The Pro Wrestling Rant Dec 26

We are two days into winter, and I already miss summer. The beaches, warmth, fire pits, drinks, and it not being dark before 5:00 p.m.—gosh, I dislike winter. Anyways, I am back with another wrestling rant, so let’s go, shall we?

Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Pro Wrestling Awards

The Sports Illustrated team recently released their year-end honors. Here is how the 2025 awards shook out:

• Storyline of the Year: Adam Page’s Redemption Arc
• Rivalry of the Year: Adam Page vs. Jon Moxley
• Heel Turn of the Year: Naomi
• Best on the Mic: Toni Storm
• Best in the Ring: Will Ospreay
• Breakout Wrestler of the Year: Kyle Fletcher
• Comeback of the Year: Ilja Dragunov
• Tag Team of the Year: FTR
• Match of the Year: IYO SKY vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair – WrestleMania 41
• Show of the Year: AEW Double or Nothing
• Female Wrestler of the Year: Mercedes Moné
• Male Wrestler of the Year: Adam Page
• Promotion of the Year: All Elite Wrestling
• The 2025 Legacy Award: John Cena

I think the S.I. team were pretty much spot on with their choices here. I would only change a few, but their choices have some good selling points as to why they went that route.

It’s crazy to think how AEW dominated these awards yet have a hard time drawing a crowd. Personally, I can’t figure out why All Elite Wrestling is putting out some incredible work yet struggles to “sell the house.” Without knowing the finer details here, you would swear AEW is slaughtering WWE in all aspects of business.

While many would agree with Sports Illustrated’s choice for Female Wrestler of the Year, I for one became bored of Moné and the “belt collector” gimmick really quick. While I think it was cool to see her on AEW television with independent promotions’ belts, it just did nothing for me. For the overall business it was great, especially for independent wrestling, because she really “hit the towns” when, financially, she didn’t have to.

I get the choice, it’s just not my cup of tea—which is fine. Truthfully, I wish I could get on the Mercedes Moné train, as she helped usher in a new era in women’s wrestling in WWE and she is a future Hall of Famer.

For me, nobody even comes close to “Timeless” Toni Storm. She was great in WWE, but AEW gave her the freedom she needed; she has one of the best characters in the business today and it really helped cement her legacy in wrestling.

Everything else has been spot on, and I agree that when you break down the categories, AEW was ahead by a landslide. Say what you want about the company, there is no denying the talent and ring work are top-notch, and they have made leaps and bounds with the storytelling side of things.

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Zilla Fatu: NXT Bound?

Recently, at the Reality of Wrestling: Sub Zero event, Ricky Saints attacked Zilla Fatu, which lit the wrestling world on fire. We all knew it wasn’t a matter of “if,” but more of a “when” Zilla is WWE bound.

The son of the late, great Umaga has built quite the following by paying homage to not only his father but his family’s history, all the while carving his own niche. WWE can sign him at any moment, but the feeling is that they wanted Fatu to gain experience and get himself over on the indies first.

I was shocked, to say the least, when Saints attacked Zilla, because him being WWE bound seems that much closer. Following the attack, Fatu posted on his X account:

“RICKY RICKY RICKY… Soon as a chapter closes, a NEW ONE BEGINS.”

He not only tagged ROW and Ricky himself, but he tagged NXT as well, following up with a post saying, “DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE.” Shit is real now.

ROW is run by a WWE Hall of Famer and current commentator on NXT, and is also under the WWE ID program, so it makes sense for NXT to get involved with the company.

Saints is a main roster talent who is in NXT only to get himself over with the WWE audience before he makes the leap to Raw or SmackDown. Once the WrestleMania storylines finish up, Ricky will get the call-up. Until then, he will continue to familiarize himself with the fickle WWE fanbase and put over newer talent while building his brand up. He knows how to do business the proper way and is exactly the right guy to feud with the young Fatu.

