Mission 033 – The Mission? Looking back at the top 10 moments of 2025 (and more)
Well, everyone, here we are. Another year in professional wrestling comes and goes as stand here smack-dab in the middle of the Seventh Era’s Second Season. I want to discuss a few things here, but the main event (if you will) of this article will be me highlighting the top ten moments of this first full calendar year of the Prime Era!
Before we get to that, I wanted to recognize a number of stars and happenings that we saw recently:
For starters, WWE has AGAIN shifted direction, as WIN looks less like a wrestling union – or supposed WOW alternative -, and more like the permanent corporate parent of WWE. This marks the fifth change of the guard with respect to the name of the house which WWE calls home. From Murrey Entertainment and Seventh Era Productions to Triple H Era and Final Boss Media, and now on to the latest home: Wrestling International Network.
I am going to reserve judgment for this as of right now, but all I hope is that we truly settle down on the barrage of resets. Murrey is a genius when he settles down, but there has not been true stability with his wrestling promotions since the fall of the original WWF’s empire. Something tells me that he is 100% serious about righting the ship heading into 2026, and that we have seen the last of these sudden changes; as one can see from reading his latest public comments regarding the direction of his company.
It is a little concerning that Matt Cardona was among those listed under his “future endeavors” message, but I will also wait and see what happens here. Elsewhere on the roster and with the current champions, WWE is in a very strong position; especially with Gable, Rollins, and Rock. If they can stay the course and not overextend themselves, they will catch up with ULW and AEW in no time!
Over in AEW, “Violent Night” and the whole march to end 2025 went off with a bang! December 22nd marked the end of the year for the current top company and we saw a number of great moments, but my favorites were as follows:
Becky’s Promo
Becky came out on fire on “Violent Night” and honestly stole the show! I mean that wholeheartedly as she reminded us of why she is “The Man” and why Toni and Jade would be sorely mistaken counting her out! It actually had me second guessing my prediction that only Jade will replace Toni. The crowd was riveted here as well, and this added a new level of excitement for the coming showdown!
Doc Brown’s Impending Reveal
A vignette with Doc Brown had the Hall of Famer prepping the audience for a reveal at Elite Warfare of what exactly the so-called Mad Scientist Manager has been up to. Who knows what it could be? I’m tempted to guess that Brown has cloned Paul Heyman or even Ryback’s Mom. Or, perhaps – and this is the most likely case -, the Doc is about to introduce a new superstar under his wing. This definitely has my attention, though, as Brown is finally feeling like he is settled in at AEW!
Ospreay versus White
I am not going to pretend that I ever thought White stood a chance here. There was only one moment where I started to wonder if there was going to be a swerve with a shock White victory, but that was only when the interferences picked up. Otherwise, though, this was an amazing match which delivered the perfect icing on top of a successful year for AEW! There is no doubt in my mind that White will be world champion someday – maybe even next year -, but for now I think he has solidified himself as a bonafide contender.
Truth be told, as much as this match was supposed to show Ospreay’s resilience, the biggest takeaway was that White means business and that he is a threat to the gold. While this may not have been White’s first time challenging for the title, it felt like it was the first serious challenge.
Next time around may be his moment to take the helm!
And now, we pivot to what I feel were the top ten moments in the industry (outside of ULW) from 2025:
Ten. Benny’s Return
Happening at AEW’s “Exodus” back in May, the culmination of a two-season-long story saw Benny emerging at the conclusion of the final PPV of this Era’s first season. Bearing in mind that Benny had been locked away in a mental institution towards the end of the Sixth Era as Megan and Sami took over the company, one has to appreciate the dedication required to pull this off.
At the beginning of the Seventh Era, Mickey’s last henchman – Executioner – had been sent to AEW, but then took on the mission of seeking revenge against Benny. At the same time, Sami was getting targeted by the sinister Danhausen, including the kidnapping of Megan Mouse. So, fate brought Executioner and Sami together in a reluctant alliance to both get Megan back and exact revenge on Benny, who escaped from the institution in the interim.
Then, came the moment of truth – and I am leaving out a ton of detail for the sake of brevity – where Executioner and Sami thought they had the upper hand, only for Danhausen, Armageddon, and the Harlem Turtles to arrive as Benny returned and convinced Executioner to betray Sami. Overall, this was one of the greatest twists in the industry’s history.
Nine. The Arrival of the Briscoes
The most sought-after newcomer tag team of the era was most definitely Jay and Mark Briscoe. There is more than enough evidence that Dem Boyz were on the radar of both WWE and ULW this past summer prior to Benny’s acquisition of the up and coming duo. After a great deal of success in the Indies, these two have been delivering some of the most entertaining and riveting vignettes that I have ever seen.
Now, we haven’t seen much from them in the ring since their arrival, but I am convinced that this season ends with them as AEW Tag Champions. It is almost inevitable! AEW’s Tag Division has honestly become the most stacked in the industry (with ULW’s being a close second), and the Briscoe Brothers are one of the key reasons why the division is on top right now.
