For the eleventh straight year, Wrestling Merchandise and Memories presents its Year End Awards, in which we ask our writers to vote in a number of key categories. We've also included how writers previously voted below each category.
Match Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: Kyle O'Reilly vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW Collision). I asked my friend (and a standup Canadian citizen) Brady Rak for help with this pick because I couldn't narrow it down myself. Brady said, "I'm gonna pick a match that's a little out there, but my favorite match this year was Kyle O'Reilly vs Kyle Fletcher on Collision. The audience participation was out of this f*cking world. The AEW (fans) just loved that they were both Kyle's lol. And it was a good, fun match."
The Big Rybowski: Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania 41, Night Two). This match didn’t just deliver — it overdelivered. Three stars, three different styles, and it felt like they were trying to steal the whole weekend… and succeeded. It had that rare “big fight feel” where every near-fall sounds like the building is about to crack. Iyo walking out still champ felt like the right kind of wrestling madness
Canadian Bulldog: John Cena vs. AJ Styles (Crown Jewel: Perth). One can make the argument that most of John Cena's last run wasn't exceptional, but there were a few great matches from it. One of them was definitely his match with AJ Styles at Crown Jewel: Perth. Not only did they perform in front of a red-hot crowd, but the idea that each of them began using every possible finisher on the planet just added to the excitement. Truthfully, it was one of the best "face vs. face" matches I've seen in years.
Mike Rickard: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens (Royal Rumble). Kevin Owens’ feud with Cody Rhodes was the type of epic feud fans expect to see from their world champion. This was the perfect blow-off to a violent feud, with Cody playing the babyface who isn’t afraid to go nuclear when an opponent pushes him too far. The only downside to this match is that it shows just how dangerous wrestling has become and that promotions need to rein in their wrestlers so they don’t have a wheelchair section of the Hall of Fame.
Previous Match Of The Year Winners
Male Wrestler Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: Joe Hendry. I believe in Joe Hendry. For real, though, he may not be the "best wrestler" on the scene at the moment but he's very entertaining in my opinion. He's really managed to make a name for himself. Even going so far as to appear at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania this year. Also, if you've never heard his diss track directed at Matt Cardona/Zack Ryder, "Edge's Bitch", you're really missing out! "You're the king of the indys, and now you're rich, but to me you will always be Edge's bitch...". Catchy song!
The Big Rybowski: John Cena. This wasn’t his best year, and there were better performers. But I’m giving this to Cena for his entire body of work — because 2025 reminded everyone (sometimes a little too much) that Cena is truly one of GOATs of the industry.
Canadian Bulldog: Hangman Adam Page. Even though I find myself being less and less on the AEW bandwagon, it's hard to ignore the impact Hangman Adam Page had on the promotion during a stellar 2025. Highlights includes a gory end to his rivalry with Swerve Strickland, a tremendous match against Will Ospreay, and a redemption story that had Hangman being the man to finally dethrone Jon Moxley and end The Death Riders' reign of terror.
Mike Rickard: Drew McIntyre. Drew McIntyre is WWE’s utility player, a wrestler who can be inserted into any feud, one-time match, or seemingly random interview segment and make it must-see TV. Drew’s work is impeccable as is his social media game, where he constantly mocks opponents while keeping fans in stitches (not to be confused with the opponents he puts in stitches).
Previous Male Wrestler Of The Year Winners
Female Wrestler Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: Timeless Toni Storm. Again, I'm basing this pick off of entertainment value. She entertains me the most. I have yet to quite grasp the character. I mean, it's like she's "old Hollywood" but also has a foul mouth. Strange combination, but I like it!
The Big Rybowski: Iyo Sky. Iyo’s the easiest kind of wrestler to appreciate: she doesn’t need a 10-minute monologue to convince you she’s elite — she lets her in-ring performance speak for itself. In 2025, she felt like the ace you trust in the biggest spots, and WrestleMania was the loudest proof: sharing the ring with Bianca and Rhea and still walking out champion. She’s not just great; She’s reliable greatness.
