With the calendar turning to July, we’re officially in the second half of 2026. The first half of the year produced some truly special moments, some serious head-scratchers and everything in between in the world of professional wrestling.
All throughout, we’ve been watching, analyzing, critiquing and fantasy booking, so what better group to dissect 2026 so far than the Uncrowned Horsemen themselves. So, without further ado, here’s how Robert Jackman, Raj Prashad, Drake Riggs and Anthony Sulla-Heffinger rate the first half of the year in pro wrestling.
Let’s ride!
Match of the Mid-Year
Robert Jackman: I imagine we’re going to have a fair bit of agreement here, but so be it. I’m going with Ospreay and Strickland at Forbidden Door this weekend. I really don’t have much to add to Riggs’ six-star review and live blog from the night itself, which now reads like a first draft of history.
It really was one of those matches that just ticked every box. It was athletically and technically impressive, it was well paced, there were killer spots, and it had a good storyline running throughout. The fact that they even made good use of the Death Riders feels like showing off. I mean, last year I couldn’t wait to see the back of that crew, but they actually made it work.
Drake Riggs: Well, first off, I have to say thank you kindly to Robert for the kind words, and secondly, I obviously have to echo his sentiment.
I’ve detached from the moment and recency bias, which gets the best of us all at some point. This year has delivered some spectacular matches. Hangman vs. MJF, the Americano duel, Okada vs. Takeshita, Bucks vs. FTR, Bucks vs. Okada & Takeshita, MJF vs. Omega, Okada vs. Tanahashi, Allin vs. MJF, and Reigns vs. Punk all rightfully deserve their nods. There are even more that deserve their shine, but yes, the answer is Ospreay vs. Strickland, which captured the essence of what professional wrestling is in every imaginable way.
You didn’t really think I’d go against the crown score-breaker, did you?
Anthony Sulla-Heffinger: For the sake of variety, I will go with CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42. No disrespect to Swerve Strickland or Will Ospreay — their match was an absolute masterpiece — but Punk and Reigns put together one of the greatest WrestleMania main events ever and, if we’re being completely honest, a match that maybe saved the entire event as a whole. The history, stakes and venue were all bigger, even if the in-ring action itself may not have matched the heights of the Owen Hart Cup Final.
Raj Prashad: As good as Roman Reigns against CM Punk was — and the emotional storytelling the duo put together on WWE’s biggest stage — Will Ospreay against Swerve Strickland barely edges them out. The guy who consistently stumbles when climbing over the hump (Ospreay) pouring blood against the organization’s most dangerous man (Strickland), the moment the flip switched for Ospreay, and the sequences to close the match made this one an easy choice for me. Ospreay’s arrival at the doorstep on the top of the mountain was a moment so intertwined in the fabric of AEW, it made each step of the match over a franchise player in Strickland feel all the more important.
Feud of the Mid-Year
Riggs: Although it never needed to go on for as long as it has, WWE has admittedly done about as great a job with Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar as it possibly could. It hasn’t been perfect, especially with the latest turn, seeing Femi drop his world title shot purely to finish off the Lesnar feud. But that’s kind of what’s making it a great feud, right? In story, the dude cares more about winning his Lesnar rivalry than the literal most important thing in his profession. Is that dumb? In the grand scheme, yeah, for sure. But that’s next-level hating, man. And their first two matches were excellent for what they were, and a chapter-closing Hell in a Cell will add fuel to this mention by the time December arrives.
Sulla-Heffinger: When was the last time a non-WWE/AEW reached the significance of the El Grande Americano rivalry? This captivating feud thrust AAA and Lucha Libre even further into the mainstream spotlight and turned two guys who were stuck in WWE’s mid-card into legitimately bigger stars in Chad Gable and (allegedly) Ludwig Kaiser.
Prashad: We’re living in another universe if we’re putting anything other than the El Grande Americano storyline. A feud that transcended the two biggest American promotions this year, evolving what felt like a tongue-in-cheek gimmick into the most intense rivalry of the year. The fight over the El Grande Americano name and mask, which started with a soft jab at the “Gulf of America” and ended in a legit blood feud was not on my bingo card at last year’s WrestleMania. Kudos to Ludwig Kaiser and Chad Gable for making magic.
Jackman: I’m going south of the border on this one. The El Grande Americano feud down in AAA was wild, emotional and just utterly ridiculous at times. Looking back, it’s almost bittersweet how much better it was than what we’ve become used to on WWE programming itself.
How many WWE feuds in particular are just back-and-forth promo exchanges that don’t even manage to land a single memorable line? Not this one. The El Grande Americano feud had twists and turns, supporting characters, decent storytelling and some red-hot heel segments that were just head and shoulders above what we get on “Raw” and “SmackDown.”
Men’s Wrestler of the Mid-Year
Sulla-Heffinger: Darby Allin. This won’t be the last time I bring him up, but what he did during his relatively brief stint as AEW World Champion was spectacular. Allin didn’t just defend his championship every week — sometimes multiple times — he made his matches appointment viewing. It may not ever be in his character to NOT have a title reign where he puts his body on the line all the time, but I’ll be damned if I’m not excited for when he gets another shot as the guy in AEW.
Prashad: There are so many answers I could land on here, but I keep coming back to Jon Moxley. He’s the glue that holds AEW together and his impact can be felt across the roster. He’s AEW’s most consistent in-ring presence. He is the driving force behind Will Ospreay’s onscreen turnaround. And he consistently is elevating everyone around him.
Jackman: From the minute that Oba Femi was unveiled as the first competitor in the Royal Rumble you just knew we were going to be on a wild ride this year — and it’s been proven. Sure, I’ve had a few grumbles along the way, not the least of which was the undermining of the ‘Mania result, but the overall direction is clear: Oba Femi is about to become an all-time great in this business.
Riggs: This is a tough one, and I’m looking heavily at match quality with this one. So, with that in mind, and looking at my match mentions, you can probably guess that it’s MJF. There legitimately isn’t a better main event wrestler on the planet. Give him anyone to dance with, and you’re getting a blast of a time. That’s without even mentioning his character work or promo skills, for which everyone has viewed him more than his in-ring work throughout his career. That just shows how far MJF has come.
Women’s Wrestler of the Mid-Year
Prashad: Thekla is my contender for women’s wrestler of the year, but also the breakout star thus far. She had all the tools coming into AEW to become one of the promotion’s top stars and she’s taken every opportunity to rise to the occasion. She’s continued to grow into her title reign and looks the part of the established champion. The biggest test of her career now appears right around the corner with Mercedes Moné.
Jackman: This is a tricky one, as I don’t think any of the likely names have had a vintage year. Liv Morgan won the world title in a six-minute match at WrestleMania and hasn’t defended her title since. Rhea Ripley is still getting rockstar receptions, but ended up producing a disappointing feud with Jade Cargill. Stephanie Vaquer has disappeared entirely since her injury at ‘Mania.
All things considered, I’d probably go with Mercedes Moné, based on what we saw last weekend at Forbidden Door. Though the real question is where she now finally wins the big prize at All In.
Riggs: It’s Thekla for me, and her match against Starlight Kid solidified that. The reigning AEW Women’s World Champ put on her best match yet against her old Stardom foe, and has comfortably fit the championship role like a glove since winning it. She may still be finding her footing as a deliverer of instant classics like the Kid match, but you can always expect consistency with the Toxic Spider, and she just brings that cool villain vibe back to wrestling.
Sulla-Heffinger: Riggs, Prashad and I agree here, it’s Thekla. Even before the Starlight Kid match, she has elevated and brought a new depth to the AEW Women’s Division that it sorely needed since ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm left and before Mercedes Moné returned. This answer may change before the end of 2026, but for now, Thekla is one of the best things AEW has going for it, and that’s saying a lot.
Best/Most Impactful Moment of the Mid-Year
Jackman: That explosive first Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi segment from back in March. I liked how WWE suckered us in by teasing us with Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar. That allowed “The Beast Incarnate” to show off a bit by rag-dolling various masked indie dudes around the arena before “The Ruler” appeared out of nowhere to bring Brock back down to earth. Brilliant stuff.
Riggs: Best and “most impactful” feel a bit different to me. Thinking of the best, it’s the unforgettable visual of Hangman’s lifeless body dropping onto the camera in his Texas Deathmatch loss to MJF. While that could easily fit “most impactful” with Hangman losing his opportunity to challenge for the world title, I’ll swerve you. The most impactful moment was the injection of Pat McAfee into a WrestleMania world title angle, because it made the entire wrestling community agree (for once) on how terrible an idea it was. When does that ever happen?
Sulla-Heffinger: Darby Allin isn’t my Men’s Wrestler of the Year pick if he doesn’t win the AEW World Championship, so that has to go down as the Best/Most Impactful Moment for me. Not only did his win produce a series of incredible successful title defenses — and a loss — it also furthered along an AEW feud between him and MJF that should define the company.
