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The Best AEW PPV Matches Of 2025

In an Elite year...there's a lot of matches to choose from...
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Best AEW PPV Matches Of 2025

The term “locked in” has been thrown out a lot in 2025, and for those who don’t understand it, it means to be “so focused” on the task ahead of you that you knock it out of the park. Many fans of All Elite Wrestling, including myself, agree that 2025 has arguably been its best year since its inception in 2019. Between Dynamite, Collision, and its PPVs, the quality of wrestling, stories, and the overall roster has never been better. With World’s End now over, I think it’s time to take stock and reveal my picks for the Best AEW PPV Matches Of 2025!

Now, before I start, allow me to provide some clear context for my picks. After all, as I noted in a previous feature, ever since the start of 2024, AEW has provided some of the most consistent PPVs you’ll ever see, with NONE of them being duds. Period. As such, each one has a LOT of matches to be considered. So, I’m picking the BEST match, from EACH PPV in 2025, from Revolution to World’s End. I won’t be ranking them against each other, merely pointing out some incredible matches that you should watch, or rewatch, when you have the chance. So, let’s start off with arguably the hardest PPV to make a pick from…

PPV #1 – Revolution. MOTN: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

The reason that this was arguably the hardest match to pick from in my “Best AEW PPV Matches Of 2025” list is that AEW Revolution had THREE back-to-back-to-back 5-Star matches in a ROW during the last set of four…which is why many look so down on the main event match…because any of those three could’ve and should’ve gone in place of it. …but oh well.

So, why did I pick Fletcher/Ospreay in the Steel Cage as my MOTN for this PPV? Simply put, it was REALLY awesome!

For those who hadn’t seen their previous bouts, in about the span of a year, Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher faced off in singles matches four times. The first time was right after Revolution 2024, where they had a “friendly match” where Will came out on top, but we saw how good Kyle was once again. Then, after Kyle betrayed his United Empire brother, they clashed at Full Gear 2024, where they had an incredible match that Kyle took the win in, solidifying his singles wrestler status. About a month later, at World’s End 2024, they clashed once again via the Continental Classic semifinals, and Will pulled off a victory.

…so this steel cage match was the “capper” on their feud…for now, at least. While the “Hollywood Ending” was really good and violent, this took things to a whole other level, including both of the men starting off at the top of the cage, glaring at one another, and then descending to the ring, where all manner of violence occurred.

Just as important to me was that you could truly feel the anger between these two, leading to one incredible spot after another. Will even did a Spanish Fly off the top of the cage!

This was truly a case of “Who will pull it out?” as you could’ve made the case for either. Fletcher cursing out Ospreay at the end, shouting how much he hated him, before Ospreay put him out of his misery, really sealed the deal for me. This match was on…another…level, and WHEN these two clash again, you can expect another epic.

PPV #2: Dynasty. MOTN: Kenny Omega vs. Speedball Mike Bailey vs. Ricochet

I’m gonna say it straight-up. AEW Dynasty 2025 gets a BAD RAP! Seriously! People didn’t like how the main event ended (as a lot of people thought Swerve would win…which you could tell easily wasn’t going to happen), and they’ve basically review-bombed the PPV ever since. I don’t like that at all because this card was STACKED and had lots of great matches! We had the start of the Owen Tournament via three incredible matches. Megan Bayne vs. Toni Storm was lit! And then…we had this match.

Kenny Omega won the International Championship from Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution, and AEW immediately built him up as someone “you needed to earn the right to face,” which was awesome. As a result, we had a “tricky finish” in a qualifier that led to this epic triple threat that SOMEHOW has gone under people’s radars, even though it was easily one of the best matches of the entire year. Full stop.

Kenny is Kenny, so you know to expect great matches from him. Ricochet may have started off a “little rough” in AEW, but he fully committed to his heel persona and has been crushing it ever since. But THIS MATCH was the one that made me a Speedball Mike Bailey fan for life.

Why? Because he just…kept…going!!!! He may have lost the match, but he was the MVP of it, pulling out incredible spots, delivering big move after big move, and proving that he belonged with these two established legends of the ring. By the time he pulled out the Crane Kick (not long after Cobra Kai had ended on Netflix), I was a diehard Speedball fan.

Oh, and the fact that this match went 30 minutes, and we were on the edge of our seats the entire time? Yeah, that was pretty epic. So, if you haven’t seen this match yet, you owe it to yourself to see it and be amazed by the spectacle that was presented by AEW that day.

