fantastic to extremely poor, whereas Tanahashi has hardly had a misstep. Even his loss to EVIL in the G1 Climax paved the way for Tsuji in the A block.
It’s a funny coincidence these two chose now to end their careers at this juncture. Tanahashi and Cena have long been compared as the faces of their companies. In the 2010s, it was common to see fans clamor for a dream match between the two or debate about which one was better. Waxing poetic, Tana and Cena are Eastern and Western reflections of the other in a way. In a perfect world, that dream match would have happened.
The year of their curtain calls will inevitably be compared by most. The execution in the final matches, as well as the 365-day build to get there, will be analyzed and dissected with the industry posturing how a successful retirement tour should look with such monumental talent in the limelight.
The bulk of Cena’s run defined him as a bitter heel that quickly pivoted to WWE’s bright and beaming mascot. It’s 2025 and his heel turn came far too late. It would have fit about 10-15 years ago when heat toward him was at a fever pitch. Admittedly, hype overtook me, the notion of Cena showing a mean streak. But the past several months solidified that the grizzled veteran remaining steadfast as a protagonist was as true as true gets.
People are more fond of when he began building new stars and showcasing a myriad of wrestling styles beyond the scope he’d displayed at the time or when he had grit. The bloody war with JBL, the parking lot brawl with Eddie Guerrero, and the battle of the best with Shawn Michaels. The Superman/Batman feud with CM Punk, the ace versus ace series with AJ Styles, and the elevation of younger stars in his United States title open challenge series.
His championship reign may have added a notch to his list of accolades, but his time afterward has added much-needed weight. There were several missteps, such as the Johnson and Scott situation, in addition to the issues already emblematic of the product in 2025. This will likely be addressed if and when the company faces declining social media interactions, ticket and merchandise sales, and a lack of reactions from attending fans. For the departure of a legend such as Cena, it’s a shame this came at the expense of the tail end of his historic career.
Tanahashi, erstwhile, remained the person audiences knew him as. The dynamic babyface, who would put on heroic performances. He dipped in comedy, sold the seriousness, and let his emotions bleed over. He was authentically himself; no need to deviate. Furthermore, he earned accomplishments, including his 100th G1 victory, winning a single belt. Being the president he is, Tana totally could have done this. But he didn’t. He let others take the spotlight while he took a different approach. These matches, the ones that counted, told a story of a man clawing his way in desperation, only to fall short due to advanced age.
The pair is at a point where they have separate images, yet are the same wrestlers people have rooted for for so long. John Cena stands almost like a superhero, WWE’s Superman, Captain America, All-Mighty, what have you. His Last Time is Now tournament, culminating at December 13’s Saturday Night’s Main Event features him as the prize. The bragging right to say one has faced this icon before his time was up—even better if they beat him.
Tanahashi, on the other hand, wrestled like a dying animal knowing its last breath was coming, and rather than going into that cold night, he charges forward, fighting that last fight until there’s nothing more to give.
Every moment, every second they’re wrestling is time that is running out; the last grains of sand are trickling to the mound at the bottom of the hourglass. How will it end? In time, this may be the ultimate decider.
Professional wrestling is a unique art form in that fans grow and age with the competitors they see. The blending of fiction and reality in that sense enhances the investment. I was a boy when I saw Cena wrestle in jorts in stadiums from a CRT TV. I was a young adult seeing Tana compete against Styles on the cerulean mat while using a laptop. I didn’t know where life would take me, and I’m sure the same could be said for them; I imagine life is unpredictable as a pro wrestler. I, among those of you reading, get to follow up with this in the more limited times these men lace up their boots only to leave them in the center of the ring.
I apologize for closing this as I talk personally, but with wrestling being significant in my life, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming mix of emotions. This is a full circle moment with Cena retiring on my birthday and Tana stepping back as I start my sixth year in wrestling media.
I’d love for both men to have the swan song they deserve. We have our own ideas about how we’d like things to end. Cena could face a younger opponent to make them a star, or could reignite one last rivalry. We do know that Tanahashi’s final match will come against someone previously mentioned: his longtime rival Okada, putting to an end to the rumored one last match against current WWE wrestler Nakamura.