Eight. Jesse’s Last Match
The whole final run of Jesse Ventura felt like it went by in a flash. After announcing his final “30 dates” with his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Jesse kicked off a swift yet fulfilling run which spanned five months. In the process, he captured the Evolve Title (which now no longer exists) and the World Heavyweight Championship, thus tying Slammu’s record 26 world title reigns. He also put over some prime talent, including when he dropped both of those titles to the likes of Zen Hogan and John Cena.
He also rejected the appeal to be corrupt alongside Murrey. Ventura pushed away the man whose empire of old he helped build back in the First Era. That moment alone felt like it was worthy of at least a passing mention for the symbolism of it all. But, nothing topped the nostalgia-heavy final match wherein he attempted to both end the Rock’s historic reign and simultaneously overcome Slammu’s record.
That final match had it all, and it included the much-appreciated return of Car at his side! The crowd was into it, and I was a kid again on the edge of my seat. I knew going in that Ventura’s odds of winning were near-zero, but there was a glimmer of hope in me that he would do it one more time. Ultimately, Jesse’s iconic career ended in grand fashion, and he left the industry far better off than he found it.
Thank you, Jesse!
Seven. Naomi defeats Asuka
I honestly didn’t think it was ever going to happen. After the first year had passed, I had become convinced that Asuka was going to retire as WWE’s Women’s Champion. She had dominated the division since its inception, and there was basically no one left for her to beat aside from leaving the company at the earliest possible moment.
When Naomi earned the shot, I felt at the time that she was a good next challenger, but never saw her as anything remotely resembling a legitimate threat. Sure, she was a former Women’s Premier Athlete, but her repeated failed attempts at capturing the PWI Women’s gold left me thinking she was forever trapped in the women’s mid-card. The unlikelihood of Naomi’s victory is what made it such an impressionable moment that it actually tops Jesse’s last match.
I know I will probably be raked across the coals for this decision, but I stand by it because it became obvious that WWE saw Naomi as the future and the Award-winning History-making Asuka as the past. Granted, Naomi reigned for five months (dropping it to Rhea down the line), but she is now a top player thanks to this pivotal moment in her career and in the overall history of the business!
Six. Chad Gable deported
The still-discussed funniest moment in 2025 – in my humble opinion – was undoubtedly earlier in the year when the Intercontinental Champion, Chad Gable, was accidentally deported by ICE after his reputation in Mexico confused the poorly run agency to mistakenly conclude that Gable did not belong here! This happened in a flash and the segment concluded with Doc Brown’s crazy ass concluding that he was the new interim Intercontinental Champion.
Months of hilarity ensued as Chad embarked upon war at the behest of Brown against Lucha Libre! This journey took Chad through to the Wrestle Empire event wherein he hilariously won a piñata match, and he eventually and appropriately dropped the strap to Dragonfly and Krusader’s luchadore cousin, Mystico!
I may not have been pleased with the sudden and anticlimactic partnership between Brown and Gable, but I 100% enjoyed the ride, and the deportation was the peak for me!
Five. Brandon Lee steals the spotlight
When AEW drafted Brandon Lee at the outset of the Seventh Era, none of us experts knew what to expect. I, personally, had a bit of excitement for the anticipation of what they might do with him, but I really hadn’t a clue. Fast forward a few months into his new contract and we start seeing these impressive vignettes which made it clear that the veteran was being repackaged…this time as the “Forgotten”.
As Lee finally debuted in the company, there was ratings success and rave reviews. A new day for Lee had at last come, and then AEW pulled a swerve when earlier this year saw Paul Heyman suddenly betray Brock Lesnar and side with Lee as his new client! Lee and MJF fighting to a draw in the Massacre Five Match was a rare popular win for this usually annoying outcome.
Then, at Exodus, whereat the audience had long been primed to see MJF and Logan Paul finally go toe to toe, Lee stole the show and the win to many pleasantly surprised fans the world around! This was an earth-shattering moment and while his reign was not long for this world, it was the right decision in the end as it made Adam Page’s also-brief world initial world title win far more possible than it would have been had MJF or Paul won at Exodus! Lastly, without this moment, Lee’s rejuvenation would have been stunted, and that has thankfully not been the case!
Four. Toni Storm’s Crowning Moment
No woman has ruled over the industry this calendar year quite like how we’ve seen Toni Storm rule. At the beginning of this year, Toni was in the midst of her amazing feud with Athena Star, which produced one of the bloodiest bouts I have ever seen in my life. (Side note: it is easy to forget sometimes that BWM Inc. is the corporate descendant of Heyman’s ECW of the Second Era, which brought us many of the industry’s most brutal moments ever) Toni then set her sights on the then-champion, Liv Morgan – whose reign now feels like it was several years ago -, the bright young champion who toppled Athena Star herself a few months before Toni had.
The thing about Toni’s rise to the top was that it could be seen coming by a blind monkey a mile away. Sometimes, being so predictable is a crippling thing to get something over, but that is not the case here. Toni had become the most entertaining woman in the industry for months leading up to Exodus with her fun black and white vignettes and her creepy stalking of Athena. The writing was on the wall.
