The third installment of ESPN's top 30 professional wrestlers under 30 saw several stars miss the age cutoff (Toni Storm, Konosuke Takeshita, Kris Statlander, Logan Paul, Yuma Aoyagi, Jamie Hayter and Dragon Lee), leaving room for some new talent to join this year's list.
Some wrestlers rose, some fell and others held on to their spot in 2025. However, the movement highlights the depth of wrestling talent under the age of 30. This year's list features representatives from WWE, AEW, CMLL, Stardom, TNA, NJPW, NOAH and AAA.
This ranking is based on merit rather than future potential. The criteria included drawing power, popularity, skills, position on the roster and accomplishments, including championships and tournament victories.
Andreas Hale, Greg Wyshynski, Sean Coyle, Sachin Chandan, and Arda Ocal provide analysis on the final list.
1. Dominik Mysterio
Age: 28
Promotion: WWE
Last year's rank: 1
The son of Rey Mysterio has fully stepped out of his father's shadow. Holding down the top spot for the second year in a row with his ever-improving in-ring ability and magnificent work on the microphone, Dominik has carved his own path in pro wrestling. He spent 2025 entering the "so bad he's good" stage of his career, where he routinely gets the biggest crowd reaction -- positive or negative -- at arenas. He's the bad guy everyone loves to hate and took his craft to the next level by holding the WWE Intercontinental and AAA Mega Championship titles simultaneously, appearing in both promotions throughout the year. Although he lost the Intercontinental Championship to John Cena on Nov. 10 on "Raw," Dominik hasn't lost momentum. He has become the perfect professional wrestler and a stellar heel who can't get enough of taking potshots at his father while routinely suggesting that his "real" father is the late, great Eddie Guerrero. With Rey now in his 50s, it only makes sense that his son will eventually be the one who sends him into retirement. -- Hale
2. Kyle Fletcher
Age: 26
Promotion: AEW
Last year's rank: 8
Fletcher had a monster 2025, riding the wave of momentum from last year after an injury to his Aussie Open tag team partner, Mark Davis, left him as a singles wrestler. Already an exceptional talent, the "Protostar" took his game to another level, starting with the decimation of Dustin Rhodes in a street fight to become the AEW TNT champion. Between his improved promo skills and ability to wrestle just about any style of match or opponent, Fletcher has everything you'd ask for in a pro wrestler. If you're looking for a match to understand why he's main event material, watch his losing effort to AEW World champion "Hangman" Adam Page at All Out in September. -- Hale
3. Rhea Ripley
Age: 29
Promotion: WWE
Last year's rank: 4
Ripley -- ESPN's 2023 women's wrestler of the year -- has already compiled a Hall of Fame list of achievements. Before her dominance on the WWE main roster as a three-time women's world champion, Ripley reigned supreme in NXT and NXT UK, securing both of their women's championships as well. You know you've made it when The Undertaker shares in your championship celebration, as he did when Ripley captured the Women's World Championship on the "Raw" Netflix premiere in January. -- Coyle
4. MJF
Age: 29
Promotion: AEW
Last year's rank: 2
MJF is a singular performer -- a supremely gifted talker who can hang in the ring with the best in the world. So, it's only natural that a singular performer had an unrivaled 2025. Who else won a Casino Gauntlet Match for a world title contract, was tricked by AEW world champion "Hangman" Adam Page into executing that contract and then threatened to set Mark Briscoe on fire if Page didn't reinstate that contract? Who else convinced The Hurt Syndicate to make him a member of their team? Who else traveled to Mexico just to defeat and unmask CMLL's Místico? Who else appeared with the Sandman in "Happy Gilmore 2" and is co-starring with a murderous Santa Claus in "Violent Night 2"? For all these reasons, and some incredible matches this year, MJF remains better than you -- and you know it. -- Wyshynski
5. Tiffany Stratton
Age: 26
Promotion: WWE
Last year's rank: 18
Stratton had an unbelievable 2025, winning 24 matches before Stephanie Vaquer ended her almost yearlong win streak at Crown Jewel in October. A few weeks later, Stratton lost the WWE Women's Championship to Jade Cargill at "Saturday Night's Main Event," a sudden end to an otherwise incredible run.