Whatever happens, it ends with two legends riding off into the sunset. Decades of work, highs and lows, punctuated with their names forevermore entombed in the annals of professional wrestling’s history books.
Savor it while you can because their last time is now.
AEW Dynamite will be airing a daily earlier this week for their annual Title Tuesday episode with Collision airing the next night. It’s not the first time they are running on a Tuesday night and it also isn’t the first time that they will be going head-to-head with WWE’s NXT brand but this time , it’s a no-win situation for Tony Khan and company.
NXT has been doing crossover promotion with TNA for the past few months, and it all looks set to come to a head (creatively, at least) this Tuesday. The show was initially named Invasion, playing on the old 2001 PPV imagery and really pushing the idea that TNA could be a threat to NXT, but due to the historical significance of October 7 to Israel and the Hamas attacks, WWE changed the name to Showdown.
The card for Showdown, as of this writing, looks pretty much finalized with both companies putting their biggest talent forward in elimination matches in addition to a winner takes all Tag Team title match between The Hardyz and DarkState.
By contrast, Dynamite (again as of this writing) only has a Mercedes Mone open challenge confirmed for the card in addition to match between Brodido and Konosuke Takeshita & Kazuchika Okada that may be postponed due to Bandido’s injury and a street fight between The Hurt Syndicate and The Demand.
We saw during the Wednesday Night Wars that both companies were more than willing to try and get ahead of each other in terms of television ratings, but it’s looking this time that Khan may be focusing more on the ongoing television creative week-to-week rather than hotshotting their own version of a supercard together to combat what is going on at The CW.
The problem here is that Khan and AEW are pretty much in a no-win situation and, ironically, it’s almost a complete flip from where NXT was back when AEW started airing on Wednesday nights in 2019.
Why Tony Khan can’t win
Khan and AEW are in a difficult position and when I say that they can’t “win,” I mean from a perception standpoint: AEW can either beat WWE’s third brand by loading up and doing a random one-off card, or they lose outright to WWE’s third brand.
The NXT of 2025 is not like the NXT of 2019 or the years proceeding. Long gone are the days when NXT TakeOver shows would be the highlight of a PPV weekend with the likes of Adam Cole, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Johnny Gargano, etc. putting on cards that would rival anything else in the industry.
Now, we’re genuinely seeing a developmental brand where either established names begin to learn the WWE style (Ricky Saints, Ethan Page) or younger names get their reps in on television (Trick Williams, Lola Vice).
So how do you approach this situation if you’re Tony Khan? Do you keep serving the television audience and stay the course with your current storylines, or do you try and counteract what WWE is doing on Tuesday night? From a perception standpoint, AEW simply cannot win either way. They either look flustered by the competition or they just hope that they have enough going creatively to beat a big invasion-esque storyline.
Why WWE and TNA will win
So if Khan and AEW can’t win on Tuesday, does that mean that WWE and TNA will actually win? Yes, it does. TNA is more than likely heading to The CW on Wednesday nights to compete head-to-head with AEW, and it’s a defacto way for WWE to go head-to-head with AEW without an actual branch of the company having to do so.
If TNA ends up beating AEW, that’s great for WWE business. But if they don’t? It’s only TNA will be the excuse. TNA gets a huge push in terms of branding on Tuesday night ahead of their new television deal set to be announced and NXT gets a differential and a big moment on Tuesday when the two brands collide — all without it actually looking like a hotshotted show to compete with Title Tuesday on TBS.
If AEW does better ratings than NXT? Well, it’s AEW’s biggest weekly show so it should be doing better ratings from a perspective standpoint, and WWE can essentially lay the blame at TNA’s door. If NXT vs. TNA beats AEW in the ratings, it’s a genuine perception changer for TNA. At least, that is how they will try to position themselves ahead of a potential Wednesday night move and WWE will get one over on the only real competition left with zero risk.
Triple H was in charge of NXT when AEW were beating them on television weekly and it led to Vince McMahon completely changing how NXT worked as a brand. With Triple H now in charge of creative on the main roster, there has to at least be a part of him that relishes the idea of sticking it to Tony Khan and AEW Dynamite one more time with “his” brand.