Still, the expected coronation of Toni Storm felt like a can’t-miss occurrence. It wasn’t so much a passing of the torch as much as it was the rise of the latest queen, and I continue to say that there is no end in sight any time soon. I will be stunned if I am wrong here!
Three. The JadeTrade Scandal
Look, this would not be an honest list without mentioning the top story of the summer. We have dissected this thing to death, but the significance of Jade – the recently-former ULW Women’s Champion – arriving in WWE in July was by far the biggest twist at the time. No, WWE did nothing with her as they swiftly made a trade sending her to AEW anyways, but that still doesn’t negate the impact it had nor the worthiness of its placement on the list.
Quick observation about the state of her career now, I have loved how AEW has used the scandal as a part of her story there. It’s been fun to watch and I can’t wait to see what happens in that triple threat match to come!
Two. The Arrival of Uncle Howdy
Going back as far as 2023, PWI had been considering signing Bo Wyatt to a contract, but he was not done with developmental quite yet. However, when 2024 rolled around, the Bray/Mickey saga had gone down a path which no longer warranted signing Bo right away. Earlier this year, we saw the reveal of Abigail Mouse/Abigail Wyatt as still being alive and pulling many of the strings, and there was suddenly corporate chatter about looking to sign Bo since he had finished improving his skills in the Indies.
As the summer unfolded, though, it became clear to CME that there was a great deal of interest across the industry for Bo, and the Board convinced Lenny to tighten the budget a bit in the wake of unexpected financial burdens placed on the company as a result of the economy. So, then the internal expectation was that either WWE or AEW would snag Bray’s younger brother.
WWE, as my counterpart pointed out in his article about the year, teased for months that a mysterious “He” was en route to the company. Some in AEW reportedly – at least through the grapevine – started to ponder whether this was a prelude to another blockbuster trade wherein ULW gained a top WWE talent in exchange for sending Bray Wyatt to WWE. In the end, though, the “Wyatt Sicks” introduced their new leader…Joe Gacy, and then they were rechristened as “The Hollow” (a great name, by the way).
Meanwhile, in AEW, you had the Guilty Remnant’s emergence as they actively sought an end to the stranglehold that the Mouse Family has held on the industry for decades. Moreover, we saw Splinter and Shocker pair up to push back against Benny and Danhausen as they created an unlikely alliance with Sami Zayn to save Megan Mouse.
This journey set the stage for a rematch between Sami and Danhausen, but Sami, Splinter, and Shocker’s plans blew up in their faces when Megan resurfaced and watched on as Uncle Howdy – Bo Wyatt – finally emerged and attacked both men, solidifying a split into yet another semi-faction in AEW’s continued power struggle.
Bo’s arrival in AEW has now completed the web of what is now the first ever story to encompass the entire industry from the Mickey/Bray saga in PWI and ULW to the Hollow (which started out as disciples of the Wyatts) in WWE and now to Uncle Howdy and Megan in AEW.
Truthfully, this would be deserving of the top moment spot if it weren’t for the actual moment that I think is most deserving thereof.
One. The Moment that A World Champion Jumped Ship
Never before in the storied 3-decade-plus history of this business in the mainstream have we ever seen one company’s world champion jump to a rival company while still holding the gold from their previous employer, but that moment happened on the night of October 13th, 2025 when the WOW/ULW Undisputed Champion Seth Rollins arrived in WWE as the final part of the so-called JadeTrade.
The industry was immediately in an uproar over this turn of events, and finally all of the appeals from the ULW Administration for Seth to “wait” made sense. It was said by my counterpart that the pairing of Seth and Vince was a genius decision to help catapult Seth into the stratosphere. Like Hyatte pointed out, Seth had finally made the ULW Title stable and even fully legitimate again after 2025 proved to be so chaotic starting with Ladies Man being forced to vacate the gold when Kevin Owens injured him out of frustration.
Say what you want about the 40-man tournament which is about to get underway a week from this Monday, but the turn of events wherein Seth changed the game stole the whole damn year of top moments, and I don’t think you can seriously dispute this. I repeat again that this is unprecedented. Yes, champions have shown up in rival promotions, but never as a trade, draftee, or new signee.
Now, the recognized current WOW Undisputed Champion has essentially merged that title’s lineage with that of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, even as Seth disposed of the strap which used to be recognized as the ULW Championship. This presents a new slew of possibilities for Seth in the year to come.
Seth has signed a multi-year exclusive deal with WWE after being traded over, and let’s not forget that this jump also breathed new life into the career of Hurricane Helms as Helms acquired the title from eBay and made a hilarious parody of the goings on in ULW.
All in all, 2025 was perhaps the most consequential year in the history of the industry, and I would be more than happy to explain why if ever prompted. Honestly, I might make that topic the highlight of a future article in the magazine. We’ll see.
Anyways, that does it for me tonight. I will be back TOMORROW for a New Year’s Special Edition wherein I offer some predictions for 2026!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Until our next Quest, this has been Johnny with yet another mission!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 