COLUMN: Alan4L’s second half of 2025 match list of the best the second half of the year has had to offer; feel free to burn to VHS or DVD!

This is a follow-up to my column last July with a list of the best matches of the first half of 2025. Catch up on that HERE. Now we move on to the second half recommendations.

ProWres Paradise: Best Of 2005 Volume 2.

Disc One:

• Yuya Uemura vs. Yuto-Ice (Oct. 6 – NJPW)
• FTR vs. The Outrunners (July 2 – AEW)
• Mistico vs. Difunto (Dec. 23 – CMLL)
• Ryoya Tanaka vs. Billy Ken Kid (Nov. 2 – DG)
• Women’s Blood & Guts (Nov. 22 – AEW)
• Yuya Uemura vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (Aug. 1 – NJPW)
• Jet Speed vs. Mascara Dorada & Neon (Nov. 21 – CMLL)
• Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Mika Iwata (Sept. 23 – Senjo)
• D’Courage vs. Jacky Kamei & Riiita (Nov. 3 – DG)
• Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher (Dec. 27 – AEW)

If there’s one guy in the wrestling world whose work I’ve really been vibing with, especially in the second half of 2025, it’s New Japan’s Yuya Uemura. Everything about him is believable to me, even that he might be dopey enough to think he is someone channeling the sun when he does his little pose. He’s very endearing. More importantly, he’s a hell of wrestler and he shows why here in two very different singles matches against a hated rival (Yuto-Ice) and a treasured mentor (Hiroshi Tanahashi).

Three very different tag matches are on here with FTR vs. Outrunners, a Twin Gate classic in Dragongate and Jet Speed’s foray into Arena Mexico. You’ll see old school aggressive tag style at a modern pace, the incredible highlight reel that is Jacky Kamei in full flow, plus Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight doing their best Gringos Locos impression.

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The theme of contrast continues with the women’s wrestling presented as I’ve picked out what I think is one of 2025’s hidden treasures in Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Mika Iwata, and the wild chaos that was Blood & Guts. The Sendai Girls bout was all about realism, with two high level athletes (a wrestler and a striker) engaging in a classic dripping with intensity. Conversely, AEW’s women put on an over-the-top spectacle that defied my typical tastebuds and will go down as one of the matches I remember most from the past year.

The disc closes with AEW’s final MOTYC, the classic Continental Classic semi-final between Mox and Fletcher. You’d need a break after that one!

Disc Two:

• MJF vs. Mistico (Sept. 16 – CMLL)
• Mike Bailey vs. Kyle Fletcher (Dec. 10 – AEW)
• Bandido vs. Hechicero (Aug. 26 – ROH)
• Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita vs. Kushida & Yuki Yoshioka (Oct. 26 – NJPW)
• ISHIN vs. Gianni Valletta (Dec. 3 – DG)
• Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Anzai (Dec. 31 – AJPW)
• Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly (No Holds Barred) (Nov. 22 – AEW)
• New Japan “Generation Smash” 8-Man Tag (Sept. 12 – NJPW)
• Sareee vs. Suzu Suzuki (Aug. 9 – Stardom)
• Natural Vibes vs. Love & Peace vs. Gajadokuro (Dec. 27 – DG)

Good thing for that break because Disc Two starts out hot! MJF’s Anniversario bloodbath with Mistico and AEW’s best TV match of the year with Speedball and Fletcher, is a one-two punch that shows 2025 at its finest. Following that, we’ve got the best ROH World Title match in years, a hidden gem from NJPW’s Super Junior Tag League and Dragongate’s red hot King Of Gate final as the quality keeps coming.

It wasn’t exactly a glorious year for All Japan, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Miyahara and Anzai’s Triple Crown bout from New Year’s Eve. The purity of that match is quite the contrast to the savagery of Moxley and O’Reilly’s blow-off to their feud which was one of the pleasant surprises of the year. After offerings from both sides of the Bushiroad coin, we then close out with Dragongate’s 2025 roster showing its wares at the highest level one last time in a Triangle Gate elimination match that is modern lucharesu at it’s finest.

Just like last time, I hope you enjoyed reading, and if you want to hear more thoughts on why I picked these matches I’ll be talking about it on the next ProWres Paradise podcast in the PWTorch VIP Podcast line-up.