The new year is almost here which means a new season of fights, allies and memorable moments inside the WWE ring. But we cannot just jump into 2026 without remembering the best storylines of this past year. So we are taking a deep dive into the two best and most unforgettable storylines of this year with some honorable mentions at the end.
Cena’s heel turn
John Cena is one of the biggest names to ever grace a WWE ring. He has seen everything and been a part of more storylines than can be counted in his 20 plus year career, and with 2025 being his last year fans thought they had seen everything from the Doctor of Thuganomics. That was until an unexpected heel turn in March at the Elimination Chamber.
After winning his fourth career Elimination Chamber, giving him a title shot at Wrestlemania, Cena was met in the middle of the ring by his future Wrestlemania opponent Cody Rhodes, then the WWE Champion. At the time, retired fighter Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson was pressuring Rhodes to “sell his soul” to him, who could help him set up fights and advance his career.
Rhodes had turned down the offer, so when The Rock joined the two superstars in the ring, fans assumed he was there to attempt to further pressure Rhodes into taking the deal. Cena, seemingly ignoring The Rock, hugged Rhodes, and everything seemed fine between the two.
That was until during the hug Cena looked over Rhodes’ shoulder making eye contact with The Rock who gave a slight head nod and his hand dragged across his throat in “kill” manner and a sort of sick, twisted look appeared on Cena’s face. Cena then kicked Rhodes sending him flying to the ground and viciously attacked the WWE Champion, using Rhodes’ father’s old watch.
Cena would then spend the next few months rampaging across the WWE, mocking fans and wrestlers alike along the way. Though he would find success in the ring while heel, as he beat Rhodes at Wrestlemania later that year, the storyline is considered a failure by most. A huge part of this was due to The Rock having creative issues with WWE shortly after Elimination Chamber, leading to a split with the company.
Because of the issues, Cena would turn back to babyface in August, during an appearance on Smackdown where he stated he was “stupid” for buying into the turn and thanked Rhodes for the wake up call while informing the crowd he was back to embracing his “champ is here” persona again.
Rollins’ rise (and fall) to the top
Seth “The Visonary” Rollins is no stranger to success in WWE, with 13 years experience in the ring and numerous appearances at main event fights. But he never seemed to be the talk of the town more than this year.
In the start of 2025 Rollins was beltless, with little support and a few small matches here and there. But it would not stay that way for long.
After reigniting an old feud with CM Punk, Rollins secured a spot in the main event of Wrestlemania in a triple threat against Punk and Roman Reigns. Rollins entered the fight as the seemingly forgotten wrestler as Punk and Reigns were fighting to get the help of Paul “The Wisemen” Heyman.
After one of the best matches seen all year, Rollins pulled out a surprise victory when Heyman betrayed both Punk and Reigns, who he had worked with in the past. Heyman sent a low blow to both men while handing Rollins a steel chair to finish the job.
This was the start of Rollins and Heyman’s alliance, which would only continue to grow. With the return of his wife, wrestler Becky Lynch, Rollins secured another ally.
He then acquired the Money in the Bank briefcase, allowing him to have a belt match at any time he wished. He successfully cashed in the briefcase against Punk at the end of August, giving him the Heavyweight Belt.
With a belt around his waist and both Heyman and Lynch on his side, Rollins continued to climb to the top. This would only be advanced with the creation of “The Vision,” a group made when wrestlers Bron Breaker and Bronson Reed joined Heyman and Rollins in April.
For months the group reigned terror on the WWE with sneaky but effective tactics such as Rollins faking injuries. It appeared that Rollins had complete control of his career and he was destined to be at the top of the business for a long time.
That was until November.
During a routine Raw appearance, where Rollins and Heyman dragged on talks about taking complete control of the business, Breaker unexpectedly speared Rollins, effectively kicking him out his own group. The other two members left Rollins in the middle of the ring while they went with Breaker to continue their rampage.
Then a shoulder injury forced Rollins to give up his Heavyweight title, completely pushing him off the mountain top he seemed so balanced on. This left Rollins exactly how he started this year: no belt and watching everyone else get the spotlight with the memories of being on the top, exactly that. Memories.
Honorable Mentions
Best stand alone fight of the year: Cody Rhodes vs John Cena at Clash of Paris on Aug 21. Rhodes won, giving him his WWE Championship belt back.
Biggest return: the women’s division was flooded with the returns of former superstars; Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Nikka Bella and AJ Lee throughout the year with all women having success in their returns.
Most dominating group: the Judgment Day, led by Dom Mysterio, had a strong control of WWE for a time with a point where all five members held belts.
Biggest unexpected win: Jey Uso won his first ever belt with a shocking defeat of Gunther at Wrestlemania where Gunther tapped out for the first time in his career.
By Mia Williams, Editor in Chief