Mercedes Mone Tops 2025 Black Wrecellence 500
Mercedes Mone wins again.
On Friday, October 31, Fightful’s own Righteous Reg took to social media to share this year’s BW500 list, an annual tradition that highlights and celebrates 500 different black wrestlers in the world. This year’s list was topped by Mercedes Mone, who is currently dominating the sport by racking up title win after title win. This is her second time topping the list, first doing so in 2020 as Sasha Banks.
Swerve Strickland, who topped the list last year, comes in at the second spot. Je’Von Evans, Leon Slater, Athena, Oba Femi, Ricochet, Michael Oku, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Naomi round out the top ten.
The 2025 #BW500. 500 of the BEST BLACK wrestlers in the WORLD. It’s about representation. It’s about culture. Discover some new talent. Share. pic.twitter.com/cEbJEv5ZSt
— Righteous Reg (@RighteousReg) October 31, 2025
In 2023, Bryan Keith topped the list. Bianca Belair had the top spot in 2022, while Trish Adora topped the list back in 2021. As previously mentioned, Mercedes Mone/Sasha Banks topped the list in 2020, which was the first year that featured 500 names instead of 250. Kofi Kingston claimed the top spot in 2019, the first year when the list was introduced.
Fans can check out Righteous Reg on episodes of Grapsody, which airs every Saturday on Fightful’s YouTube channel. The latest episode of Grapsody can be watched by clicking here.
