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

3. Jimmy Uso vs. Talla Tonga (WWE SmackDown - 1 August)

WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025 Brock Lesnar John Cena
WWE.com

Rating: 2.66/10

Was this doomed by much the audience the moment it was announced?

The first version of the MFTs found Solo Sikoa and family trying and failing to portray the same vicious version of The Bloodline that briefly terrorised SmackDown in the absence of Roman Reigns in 2024. Key to that was a) the shadow of 'The Tribal Chief' himself looming large over the group and b) the instant brilliance of Jacob Fatu as the group's on-sight killer. Both elements were missing in 2025, and until a post-SummerSlam re-tooling, the the group badly floundered as a result.

Never was this more evident than in the run-up to the 'Biggest Party Of The Summer'. On paper, Talla Tonga Vs Jimmy Uso would have been nightmare fuel for some, but what it really lacked was any investment deeper than surface level. Talla sold too much for a monster making his in-ring debut, 'Big Jim's offence was often a touch too lethargic to get the the new big threat over, and the samoan in-fighting had become tiresome long before these two even locked up.

The aforementioned SummerSlam showdown between Sikoa and Fatu was subjectively worse - the pair had the benefit of a steel cage and a stadium setting but failed to make the match feel violent or consequential, with the action often nearly slowing to a stop when it should have been, appropriately, all gas no brakes. Promotion and performers alike have leaned into the sillier side of the stable ever since - Solo swears his revenge while his four henchmen do the dirty work, but tongues are at least now in-cheek. 

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