Next year could bring something different for Stratton's character. But one thing's for sure: Nobody can deny Stratton's accomplishments in 2025. -- Ocal
6. Bron Breakker
Age: 28
Promotion: WWE
Last year's rank: 11
You could always hear Paul Heyman's voice when you heard the name "Bronnnnnn Breakker." It was inevitable that the WWE's biggest rising star would eventually align with wrestling's greatest pitchman. Breakker and Heyman finally united as part of "The Vision," a group that included Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins, until Breakker and Reed attacked The Visionary to kick him out of the group. It was a high-profile heel moment for Breakker, who lost the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 41 in April. It's only a matter of time before this incredibly talented, incredibly strong second-generation star headlines 'Mania. He will be a foundational star for the WWE. -- Wyshynski
7. Blake Monroe
Age: 27
Promotion: NXT
Last year's rank: 5
Monroe began the year wrestling as Mariah May in AEW -- the protégé-turned-rival of "Timeless" Toni Storm, from whom she took the AEW women's title. May lost the belt back to Storm at Grand Slam Australia in February, and then lost a "Hollywood Ending" match in May -- her curtain call in AEW. The following month, May reemerged as Blake Monroe in NXT and had a partnership -- later turned into a feud -- with Jordynne Grace. Then, Monroe won the NXT Women's North American Championship at Halloween Havoc in late October. She's a charismatic heel, a solid worker and a wrestler to watch in WWE. Given time, Blake Monroe will draw the same levels of heat that Mariah May did. -- Wyshynski
8. Oba Femi
Age: 27
Promotion: NXT
Last year's rank: Unranked
When Femi lost the NXT title to Ricky Saints in September, ending a reign that lasted nearly the entire year, it was expected he would be called up to the main roster as one of WWE's future stars. Instead, Femi recently returned to NXT to challenge Saints for the title, with a promo that cemented his status as someone beyond the prototypical "big man." Sample prose: "I am the one who will cast the shadow. I am the one who will take it all away. I am the one who will destroy you. Because the ruler is back, the destroyer is back, the bringer of war is back. Your daddy is home!" Femi sold it brilliantly, and the crowd devoured it. He's the real deal. -- Wyshynski
9. Roxanne Perez
Age: 24
Promotion: WWE
Last year's rank: 20
Perez is one of four women to become a multiple-time NXT women's champion, alongside Charlotte Flair, Shayna Baszler and Jacy Jayne. It didn't take long for Perez to make an impact on the WWE main roster post-NXT -- she joined the Judgment Day and, along with Raquel Rodriguez, became WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. Perez holds the record for time spent in a women's Royal Rumble match, with over 1 hour and 7 minutes. And don't forget that Perez, along with Toni Storm, was ESPN's 2024 women's wrestler of the year. So many accomplishments and Perez is just scratching the surface. -- Coyle
10. Leon Slater
Age: 21
Promotion: TNA
Last year's rank: Unranked
Some might say Slater's biggest achievement this year was being featured on TNA and NXT regularly and sharing the ring with top stars. Or that Slater's biggest accomplishment is the connection he has built with the fans for his smooth, high-octane style. However, his biggest achievement was seeing TNA legend AJ Styles return to the company in July for the first time in more than a decade to crown him X-Division champion at Slammiversary. You're not alone, AJ. We see the star power, too. -- Chandan
11. Je'Von Evans
Age: 21
Promotion: NXT
Last year's rank: Unranked
Evans has been building up a groundswell in NXT, including a rivalry with Ethan Page and a title match with Oba Femi. Evans recently made his debut on "SmackDown," answering Sami Zayn's U.S. title open challenge. It was one of those "a loss is actually a win" kind of moments -- Evans couldn't have had a more spectacular showing against one of WWE's great performers. He followed it with a terrific match in a clash this month against Gunther in the "Last Time is Now" tournament.
Evans is already building an incredible amount of aura at 21. His presentation is authentic, his in-ring ability and potential are generational.
