Greg DeMarco: My Top 5 Favorite Wrestlers Of Today (2025)
Greg DeMarco is back, and with him comes a Top 5 list! Nothing gets arguments going faster than a pro wrestling list…
Well hello there! Hopefully some of you remember me, even if my last column was in late May! I will say his–it was a hell of a first month talking (mostly) WWE with the No DQ crew, and I am thankful I can still log-in and bring this to you! If you’re wondering were I’ve been and what I’ve been working on, I’ll elaborate more at the bottom. But for now, let’s come back strong…with a list!
NOTE: This is not a Top 5 talent list, in that it’s not who I think is “the best.” This is MY Top 5 list, simply who I enjoy the most. These are my favorites. I also want to know yours… that’s what the comments section is for!
Greg DeMarco’s Top 5 Wrestlers Of Today
Honorable Mentions:
- Bron Breakker – A star on the rise, Bron will main event a WrestleMania or four before it’s all done.
- Wren Sinclair – She’s the perfect example of someone who does “the little things” so well–watch her closely next time she’s on NXT.
- Gunther – A man who would have been on this list had I done it a few months ago, but he’s become a bit stale. Hopefully the Road To WrestleMania will give us more (but if it’s CM Punk, I don’t know if that’ll do the trick).
- Konosuke Takeshita – AEW has far too many championships, so it’s easy to forget that he’s their International Champion. But when he’s wrestling, I can’t help but tune in.
#5 – Stephanie Vaquer
I admittedly didn’t follow a ton of Stephanie Vaquer’s career before she was linked to WWE, but I am almost glad that I waited. Because when she showed up in NXT, I was immediately blown away. So much so that I think the wrong new star won the NXT Women’s Championship. And that’s not a knock against Giulia, who is phenomenal. But there is an element that Stephanie Vaquer offers that I see in very few wrestlers today. And it what makes Vaquer an arguable choice for the best in-ring performer on the planet today.
What is it? It’s believability. Everything Stephanie Vaquer does comes off as real. And in 2025, that is hard to pull off. I don’t know if it comes from her trainers, which include Ricky Marvin, Último Guerrero, Gran Apache and more. If you watch her “moveset” closely (I used quotes because I really hate that word), you’ll notice she gives the move, and lets her opponent sell it. There is no guiding the opponent through the sell, and to me that is how it should be done. You hit the move, and your opponent sells it. And that makes Stephanie Vaquer stand out. If nothing stands in her way, she will be a top-level member of the WWE roster for several years to come.
#4 – Jey Uso
I mean, how can you not love Jey Uso. He’s the true “American Dream” in pro wrestling. He struggled to catch on early into his WWE career, in a tag team with his twin brother, dancing as part of his entrance, and often seeing the pre-show for major WWE events. Eventually The Usos did catch on, and slowly they amassed what is quite possibly the greatest collective career of any tag team in WWE history. But opportunity would eventually come knocking for Jey, thanks to an injury to his brother.
Often in wrestling history, when one member of a tag team is hurt, the other member might try to get singles work and rarely see it work in their favor. Others simply disappear until their partner is cleared to return. But for Jey Uso, Jimmy’s injury combined with the rise of “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns gave birth to The Right Hand Man, “Main Event” Jey Uso. That led to multiple PPV matches between Jey and Roman during the COVID era of WWE, along with a SummerSlam main event in Detroit.
Fast forward to 2025 and we have one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, an iconic entrance, and a top merchandise seller for WWE. It remains to be seen if Jey Uso ever wins a world championship, but he is already cemented as one of this top stars of this era.
#3 – Roman Reigns
Ahead, but only slightly, of his cousin is the newly re-minted Tribal Chief himself, Roman Reigns. While Roman doesn’t compete as regularly as he once did, he still carries more weight than anyone else in the company.
Don’t believe me? Just look at last year’s Bad Blood PLE, which featured Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu in a tag team match against Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. Rhodes, the sitting WWE Champion (both at the time and now) was treated as an afterthought around Roman. In fact, Cody’s reign has largely fallen short of what one might expect, and that’s because for much of it, he was in the shadow of either Roman Reigns, The Bloodline, or both.
And further evidence is that Cody’s reign has finally taken off now that he is far away from Roman Reigns (even if Cody’s current story with Kevin Owens was largely built on the fact that Cody teamed with Reigns in the aforementioned Bad Blood main event).
Roman Reigns has built a “Mount Rushmore” all-time career, and he remains one of my favorite performers to see.
#2 – Roxanne Perez
You could see flashes of greatness in Roxanne Perez when she was Rok-C in ROH and on the indies before she ever landed in NXT. But NXT has brought out the best in her, showcasing just how special of a talent she is. She survived the NXT 2.0 presentation, and after turning heel she has shown just how amazing of a performer she is.
She has learned how to compete at her size in the larger-than-life WWE ring. She has modified her attack so it makes sense against any size opponent. She has learned to deliver effective promos. She can make any WWE crowd hate her, or love her, in a split second.
Roxanne’s transition to the main roster appears to go through Bayley, and I can’t think of a better way. The main roster is loaded with talented women, but Roxanne Perez has the ability to shine in a very crowded space.
#1 – Jacob Fatu
Apparently I have a type, because I have 3 (well, 2.5) Samoans on my list. But each is amazing in their own way. For Jacob Fatu, well he is a living, breathing, walking, ass-kicking cliche.
That cliche is simple: Jacob Fatu is just built different.
And it’s the damn truth. To leverage another cliche, if you look up “built different” in the dictionary (it’s not a word, it’s a phrase, so you might have to use Urban Dictionary), you’ll see a picture of Jacob Fatu. The man is legitimately scary in that ring, and offers an air of believability matched only by Stephanie Vaquer above.
Here is the biggest compliment I can pay to Jacob Fatu: if he were to win a world championship in his very next match, everyone would buy it. According to CageMatch, he’s had 24 matches since joining WWE–most of them untelevised on live events. And he’s already a believable world champion. I also can’t think of anyone in WWE today with more “dream matches” in front of him.
Jacob Fatu truly is “that man,” and it’s been a treat to see him on the grandest stage since he arrived in 2024.
But Greg, where in the hell have you been?
I was so excited to jump on board at No DQ, and I am thankful that Aaron Rift still has me active on here because writing more is a goal for my 2025. But 2024 became insanely busy.
Just take a look:
- My son graduated high school and went off to college in Nebraska. He’s kicking ass and taking names, and I couldn’t be more proud.
- I got promoted at the day job, and I’ve had some really long hours depending on the active projects (without saying too much, I work for a software company).
- I continue to prioritize my health as I work on getting this Chronic Myeloid Leukemia into remission, officially.
- IZW Wrestling, the local Arizona indie that I promote, has really taken off in the past year. We continue to pack the house, and were lucky enough to welcome Nic Nemeth for his first match in his home state of Arizona back in November. We also had our first FREE event in January, which was a damn miracle to pull off.
Speaking of IZW Wrestling, we have an event coming up on February 22 here in Phoenix. This one features Frankie Kazarian, who is wrestling in IZW for the first time since 2007. He’ll be wrestling a legendary performer in the wrestling circles, The Navajo Warrior, in the first match of Nav’s retirement tour, “The Last Mile,” celebrating his 35th, and last, active year in the ring.
As I did last year, anyone reading who wants to attend can get $5 off your tickets. Clink this link to get your discounted tickets, or visit IZWTIX.com and use the promo code NODQ.
Share your modern day Top 5 Favorite Wrestlers list in the comments, and thank you (in advance for welcoming me back with open arms! I look forward to dropping some more knowledge on you soon!