Canadian Bulldog: Iyo Sky. Honorable mention here to Naomi, who could have won it from my perspective had she been in the ring the entire year. But Rybowski is right when he says that Iyo Sky was consistently a top performer, including in one of the top matches at WrestleMania and battling the likes of Asuka and others throughout the year.
Mike Rickard: Lyra Valkyria. Despite some incredibly uneven booking, Lyra Valkyria broke out in 2025, not only winning the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, but the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. More importantly, she showed her range and abilities against some of WWE’s best, including Bayley and Becky Lynch.
Previous Female Wrestler Of The Year Winners
Non-Wrestler Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: Mark and Pete (Wrestle Me). The guys (Mark and Pete) behind Wrestle Me are some of my favorite podcasters, currently. Their podcast covers classic wrestling and classic WWE. They always have very amusing observations about such things. I would suggest that everyone should check out their YouTube channel. Always entertaining.
The Big Rybowski: Paul Heyman. Heyman is still the best “make this feel important” guy in the business. He doesn’t just talk — he talks you into believing the stakes are life or death. In a year where a lot of people yelled, Heyman just picked his spots and made them count.
Canadian Bulldog: Dave LaGreca. One of the biggest non-WWE, non-AEW stories this year was the emergence of the Pro Wrestling Nation wrestling channel on Sirius XM. While Dave LaGreca wasn't the only person behind this happening, he was certainly one of the driving forces that might this a reality. Add to that the passion LaGreca has for the business and you have a true advocate for the wrestling industry.
Mike Rickard: Don Callis. AEW is a shadow of its former self, but Don Callis is one of the few rays of light in an otherwise dismal promotion. Don’s ability to anger the crowd while coming off as a mix of a used car salesman and the jerk who cuts you off on the highway while he’s weaving in and out of lanes in his sports car still works well, no matter who he’s paired with.
Previous Non-Wrestler Of The Year Winners
Rivalry Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: Jim Cornette vs. Vince Russo. Even if this isn't an in-ring rivalry, it's one that will never die, until one of the two are literally dead. I never get tired of these two going back and forth every so often. I remember Jim Cornette once stating that even if he was in a wheelchair by the time it happened, he would divorce his wife if she didn't help him up out of his chair to piss on Vinnie Ru's grave after he died. That's real heat. That's real dedication.
The Big Rybowski: CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. This one had heat that felt personal, not manufactured. It starts with Punk and Rollins finally going one-on-one on the Raw on Netflix premiere — big stage, big stakes, big fight feel. Then it escalates into chaos (including the whole build to a cage match at Madison Square Garden, because of course it did). Rollins wins Money in the Bank — and you knew exactly where this was going. And then the killer: Punk finally wins the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam 2025… and Rollins cashes in MITB immediately to steal it. Not subtle. Not polite. Just pure theft. That’s how you do a feud. You make it feel like a grudge that follows you home.
Canadian Bulldog: CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. Very few people are better at making a rivalry personal than CM Punk (just look at what he did the previous year with Drew McIntyre). So when he had a red-hot issue with Seth Rollins that began on the first Raw in January and kept burning right until Rollins' injury in October, you knew this had become a massive feud that has the potential to continue on for years to come.
Mike Rickard: CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. You know a feud is hot when one of the people involved can’t wrestle for months yet fans are engaged week after week. Drew McIntyre’s bitter, violent, and self-righteous persona worked well against CM Punk and their matches were magic. One of the best feuds I’ve seen in years.
Previous Rivalry Of The Year Winners
Event Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: Worlds Collide. This is another category that I sought out help from my friend Brady. His opinion, "Honestly I would probably go with the most interesting show of the year. The Worlds Collide show with AAA vs WWE." I'm a huge fan of the original When World's Collide PPV from 1994, so I tend to agree with that. It was the most interesting event this year, if nothing else.
The Big Rybowski: Elimination Chamber. Not necessarily the best show top-to-bottom — but Cena’s heel turn was generational, even if the heel run after didn’t hit the mark. The moment is forever, and wrestling is a “moments” business.
