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The year 2025 was a year of unexpected shifts in WWE’s women’s division, with new stars breaking through while others failing to meet their potential. From shocking title changes to creative misfires, the year reshaped roster’s hierarchy in surprising ways. Here are the women who stock rose the highest and whose bottomed out in 2025.
Rising Star of the Year: Iyo Sky
Sky reached new heights in 2025. After three years of qualified success on the main roster, the Genius of the Sky became a top star in WWE and it took an unexpectedly poor WrestleMania build to make it happen.
The previous year, 2024, saw the end of Sky’s lackluster reign as Women’s World Champion and the end of her heel faction, Damage CTRL, neither of which ever really clicked with fans. A babyface turn in late-2024 failed to change her fortunes. Sky lost two-thirds of her matches that year, including failed attempts at Liv Morgan’s Women’s World Championship and the Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament.
It was a surprise, then, when Sky became the Women’s World Champion by defeating Rhea Ripley on the Mar. 3 episode. The subsequent buildup to her WrestleMania triple threat match with fellow babyfaces Ripley and Bianca Belair seemed ham-fisted. Belair and Ripley dismissed Sky as a legitimate threat and came off as immature and self-involved, a poor look for the top two babyfaces in the company.
Sky’s response as a plucky underdog champion saw fans truly sympathizing with her for the first time. Her dorky enthusiasm was both endearing and infectious, enough for her win over what should have been a divided audience. The match ended up being the curtain-jerker for night two of WrestleMania and was nothing short of phenomenal. Against the odds, Sky retained in a show-stealer that may be WWE’s best match of the year.
At Evolution in July, Sky wrestled another excellent match with Ripley before Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank contract to capture Sky’s WWE Women’s World Championship. However, Sky’s connection with the fans proved enduring, and she continues to deliver top-quality matches, such as her bout with Stephanie Vaquer at Wrestlepalooza.
No one could have predicted such a phenomenal rise for Sky, who truly came into her own in 2025.
She must be over the moon.
First Runner-Up: Stephanie Vaquer
From virtual unknown to top titleholder in WWE, Vaquer has gone from la última to la primera in just 12 months.
Vaquer’s remarkable ring work, unearthly poise, and can’t-miss look are more than enough to compensate for her limited English. Her signature move, the Devil’s Kiss, proved a favorite among fans, although commentators have framed the move as sexual in a manner that is unbefitting, reminiscent of Jerry Lawler’s objectification of Divas decades prior.
The Dark Angel debuted in NXT with some fanfare in October 2024 at the same time as Giulia, but the latter was the first to win gold, when Giulia captured the NXT Championship in January. The Chilean native won the NXT North American Championship the following month and eventually defeated Giulia for the NXT Championship the month after that, becoming the first woman to hold both titles simultaneously.
La Primera debuted on the main roster in June, where she continued her lightning-fast ascent. She defeated Sky to win the vacant WWE Women’s World Championship in September. No woman has ever won the title so soon after debuting. The following month, she defeated WWE Champion Tiffany Stratton to become the 2025 Crown Jewel Champion.
Since then, Vaquer’s championship reign has cooled off due to her limited ability to cut promos in English and uninspiring feuds with undeserving contenders Nikki Bella, Roxanne Perez, and Raquel Rodriguez.
However, Vaquer’s rise to the top of WWE in 2025 has been unprecedented. If she can find a way to emotionally connect with audiences as Iyo has, she’ll become a true top-tier star.
Second Runner-Up: Jacy Jayne
The rise of Jacy Jayne in 2025 is one no one saw coming.
Ever since her 2021 NXT debut, Jayne has had a losing record every year. Despite being a member of featured stables Toxic Attraction and its successor, Fatal Influence, Jayne failed to stand out or win any singles titles. After years of mediocre performances, few fans saw much in the way of Jayne’s potential.
It was surprising that Jayne would even challenge for the NXT Title in May of 2025. Her defeat of Stephanie Vaquer to win the title was nothing less than shocking, NXT’s biggest upset in recent memory. Fans were stunned, and Jayne was rightly framed by announcers as the most “beatable” champion in some time.