PPV #3: Double of Nothing. MOTN: Hangman Adam Page vs. Will Ospreay

For many, this match was the “Match of the Year.” Adding to that, Double or Nothing 2025 has been widely stated to be the “PPV of the Year” by many pundits, including Sports Illustrated! Rock on!

The irony here is that I would’ve been fine putting “Anarchy In The Arena” as my MOTN, because that match was crazy and fun in all the ways that mattered; however, it’s not hard to see why this match wasn’t just MOTY for some, but how important it was for everything that was to follow in AEW.

The Owen Hart Tournament established a stipulation in the 2024 version where the winner would fight the men’s and women’s world champions at AEW All In. In 2025, that spot on the men’s side was more important than ever, as the winner of that match would face Jon Moxley, who was basically holding the belt hostage since WrestleDream in 2024.

Enter two of the best in the game: Hangman Adam Page and Will Ospreay. It was the “Day One Star” of Hangman versus the “Elevated One” who seemed destined to finally get the world title. Or, as they billed it perfectly in the run-up, “Redemption vs. Ascension.”

Both of these men had very different paths to the Owen Finals, and they both had different reasons to become the world champion. Hangman was trying to overcome his darkness and be the person the fans still felt he was. Meanwhile, Ospreay had proven himself as the “Best in the World” many times over, and it was time for him to lead AEW into the brightest possible future.

By the time they finally clashed, we all knew it would be epic; it was just the question of “How epic will they make it?” Yeah, they made it pretty darn epic! The back-and-forth was legendary, and this 3-minute “slice” of it punctuated just how amazing it was.

Either man legit could’ve won, but when Hangman won, it was the next step in what many felt was the best story of 2025, and that story would continue via…

PPV #4: AEW All In Texas. MOTN: Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley

This is where the schedule has gotten a bit weird, compared to previous years. You see, ever since 2023, when the first AEW All In happened in Wembley (and broke an attendance record…let no one tell you otherwise), a certain PPV came before it, and then they’d rush to get to the one after it, due to timing. Yet, in 2025, things actually went a little bit smoother, with AEW All In coming in July, and no PPV happening in June.

That meant we had a huge buildup to not just one of the best matches of the year, but one of the biggest “cathartic releases” you’ll ever see in the wrestling industry, and yes, I’m really talking about Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page. Wrestling is complicated, people!

Anyway, the REASON there was a lot of emotion going into this match was that Jon Moxley had held the AEW Men’s World Championship hostage for over 270 days. Literally! He put it in a briefcase and hadn’t let anyone see it the whole time he was defending it, which was more often than you might remember.

The Death Riders ensured that Moxley would win every time, and Hangman knew that he had to come to play with all of AEW’s babyfaces (that he could reach) to fight them off. The Opps. Ospreay. They were all on board, and yet, he needed more.

When the match happened (on a PPV that I still think is the best I’ve ever seen), the audience was truly on the edge of their seats because even after EVERYTHING Hangman went through…there was still doubt he would win. I was seeing on Blue Sky AND Twitter people thinking that the “better story” was Hangman failing his redemption arc and letting someone like Ospreay “pick up the torch” to try and keep going.

As the match went on, though, it was clear that this Texas Death Match would be one of the most violent matches of the year. Moxley was bleeding less than four minutes into the match, and it wouldn’t be the last time he got cut open! Back and forth blows, all sorts of weapons being brought out, moments that would make you cringe, it was ALL on display here.

Sure enough, once things got tough, EVERYONE started coming out of the woodwork, and that included the stunning return of Bryan Danielson! Then, when all the babyfaces were gone, and Hangman seemed alone…Swerve showed up, giving him their infamous chain from past matches, and giving him the look to “finish it.”

Yeah, even after all that, Hangman had to do it on his own…and he did. It was incredible to watch, and when the three-count hit, you could FEEL the jubilation in the arena. EVERYONE was on their feet because their “Anxious Millennial Cowboy” had pulled off his redemption run.

The shot of him opening the briefcase and holding up the AEW Men’s World Championship will forever be an iconic part of AEW history, and if you still don’t believe that this match was everything I said it was, and more, in terms of both wrestling ability and emotion…just check out the highlights for yourself:

PPV #5: Forbidden Door MOTN: Hangman Adam Page vs. MJF

Arguably, this is one of the more “controversial” entries on my list, because many felt the ending was a bit “overbooked,” but I honestly really liked this match.