While this storyline has just begun, the potential here is unreal. I am excited to see where this goes and am excited to watch Zilla not only rise to the challenge but show the world exactly who he is and what his plans are for WWE going forward. 2026 has the potential to be the “Year of Zilla Fatu.”

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Joe Hendry vs. The Miz on the Upcoming SmackDown

What a year 2025 has been for Joe Hendry. He won the TNA World Championship, was part of the TNA-NXT invasion angle, appeared in the Royal Rumble (as TNA Champ), had a match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania, signed with WWE, appeared on Saturday Night’s Main Event: Cena’s Farewell, and now has an upcoming match on SmackDown with The Miz. Incredible.

Hendry’s popularity is through the roof, and if you don’t believe me, just watch his surprise entrance as Orton’s mystery opponent at WrestleMania 41. Joe is the definition of a WWE Superstar in every aspect. Now that he has the WWE machine behind him, the sky is the limit for the Scottish megastar.

I just hope WWE strikes while the iron is hot and doesn’t take their time like they are doing with LA Knight. He is obviously immensely over with the WWE fanbase, so all the company needs to do is just showcase him like the talent the fans view him as. If Hunter pulls a “Vince” here, I will lose my marbles. Going “all in” on a talent doesn’t always have to mean a World Championship; it means giving the fans what they want. The rest will follow, as the more he is shown, the louder the fans will get. Once it looks like management is backing off, then the fans will too. Just feature him in a consistent manner.

The fact he had that segment at Cena’s retirement show proves John Cena sees big things in him; to have a talent like John Cena endorse you, you just gain a lot more fans. WWE needs to capitalize on that and not hit the brakes. Everything John Cena set up before he walked out that door needs to maintain a “foot on the gas pedal” approach. John is literally the greatest of all time, so management should never second-guess any of his thoughts on who to get behind talent-wise.

I don’t have a lot to rant about other than what I have mentioned (WWE going all-in on Joe Hendry), and this piece will be a “more to come” rant than anything else. But my gut says each rant on future Hendry pieces will be about the accolades he keeps achieving as part of the WWE company. Why? Because I believe in Joe Hendry.

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AAA Under WWE Thus Far

WWE has a solid history of working with other companies and it being a great success. Other times, WWE purchased companies and destroyed their legacy—which is a Vince ego trip—when they could have made an incredible amount of money.

The NXT-TNA partnership has been great; I have thoroughly enjoyed it and hope both companies keep being creative with this pairing to keep it fresh, hot, and not seeming repetitive.

When WWE announced the purchase of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, I was instantly hooked. While Hunter at times seems very “Vince-ish” on the creative side, I believe he will honor the company, the style, and the history.

So far, the events have been off to a great start with the bar raised high already. With a blend of WWE and AAA talent, the events have been well received. The wrestlers in the matchups have blended their styles and brought greatness to the matches. It has literally been way better than I had envisioned, which is a good thing.

The timing of the purchase was key, as Lucha Libre is quite popular around the globe with many of the talent being well known without needing that WWE “stamp.” All WWE brought was their money and a wider audience; AAA brought the action.

If WWE keeps to their word and lets AAA be the AAA it always has been, then this relationship will be fantastic for all. If they slowly push out the talent to add more WWE wrestlers, then they run a major risk of losing fans fast. They want to see that high-energy, acrobatic lucha libre style complete with masks and mysterious characters. Even though they are well received by the Mexican audience, we don’t need “English Lucha Libre” wrestlers (i.e., Los Americanos). If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it—especially if it is making you money. Just showcase this exact formula to a much larger global audience.

Whether heel or face, El Hijo del Vikingo has been money for all involved. Mr. Iguana has been a marketing dream, while Aerostar, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., and Laredo Kid have brought a tremendous amount of excitement to the shows.

There is a major market for Lucha Libre, and I just hope WWE doesn’t drop the ball here because what they acquired prints money already. Don’t overdo it.

Alrighty, time for me to get ready to head out. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and I will be back in the new year. Let’s make 2026 the year of All Your Wrestling.

Nick Whitworth