Prashad: Darby Allin’s surprise AEW world title win steals the year for me thus far. There’s an element of Mick Foley’s surprise world title win to Allin’s own shocking win, and it felt like a turning point for AEW. After years of building a roster of world title contenders, Tony Khan pulling the trigger adds an element of surprise for each of these sudden title shots. A year ago, I probably wouldn’t consider the possibility of Mark Briscoe winning the belt on a random Dynamite. Now, I’m not so sure.
Biggest Takeaway of the Mid-Year
Riggs: LA Knight will never be a world champion.
That part is sadly true, but on a serious note, my takeaway feels like something we’ve already known: WWE is still struggling mightily with creative direction in several areas. The reason that’s standing out is the company’s own doing, too. At this point, Netflix’s Unreal series is doing more damage than good to the perception of WWE behind the scenes.
Sulla-Heffinger: AEW doesn’t miss with pay-per-views anymore. Say what you will about the length of the shows, but every single one is stellar and feels significantly bigger than your average Dynamite or Collision. The next step will be to make its tentpoles somehow feel even bigger than the alreadyvremarkable standard PPVs.
Prashad: The Bloodline hasn’t been able to capture the magic from the first go-round. As hopeful as I was once Roman Reigns committed to semi-regular appearances and Jacob Fatu and the Usos got involved, things just haven’t materialized. That’s partially due to the rinse and repeat Reigns rivalry with a Bloodline family member (Fatu in this instance) who falls just short and has to support the Tribal Chief. Unfortunately, nothing feels fresh right now.
Jackman: My overall takeaway is that WWE is still in a bit of a rut creatively. I wrote a column at the turn of the year about how 2026 was going to force a bit of a creative refresh because so much of last year had revolved around John Cena. Six months in, I’m not really convinced it’s risen to that challenge. Too much of the product just feels like it’s on autopilot. The weekly shows are repetitive and the PLEs have been underwhelming (even if Night of Champions was solid).
Name to Watch of the Mid-Year
Sulla-Heffinger: Blake Monroe. It’s taken a bit of time for Monroe to make her way to SmackDown after being announced post-WrestleMania, but we know what she can do. I’d expect her to be in a title picture before the end of the year.
Prashad: After a surprising run to the Owen Hart Foundation Cup Final, Maya World is an easy name to pick out for wrestling’s next big star. She showed she belongs right up at the top of the card alongside Mercedes Moné in an electric Forbidden Door performance. Now it’s about what she does in the months that follow to maintain the spotlight.
Jackman: Mason Rook down in NXT. I’ve always been a sucker for a big guy who can do a moonsault, and I just love the creativity he exhibits in some of his indie reels that have been all over the internet. He has some way to go in terms of his presentation, but I can’t not get excited about that kind of enthusiasm. The guy just invents new moves like he’s a real-life incarnation of those old N64 wrestling games.
Riggs: Maya World feels like too obvious a choice, but if the choice is obvious, it’s the right one, isn’t it? After an absolute star-making effort throughout the Owen Hart Cup, we’ll be seeing World for many years to come.
One Thing You’d Change
Prashad: I’d have made Oba Femi absolutely untouchable. After WrestleMania, I was so convinced that Femi would be WWE’s unbeatable monster. Then he lost to Brock Lesnar in their rematch and has allowed opponents what feels like entirely too much offense in recent months after no-selling everything from Lesnar at ‘Mania. Femi should be an attraction. His popularity is still up there, but it feels like he’s been brought down a few notches and isn’t quite the immovable object many assumed he’d be at this point.
Jackman: Bear with me on this one, but I’d say ‘Mania being in Vegas rather than New Orleans. Maybe I’m just going off vibes here, but the whole Las Vegas setup just felt low energy this year, with a boring stage and a lack of razzle-dazzle around the show. The decision to dump New Orleans has become emblematic of TKO’s merciless commercialization of pro wrestling. I can’t help but wonder how the alternative path would have played out.
Riggs: Once again, Robert is absolutely right. For me, I’ll highlight something that’s already been touched on in recent years. I miss short world title reigns in WWE. I completely understand and want long-term storytelling that leads to a WrestleMania main event or whatever. There are ways to do that without keeping the belt on the same person for at least half of the year, though. And more often than not, in a business like pro wrestling, pivots are essential to keep things fresh and interesting.
Sulla-Heffinger: This is probably a little granular, but I would have given Seth Rollins and Gunther some more time on WrestleMania 42 Night 1. As it stands, they put on one of the best matches of the weekend, but with 10 more minutes, it’d be one we’re talking about as a Match of the Year contender.
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