As 2025 concludes, WWE.com and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly picks his Top 5 WWE Men's Superstars of the Year.
THE SETUP
Who had the best 2025? There are a lot of Superstars that had a solid year, whether it was their overall body of work, their main-event status and the x-factor, and just the entertainment factor they brought to the fans. Here is my list:
1. John Cena – You almost don’t even want to include Cena on this list because he put together a year as nobody has ever seen inside the squared circle with his yearlong Farewell Tour. While we can get caught up in the nostalgia and the finality of Cena’s illustrious career, you can’t overlook what the 48-year-old was able to accomplish over the past 12 months. Sure, maybe it hit a little uneven spot in the middle, but his "bad guy" turn will go down as the most shocking ever in WWE. And the tap out to Gunther will be talked about for decades to come. But in between, Cena put together some of the best matches of his career against the likes of CM Punk, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul and Dominik Mysterio to became the most decorated champion in the history of the company (17 World Titles) and went out by helping the next group of Superstars elevate their status during his last event of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
2. Gunther – Even with a couple of months hiatus, tapping out to Jey Uso and twice losing the World Heavyweight Title, you can make a strong argument that Gunther had the best 2025 of any Superstar. He retired two legends in Goldberg and Cena, with the latter propelling him to that next level – the level where he sits at the top of WWE. Gunther is a monster right now after forcing Cena to tap out, and the only question after these past 12 months is how long he can stay on top.
3. CM Punk – With the Cena Farewell Tour taking center stage, it’s easy to look past what Punk was able to accomplish this year. He headlined Day 1 of WrestleMania 41 in a Triple Threat Match with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, put on an instant classic with Gunther at SummerSlam that got him the World Heavyweight Championship (albeit briefly), got to work with his wife AJ Lee at Wrestlepalooza, and then got the World Heavyweight Title back with a convincing victory against Jey Uso at SNME. It turned out to be easily Punk’s best season since his return to the WWE, with 2026 having a chance to be even better.
4. Dom Mysterio – What a year it was for "Dirty" Dom. He went from being just part of The Judgment Day to becoming a legit top-of-the-card performer in mere months. Mysterio improved every time he got a chance to be on television, whether it was a mic address or a match, but he saved his best for the end of the year. His run against Cena and him showing that he can stand toe-to-toe with The Greatest of All Time for a month set him up in a perfect spot to have an even better 2026. He currently holds the Intercontinental Title and is the AAA Mega Champion.
5. Jey Uso – How quickly we forget what a dominant first half of the calendar year Jey Uso had. Remember, he made Gunther tap out. Winning the Royal Rumble and taking the World Heavyweight Title from Gunther at WrestleMania 41 had Uso as the talk of the wrestling world. He’s now back with Jimmy Uso competing in tag team matches, but you cannot dismiss the power that the "Yeet!" movement had on the world for six months.
Honorable mentions: Bron Breakker, Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman.
