8 Worst Wrestling Matches Of 2025 (According To The Internet)

7. Jeff Jarrett vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW Dynamite - 29 January)

WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025 Brock Lesnar John Cena
AEW

Rating: 2.81/10

Taking place in what was supposed to be the middle of Jeff Jarrett's feud with MJF before the entire storyline was abruptly (and perhaps wisely) dropped cold, 'Double J's Dynamite loss to Claudio Castagnoli was perhaps illustrative of why Jarrett didn't get his own version of the Sting/John Cena send-off in 2025.

The two had zero chemistry, and an already-quiet crowd simply didn't buy Jeff has the believable babyface against the obviously physically superior Deathriders man. That was part of the problem too; the heel stable were hated for the wrong reasons for the first half of the year, and though the 'King Of The Mountain' would have got a shot at Moxley had he won this (he didn't), there was no indication that audiences really wanted him to be the one to save the day (they didn't).

There's a performative boo/yay section at the end that best sums the malaise up - Jarrett wins the battle and tries to build on the tiniest bit of momentum by targeting Claudio's legs, but the offence is so lethargic that fans barely care when he counters with the big swing and pretty much shakes it off. Likewise when they do a Sharpshooter reversal sequence and the inevitable (and unconvincing) interference from Wheeler Yuta and Moxley himself.

Jarrett's trajectory from there mirrors Chris Jericho's from there. Without warning or explanation, he dropped into a role as a panel host on AEW pay-per-views, and didn't work again for the company - as of writing - for the remainder of the year.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett