25 Best Wrestling Moments Of 2025
5. Becky Lynch Slaps CM Punk
In 2025, earnest heat is virtually nonexistent - which is a hugely under-discussed problem, since wrestling’s narrative is still steered towards an elusive goal.
Heels draw a reaction, but it’s mostly performative, and if anything, a crowd enjoys the work half the time. When was the last time a heel elicited the true feeling as intended? When was the last time you actually wanted, on a cell-deep level, the heel to get their comeuppance?
After helping her husband Seth Rollins defeat him at Clash In Paris, Becky Lynch gave CM Punk hell on the September 1 Raw. Her promo was superb: a caustic and superior retelling of Seth’s longstanding gripes with the same man. And then, Becky discovered that Punk wasn’t going to strike back if she tested him.
She then unleashed a barrage of slaps at his face and chest. The rhythm of this assault was note-perfect. The small choices she made were inspired. She didn’t just repeatedly slap him, hard, in the face. She didn’t want to hurt him; she wanted to provoke, antagonise, and irritate the sh*t out of him. The little prodding jabs, the twisted, obnoxious expression, the invasion of Punk’s space: Becky was astonishing. She summoned a feeling of injustice. That never happens anymore.
At that moment, and they actually really meant it for once, an entire arena begged for the return of AJ Lee. They’d have to wait, but that was the point: the build and anticipation behind AJ’s return was measured to absolute perfection.