Next year, Evans could be in the top five of this list. It won't be long before he's No. 1. -- Ocal
12. El Hijo del Vikingo
Age: 28
Promotion: AAA
Last year's rank: 13
Vikingo's ability in the air seems impossible. But his breathtaking aerial attack is ripe for injuries, which slowed him down a bit in 2025. However, he still had memorable outings on a grand stage once WWE purchased AAA in April. His match with Chad Gable at Worlds Collide in June is an example of what the second-generation lucha libre sensation has to offer. He recently turned heel, which could lead to Vikingo reaching new heights in 2026. -- Hale
13. Kaito Kiyomiya
Age: 29
Promotion: NOAH/NJPW
Last year's rank: 12
Kiyomiya has been billed as the future of Pro Wrestling NOAH since he debuted 10 years ago. Through the ups and downs, Kiyomiya has represented the spirit of NOAH with his style and presence. His performance in 2024, when he won the N1-Victory tournament as the reigning GHC Heavyweight Champion, was a hard act to follow, but his 2025 was full of clashes against rivals Ozawa and Yoshiki Inamura. Kiyomiya is firmly a part of NOAH's main event scene heading into 2026. -- Chandan
14. Gabe Kidd
Age: 28
Promotion: NJPW
Last year's rank: 24
The wrestler who exudes the "it" factor became solidified in 2025. Kidd had an epic battle against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom in January and then enjoyed must-see matches with Tomohiro Ishii, Yota Tsuji, Michael Oku, "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Konosuke Takeshita. The physical and brooding Brit has all the tools necessary to be a star in this industry and showcased his talent with American audiences when AEW borrowed his services in August for the absurd Lights Out steel cage match at Forbidden Door. Kidd is special, unique and primed to take over in 2026. -- Hale
15. Lyra Valkyria
Age: 29
Promotion: WWE
Last year's rank: Unranked
Valkyria is establishing herself the most among the Irish wrestlers in WWE, and that's because 2025 was her first full year -- and it was an eventful one. She defeated Dakota Kai on "Raw" in January to become the first Women's Intercontinental Champion. At WrestleMania 41 in April, Valkyria and her last-minute partner Becky Lynch won the Women's Tag Team Championship. Valkyria ended the year with an odd, but interesting, love/hate pairing with Bayley. Valkyria has the potential to be one of the top performers in the women's division, fully capable of headlining WWE premium live events. -- Ocal
16. Sareee
Age: 29
Promotion: NJPW
Last year's rank: Unranked
Formally known as "Sarray" in NXT, Sareee is one of the best women's wrestlers in the world. She won the IWGP Women's Championship in an epic showdown with Syuri that started as a grappling clinic and morphed into a violent slugfest that ended in a time-limit draw in March. The match rivals any that occurred this year. Although she lost the title against Syuri in October, Sareee made her mark and continues to tear up the Joshi scene. -- Hale
17. Saya Kamitani
Age: 28
Promotion: Stardom/NJPW
Last year's rank: Unranked
"Aura" is the one word that best describes Kamitani. Maybe it's her mesmerizing entrances, or her demeanor since turning heel in 2024 and leading the villainous H.A.T.E. faction. Whatever it is, Kamitani is the complete package in wrestling, as she headlined the highest-attended event in Stardom history this year at All-Star Grand Queendom in April. In that event, she retired her mentor, Tam Nakano, against whom she had the most emotional rivalry of the year. Kamitani is at the center of Stardom's roaring 2025, including winning the first women's wrestling match on Japanese over-the-air TV since 2002. -- Chandan
18. Mascara Dorada 2.0
Age: 24
Promotion: CMLL/AEW
Last year's rank: 19
Between CMLL and AEW, it felt like Dorada had matches every month that left people in awe. At first, he looked like the odd man out in a triple threat match with Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita at AEW All Out in September, but Dorada was outstanding in what has been one of the best matches of 2025. He's very athletic and can perform in just about any match, as demonstrated by his singles bout against Neon at CMLL Super Viernes or his exceptional performance in the 20-tag elimination match that he won at CMLL Grand Prix Internacional in August. It feels like he hasn't reached his ceiling yet. -- Hale
19. Sol Ruca
Age: 26
Promotion: NXT
Last year's rank: Unranked
Ruca looks like a star and leaves an impression on fans with her in-ring work and one of the coolest-looking finishing moves -- the Sol Snatcher -- on this list. Becoming the second woman to achieve champ-champ status in NXT (WWE Women's Speed champion and NXT Women's North American champion) vaults her on this list. Ruca, the Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 2023 Rookie of the Year, has followed up nicely, and a successful main roster run is certainly in her future. -- Ocal
20. Jordynne Grace
Age: 29
Promotion: TNA/WWE
Last year's rank: 16
Grace -- an all-time TNA great and former three-time Knockouts champion -- signed with NXT earlier this year and took part in the women's Royal Rumble match in February (her second Rumble match appearance). In NXT, Grace began a compelling program with another wrestler on this list, Blake Monroe, and that culminated with a win in September at No Mercy in a weaponized steel cage match. -- Coyle
21. Daniel Garcia
Age: 27
Promotion: AEW
Last year's rank: 9