Canadian Bulldog: Elimination Chamber. It certainly helped that I attended this event live in Toronto, but that's not the only criteria that made this a success (I was also at this year's All Out PPV). This had competitive matches throughout; some great set-ups for WrestleMania; and the John Cena heel turn that will forever be remembered as a true "holy shit" moment.
Mike Rickard: Elimination Chamber. 2025 was one of WWE’s least creative years in the last decade, a case of TKO not wanting to rock the mega-money boat. Still, Elimination Chamber featured two solid Chamber matches and an entertaining women’s tag match (Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus vs Nia Jax and Candice LeRae) and, of course, the mind-blowing John Cena heel turn. Unfortunately, the heel turn crashed on takeoff.
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Previous Event Of The Year Winners
Promotion Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: TNA. I always respected TNA as being the promotion that refused to die. It should've been dead and gone multiple times by now but it's always hung in there and seems to be back on the rise again with it's current deal working with WWE. It's also the promotion I watch the most nowadays. Ever since I got my latest smart TV, I end up watching TNA's 24/7 streaming channel pretty often.
The Big Rybowski: WWE. WWE owned 2025’s biggest stages and biggest moments — and they did it while launching the new era of Raw on Netflix.
Canadian Bulldog: WWE. I will concede that WWE has made some creative missteps this year, and a handful of big shows had frustrating results. Having said that, nothing else comes close to the excitement WWE generates when they are firing on all cylinders, and there were enough big moments, storylines and even business developments to allow the world's largest wrestling promotion to retain its crown.
Mike Rickard: TNA. TNA Wrestling shined in 2025, utilizing the most of a one-sided collaboration with WWE to let fans know just how underrated their promotion is. While TNA had some creative bumps, they were nothing like AEW and WWE had and this promotion is quickly becoming a must-see show, something it hasn’t been in nearly 20 years.
Previous Promotion Of The Year Winners
Team Of The Year
As of 2022, we included trios and factions for consideration, in addition to traditional tag teams.
Adam Zimmerman: The Hardyz. Again, running this idea by my friend, Brady Rak; his suggestion was The Hardyz, and I thought that was a good one. I'm going with them for my pick. It's cool they're still teaming up and still together and they also had a strong send-off match with The Dudley Boys not too long ago.
The Big Rybowski: The Judgment Day. They were always in the mix — titles, chaos, storylines, heat, and the kind of TV presence that makes Raw feel like Raw. Winning the World Tag Team Titles in 2025 is the resume line, but the real argument is simple: they stayed relevant all year.
Canadian Bulldog: FTR. In a year that didn't really have a lot of stellar tag teams (or at least, stellar tag teams competing in great tag team matches), FTR were able to pick up the pieces and take another shot at greatness. Adding Stokely Hathaway to the package has helped, as has their heel turn. FTR has always been a team with tons of talent, but this year they were able to take things to the next level.
Mike Rickard: The Motor City Machine Guns. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are in one of the most overcrowded and talented tag divisions in recent memory. Nevertheless, they managed to consistently stand out in 2025, wrestling fantastic matches and helping the blue brand’s tag division anchor an otherwise drifting show.
Previous Team Of The Year Winners
Wrestling Merchandise and Memories Article Of The Year
Adam Zimmerman: This is always the hardest category for me. I love the articles about old wrestling merch in magazines. The Twisted Themes are always great. Anything Michael W. Rickard II writes is always very well written and informative. Honestly, you can't go wrong checking out anything on this website. It's all gold.
The Big Rybowski: Top 50 Wrestling Headlines Of 2025. This is the yearly time capsule — the “what actually mattered” list. If you ever want to remember how nuts 2025 was, it’s all right here.
Canadian Bulldog: I'm proud of all the content that goes up on this site, but my favorite this year are probably Canadian Bulldog's Twisted Themes. If you haven't had a chance to listen to these, I would highly encourage you to do so.
Mike Rickard: Canadian Bulldog's Twisted Themes. Canadian Bulldog’s incredible wacky (and entertaining) remixes of WWE theme songs have been fantastic. The concept is absurd but it works so well he should make it into an album (oh wait, he did!).
Previous Article Of The Year Winners
Thank you so much for reading Wrestling Merchandise and Memories this year!
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