Jayne’s performance following her title win was an even greater surprise. NXT’s “Rockstar” truly rose to the challenge of heading up the division. She mustered a new level of confidence and swagger, and her promos were more compelling than they had ever been before. Jayne’s in-ring abilities appeared to peak with great matches against Jordynn Grace and Lola Vice.
Jayne continued to accumulate accolades. In July, she won the TNA Knockouts Title, becoming the first person ever to hold both titles at the same time. Jayne lost her NXT Title to Tatum Paxley in October, only to win it back a few weeks later, becoming a two-time champion.
In 2025, Jayne went from zero to hero in NXT. This coming year should determine whether this late bloomer can parlay that accomplishment into a successful launch on the main roster.
Honorable Mentions: Roxanne Perez, Naomi
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Fading Star of the Year: Giulia
The Yin to Vaquer’s Yang, Giulia started off 2025 with incredible momentum, capturing the NXT Women’s Championship only a couple of months after her debut. Like Vaquer, Giulia’s amazing look and in-ring prowess seemed to compensate for her rudimentary English.
Giulia’s popularity was soon eclipsed by Vaquer’s. Further hampered by reported minor injuries and visa complications, Giulia dropped her title to La Primera in March in what was rumored to be a last-minute change.
Her debut on the main roster in April failed to make much impact. Her alliance with Roxanne Perez was short-lived and unsuccessful after they lost to Ripley & Sky. A transition to Smackdown saw her paired with manager Kiana James.
Although she did benefit from having a competent mouthpiece, Giulia’s chemistry with James has been limited. Giulia did capture the United States Title from a cold Zelina Vega, but her own title reign was no more successful. After three months of failing to garner much in the way of fan interest, Giulia dropped the title to Chelsea Green in under two minutes — a surprising, unceremonious end to a lackluster run. Giulia has virtually dropped off TV since losing the title.
After failing to meet expectations in 2025, a break followed by a character refresh may be the only thing that can get The Beautiful Madness back on track.
First Runner-Up: Tiffany Stratton
Stratton started off the year as the next big thing in women’s wrestling. A former NXT Champion, Stratton debuted on the main roster in February 2024 and quickly impressed fans with her beauty and athleticism. Stratton went on to win Money in the Bank 2024, positioning her as the heir apparent to the Women’s Title.
On the first Smackdown of 2025, Stratton cashed in her MITB contract on Nia Jax, winning the WWE Women’s Championship and assuring fans that Tiffy’s Time had indeed come.
It’s been a slow decline ever since. Long cast as a blonde mean girl, Stratton’s face turn failed to adopt any new characteristics that would allow fans to connect with her as a hero. She continued to come off as self-centered and egotistical, and her poor promo ability didn’t help. Although her remarkable fitness and acrobatic skill enhanced her in-ring performances, frequent miscues and botches kept any of her matches from being truly great.
A victory over Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania was intended to be Stratton’s crowning moment, but the build to the match was disastrous, seeing the performers disparaging one another’s personal lives as their on-screen rivalry became uncomfortably real. Stratton’s subsequent feuds with Trish Stratus, Nia Jax, and Jade Cargill have all failed to connect for various reasons.
It was no surprise, therefore, when creative pulled the plug on her championship reign. After losing to Vaquer at Crown Jewel, Stratton would drop her title to Cargill in November and has been off WWE TV ever since.
Like Giulia, Stratton is in dire need of recasting. Like Charlotte, Stratton is just naturally unlikable as a performer. After a failed turn as a babyface in 2025, a heel turn is the best way to reintroduce Stratton in 2026.
Second Runner-Up: Bayley
Bayley started out 2025 as a top contender. WWE’s first Women’s Grand Slam Champion and a member of the iconic Four Horsewomen, Bayley has enjoyed a unique connection with fans and top-level ring skills. She challenged Tiffany Stratton for the Women’s Championship in January and competed in the Elimination Chamber in February. Since that time, her fortunes have faded.
Bayley was unceremoniously dropped from her spot on the WrestleMania card, replaced by Becky Lynch at the last moment. Her return in June saw Bayley featured in a number of promos that failed to suspend viewer disbelief by broadcasting her inner thoughts.
The dual-personality schtick she subsequently adopted and her alliance with Lyra Valkyria have been qualified successes at best. Innumerable losses have solidified how the Role Model has fallen from grace.
After a rocky 2025, the Hugger could use a hug.
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