The setup for this was simple, yet built upon history. As part of Hangman’s “redemption arc,” he went and straight-up beat MJF at a previous PPV in a good match. MJF “floundered” for a bit before winning the Casino Gauntlet match at All In Texas to guarantee a world title shot.

…but…he didn’t want to use it. Instead, he demanded Hangman give him the title shot…because MJF is a coward, and he wanted to use the contract as “insurance.” Hangman beat him at his own game, and got him to invoke the contract…up until MJF threatened to set Mark Briscoe on fire (Wrestling, everybody! “This is arson!”) and demanded a whole bunch of stipulations, including him being allowed to keep his contract.

Long story short, if ANY kind of victory happened for MJF, whether it be through Pinfall, Submission, DQ, or countout, MJF gets the title. Hangman had to beat him clear, or else.

…so that’s exactly what Hangman did! It was a fun match, and MJF did indeed try to pull every dirty trick in the book to get his victory, but his “dirty deeds” came up short because Mark Briscoe helped stop some of his shenanigans, and Hangman pulled an MJF at one point to ensure the pinfall win.

For me, the other reason this match gets elevated with the benefit of hindsight is that numerous storylines came out of this, including Briscoe later beating MJF on his way to becoming TNT champion, MJF having to use his contract more methodically because of a new stipulation (that was very much welcome), and it played out at World’s End with him winning the world tonight…but NOT by beating Hangman…which will undoubtedly come up later on.

PPV #6: All Out. MOTN: Hangman Page vs. Kyle Fletcher

…Hangman has a lot of matches on here…doesn’t he…? It’s almost like he’s a key “Wrestler Of The Year” contender for 2025…just saying…

Anyway, after the battle with MJF, Hangman looked for his next contender, and his next rival was another man that he had beaten earlier in the year, via Kyle Fletcher (whom he defeated in the Owen Hart Tournament). This time, though, Fletcher was the TNT Champion and wanted to prove that he was both the “future and the now of AEW.” A factor I loved in the buildup to this match was that Hangman appealed to the “talent” that was Kyle Fletcher and ensured that the Don Callis Family didn’t get involved.

The key thing to note here was that there were still some who doubted Kyle’s ability to be “main event talent,” even after all he had done already via his feud with Ospreay. Another element in play was that AEW All Out happened on the SAME NIGHT as another “key wrestling event,” and this main event would help showcase whether AEW would “wither from the competition.”

Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice? Yeah, AEW rocked All Out (as Jen and I noted!) and this epic 38-minute struggle put a capper on that statement.

This was a BATTLE, and arguably the best defense in Hangman’s reign. The reason I say that is that there were moments when Kyle hit move after move after move…and you started to doubt if Hangman would pull this out. Would they pull a “Swerve” and make a sudden title change? They would do that later in the year, but it wasn’t to be on this night.

I also adored that both Fletcher and Page pulled out moves from their rivals’ playbook, with Kyle hitting Ospreay’s “Hidden Blade,” and Hangman doing Swerve Strickland’s “Big Pressure.” Both men shaped them into the warriors they were on that night, so it made sense to showcase their “effect” then.

By the time things ended, you knew that Hangman was every bit the champion that AEW needed, and understood that WHEN Kyle Fletcher becomes the AEW Men’s World Championship…he’ll have earned it.

Oh, and the other show that happened right afterward? Yeah, it flopped hard.

PPV #7 – WrestleDream. MOTN: Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express

Okay, THIS ONE was arguably as hard to pick as Revolution’s was. Like in that show, there were NUMEROUS matches I could’ve put here, including Darby and Moxley’s “I Quit” Match…where “Old Man Sting” saved the day. Or, I could’ve put Brodido vs. Okada/Takeshita.

Yet, when I think about the match that made me smile the most when I saw this LIVE…it was the Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express. It was simply that good.

The match itself came during a key point in the “Broke Bucks” storyline, where this hilarious entrance greeted us in the crowd and you at home:

Hilarious.

Then, once we got to the match itself, it was poetry in motion the entire time. Never let anyone tell you the Young Bucks aren’t the best tag team of all time…they clearly are, and the Jurassic Express were incredible, too! This was well before Jack Perry’s breakout performance in the Continental Classic, but he was pulling out new moves all over the place to stifle the Bucks.