In the ring, Garcia is an inventive technical wrestler who looks comfortable battling for the ROH Pure Championship. He's a natural heel, using his goofy little dance to draw heat. Garcia latched on to the (Chris) Jericho Appreciation Society early in his career and recently joined Jon Moxley's Death Riders, AEW's most villainous stable. -- Wyshynski
22. Jack Perry
Age: 28
Promotion: AEW
Last year's rank: 7
Perry slid down the list because he was mostly absent in 2025. Other than his losing effort to Yota Tsuji at Wrestle Dynasty in January, he vanished from television for the majority of the year. Upon his return at All Out in September, Perry ditched the heel persona and reformed Jurassic Express with Luchasaurus, returning to his babyface roots as a hybrid of his "Scapegoat" and "Jungle Boy" personas. A tag team win over The Young Bucks at WrestleDream in October reinforced the possibility that Perry could still play a major role in AEW and have a strong 2026. -- Hale
23. Hook
Age: 26
Promotion: AEW
Last year's rank: 17
The son of ECW legend Taz. The "Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil" of AEW. The New York Times wrote he was "brooding with high-volume Zoomer hair." Hook has the look, the lineage and an in-ring skill set filled with powerful throws. So why hasn't he succeeded as a franchise player yet? His middling mic skills aside, it feels like Hook has gone from team to team, stable to stable, without establishing himself as a star. Over the past year, Hook was defined by being a part of -- and then feuding with -- Samoa Joe and The Opps. Can he be something more than this? -- Wyshynski
24. Megan Bayne
Age: 27
Promotion: AEW
Last year's rank: Unranked
Bayne's personality screams "star," and she has carried herself as such since her debut in AEW at the beginning of 2025. At 5-foot-11, "The Greek Goddess" stands out among women wrestlers. She got a taste of a main event in April when she fell short in challenging Toni Storm for the AEW Women's World Championship at Dynasty, which served as a heat check for Bayne. She also showed some grit in the first women's Blood and Guts match in mid-November. She has been around the top of the women's division in AEW and will likely be back in title contention sometime in 2026. -- Hale
25. Starlight Kid
Age: 24
Promotion: Stardom
Last year's rank: Unranked
Starlight Kid has the charisma, crowd connection and possibly coolest collection of masks of anyone on this list. He spent much of 2025 as the trios-based Artist of Stardom champion and the Wonder of Stardom Championship holder. He took over leadership of her Neo Genesis faction with a win over AZM at All-Star Grand Queendom in April. Though the Stardom roster has had some notable departures in the past year, it's clear that Starlight Kid is a crucial part of its present -- and immediate future. -- Chandan
26. Kevin Knight
Age: 28
Promotion: AEW
Last year's rank: Unranked
Before the formation of JetSpeed earlier this year alongside "Speedball" Mike Bailey in AEW, Knight took part in the 2020 NJPW Super J-Cup. In 2022, he and Kushida formed the Intergalactic Jet Setters tag team and became two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag team champions. Though JetSpeed did not claim the AEW World tag team championships at All In in July or All Out in September, there's no denying the talent of Knight and JetSpeed. -- Coyle
27. Axiom
Age: 27
Promotion: NXT
Last year's rank: Unranked
The wrestler from Madrid spent most of 2025 teaming with Nathan Frazier to form Fraxiom. They were NXT tag team champions (in their second reign) entering 2025, but lost to Hank and Tank at Stand & Deliver in April. By the fall, Fraxiom were mainly fodder for more established (or establishing) tag teams, but Axiom reintroduced himself on "SmackDown" earlier this month against Ilja Dragunov in a U.S. title open challenge match. If he was hidden in the minds of wrestling fans for a little while, that certainly changed after this hard-hitting, fast-paced, exciting match. -- Ocal
28. Kelani Jordan
Age: 27
Promotion: NXT
Last year's rank: Unranked
After becoming the inaugural NXT women's North American champion in 2024, Jordan defeated Léi Ying Lee at TNA Victory Road in September to claim the TNA Knockouts World Championship. There's no denying the athleticism of the former Michigan State gymnast. When you add the developed promo skills, specifically via her newly turned heel character, the sky's the limit. -- Coyle
29. Shota Umino
Age: 28
Promotion: NJPW
Last year's rank: 10
Umino kicked off 2025 headlining New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom in a losing effort against then-IWGP world heavyweight champion Zack Sabre Jr. Once pegged as the future "Ace" of NJPW, Umino has fallen out of the spotlight since his title match, drifting into an arc that has been about finding his identity and proving naysayers wrong. He still has tremendous upside, as evidenced by his G1 Climax match with Yota Tsuji and his recent IWGP Tag Team Championship loss to the Knock Out Brothers alongside Yuya Uemura in October. The question is when (or if) NJPW will push Umino back to the top of the promotion. -- Hale
30. Atlantis Jr.
Age: 27
Promotion: CMLL
Last year's rank: Unranked
Atlantis Jr. is also one of the busiest wrestlers on this list, competing in more than 150 matches across New Japan Pro Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, AEW and his home of CMLL. Atlantis Jr. is the son of one of the most popular luchadores in CMLL history, giving him large shoes to fill. CMLL features him in big matches at the popular Arena México, and AEW/Ring of Honor fans might remember his 2025 matches against Josh Alexander, FTR and the Don Callis Family. -- Chandan