With 2025 drawing to a close, Matt Hardy has revealed his personal picks for the best performers and moments of the year. During the “Hardy Awards” segment of his podcast, the wrestling veteran offered high praise to stars across TNA, WWE, and AEW.
Wrestlers of the Year
For the Men’s Wrestler of the Year, Hardy selected Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. He argued that Rhodes’ position as the face of the industry set him apart from the competition.
“I got to go with the face of WWE, the face of the company, the guy who represented them as their baby face champion all throughout the year. Cody Rhodes,” Hardy said. “He is the guy that has to carry the weight and carry the burden of being the guy that is the face and the flagship of WWE and if business starts sliding, he’s the guy that has to take credit for that.”
On the women’s side, Hardy highlighted a competitive field including Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, and IYO SKY, but ultimately gave the nod to AEW’s Mercedes Moné.
“I almost would just go with Mercedes, just because of all of her booking and just the way she’s been utilized this year and holding that AEW title all year long,” Hardy explained.
Breakout Star and Comeback of the Year
While many fans might point to Kyle Fletcher or Dominic Mysterio as the breakout stars of 2025, Hardy went with TNA sensation Leon Slater.
“My breakout star of 2025 is Leon Slater,” Hardy stated. “I think Leon Slater is someone who was building some great momentum in 2024 and now, because of this partnership, and his appearance is on NXT, and now even Saturday night’s main event, he has become someone who the wrestling world knows.”
For Comeback of the Year, Hardy chose John Cena, citing his shocking heel turn and willingness to work a heavy schedule.
“I think I would actually probably give him come back of the year, just the fact that he was willing to come back,” Hardy said. “The fact that he came back off of being gone and being a big Hollywood star, where he is not getting beat up and he’s not taking bumps and he’s not sore every morning he works at wakes up after he goes in wrestles events.”
Match of the Year
Hardy’s choice for Match of the Year was the high-profile clash between Seth Rollins and CM Punk, which also involved Roman Reigns. He praised the storytelling involving Paul Heyman.
“The Seth Rollins versus CM Punk. That was my, that was my match of the year,” Hardy said. “I liked the fact that they did the deal with Heyman, you know, hooking up with Seth Rollins in this when he betrayed both punk and Roman, I thought that was a good story, and it was good fuel to drive through the rest of the year.”
Hardy also named himself and his brother Jeff as the Tag Team of the Year, citing their five title reigns and business impact for TNA.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.Â
