The latest WWE and AEW News and Results
Dave Meltzer and I are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about the big news from today’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We dove into part one of our look at the 2025 WON Awards in addition to hitting on some other topics including:
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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!
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.
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.
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!
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
See above. No one in Mexico this year even touches Mistico and I can’t imagine this category being close.
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.
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!
It’s that time of the year again.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, including a recap of the category A awards for 2024.
Here were some of the things we covered:
Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)
Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
John Pollock from Post Wrestling and Paul Fontaine joined us on the show.
Here were some of the things we covered:
Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)
This year’s race promised to be historical. And in the end, it was. Mistico was not only the first Luchador to win the award, but the first non-heavyweight in a year where eight of the top 12 finishers weren’t heavyweights.
What this year shows is a major trend change for the business, which started in boxing, when the lighter weights began carrying a sport where, historically, the heavyweights were the top draws. For pro wrestling, Mexico was the only major wrestling culture where that had been the case because of the early success of people like El Santo. But by the 70s and 80s, it had changed to where most of your bigger draws were the heavier guys there. Ultimately this trend in MMA started with Royce Gracie, as if a muscular or large wrestler or heavyweight kickboxer had dominated the early UFC’s, things would have been different. In fact, it may have never gotten past the first few shows. In U.S. pro wrestling, the real trend-setter was Rey Mysterio, because when he got over at his size in 1996, the size barrier was out the window for entrance into the profession.
Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzales discussed Jon Moxley winning the Wrestler of the Year Award on Wrestling Observer Radio.
Friday afternoon’s show had Meltzer and Gonzales discuss the top award of the 2022 Observer Awards, which went to Moxley with 3,101 votes. Roman Reigns came in second place with 2,216 votes.
“I thought pretty solid that Moxley would win,” Meltzer said. “It was Moxley and Roman Reigns, and they finished one two. Look, you take Roman Reigns out of WWE and their performance is very similar with or without him. You take Moxley out of AEW this year and it would have been a really tough second half of the year. He saved their bacon twice.”
When Gonzales brought up people suggesting perhaps Hangman Page or Chris Jericho could have filled Moxley’s spot, Meltzer wasn’t so sure.
“It wouldn’t work as well,” he said. First off, Hangman got hurt, so you can’t really say that. Could have put Jericho in. We wouldn’t know how that would have worked. But AEW chose Moxley.”
Meltzer pointed out that when Moxley was put on Rampage, ratings went up, but went down again when he was taken out.
Other people who placed in the top five include Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Syuri.
As expected this turned into a two-person race with Moxley (Jonathan Good, 37) and former Shield partner Reigns (Leati Joseph Anoa’i, 37).
The way I see the argument it comes down to Reigns as the biggest star of the year in pro wrestling, as WWE champion for the entire year, and headliner on the biggest shows, during a year that got very strong for the company after April. He had good-to-great matches on top, which is a big part of the award.
But the argument is Most Valuable. Reigns worked a very limited schedule and the company did roughly as well with him and not with him. The Smackdown rating rise was as much tied to Sami Zayn and Jey Uso, who carried it to strong results when Reigns wasn’t around, as the weekly angle.
Moxley was the more valuable, because he was twice, after injuries to Punk, called to lead the company. Had he been not around, the declines would have been greater than they were. Coming off rehab at the start of the year, he and Chris Jericho really carried the company during different periods when so many top names were out with injuries and later after All Out when Punk, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks were suspended. You take both out of the picture in 2022, and it’s AEW that would be hurt far worse.