Just as important, you really couldn’t tell at times who would win the match! 500K was on the line (can I have a sliver of that, Tony Khan…?) and the match was so equal and beautifully paced that either team could’ve gotten it and no one would be mad.

Arguably, what made this match so fun for the crowd (which was lit pretty much the whole night, I can attest to that personally) was that Jurassic Express pulled off the victory, and we even got a Kenny Omega appearance through it…that got the crowd even LOUDER!

So, yeah, that was an incredible match to cap off an incredible night of wrestling.

PPV #8: Full Gear. MOTN: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe

Arguably the best part about AEW is that when they have a PPV that fires on all cylinders…? You could have many non-main event matches win “Match of the Night,” if not “Match of the Year!” I showed you a few so far, and now, I’ll continue that trend with Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe.

This was an unexpected rivalry that started out in Ring of Honor when Mark was ROH champion, got cranked up further during the 2024 C2, and then it continued in the Owen Hart Tournament, before locking in during Kyle’s TNT title run. He actually beat Mark for the title…but didn’t do it clean, so Mark asked for “one more match,” make it “No DQ,” and if Briscoe lost…he’d join the Don Callis Family!

…the horror…

In fact, that stipulation was what put a lot of things “in jeopardy” on both sides of the equation. Fletcher had an incredible TNT title run, and he was trying to become “The Greatest TNT Champion Ever,” while Briscoe was trying everything he could to win AEW gold, and The Conglomeration meant everything to him, so leaving for the Don Callis Family would be a huge blow indeed.

…not as big as the blows that this match delivered, but you get the idea.

Amidst many other great matches of the night, this one stood out because of just how insane things went with all the high-impact moments and spots. It got BRUTAL at times, and blood was flowing. Here are just some of the spots that would make many cringe:

…remember, not a main event match, but it was treated like one! As such, the crowd was all for it throughout the contest, including giving it the “Fight Forever” chant.

I’m fine with this rivalry having a “break,” as both parties need to go their own paths for a while. But when they do clash again? It’s going to be just as fun.

PPV #9: World’s End. MOTN: Kris Statlander vs. Jamie Hayter

Yep! It took a while, but the ladies are getting their chance to shine. Yes, I know a couple of other matches could’ve been on this card, but there was honestly some debate about “which should be on top.” *looks at Toni Storm, waiting for her innuendos* …however, as I noted in my World’s End recap, there is no debate here. Truly. While the PPV was another great one from AEW, these ladies showed out…even when the crowd seemed not to care.

That makes it the crowd’s fault, not these two’s.

Kris Statlander has been on a tear since winning the AEW Women’s World Championship, and Jamie Hayter knows how to deliver in big matches. While this one’s story may have been simple, the match itself was NOT.

These two ladies dropped haymaker after haymaker on one another, trying to get the upper hand. They were doing things that no one had seen them do before in AEW, and that made me love the match even more!

It also made me fear for their lives at points…but hey, they were having “fun,” right…?

Back and forth it went, and those are honestly the matches I love this most, as this list proves, because it adds more drama. Much like Hangman/Fletcher, they also added layers to the fight by doing each other’s finishing moves, making you wonder even more if Hayter could pull off a shocking upset on a NIGHT of shocking upsets.

But no, Big Stat Daddy got the win, and I was smiling from ear to ear when it was done, as they showed once again why the AEW women’s division is STACKED. And yes, I know many of you would put one of the Continental Classic matches here in its place, but the way I see it is that those matches were EXPECTED to be good. This one, though? Not as much, and that made the quality all the more wonderful.

I’m glad they went full-tilt, and I’m glad to end this “Best AEW PPV Matches Of 2025” list with them, because I’m hoping next year there will be even MORE women’s entries for me to praise to infinity.

There you go! Nine PPVs, nine “Match of the Night” spotlights, and my Best AEW PPV Matches Of 2025 list comes to a close.

What were YOUR favorite matches from these PPVs? Let me know, and let me know what matches YOU would like to see go full-tilt when AEW returns to the PPV scene next March!

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A self-proclaimed Nintendo fanboy, born, bred, and Mushroom fed! He’s owned every Nintendo handheld and every console since the SNES. He's got a degree in video game development, is a published comic book writer and an author of several novels!