The WWE has been hugely profitable over the past few years, with its flagship event — Wrestlemania 41 — generating the largest gate in WWE history. Recently, news of John Cena's retirement run has dominated headlines, and with his final match coming this weekend, Streams Charts has looked at the chat activity across livestreaming platforms to gauge the viewers' mood about this upcoming spectacle.
The WWE legend turned Hollywood megastar is in the final year of his career, with December 13 penciled in as his final match. In 2025, fans of the Peacemaker star have seen him appear in the ring with some of the biggest names in entertainment and pro wrestling, including fellow Hollywood icon Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Logan Paul and star musician Travis Scott.
As a result, there's been plenty to talk about for fans of WWE and pro wrestling, including on chat rooms and livestreaming forums. Streams Charts has combed through Twitch, YouTube and Kick using our Chat Analytics tool to see which performers have generated the most discussions, chatters and mentions online this year.
Most popular WWE wrestlers in 2025 by livestreaming chat activity
Unsurprisingly, the two most mentioned names among fans of the biggest professional wrestling company in North America were also massively successful actors. Dwayne Johnson was by far the most popular performer, racking up 220,503 mentions from January to November 11.
The producer, renowned among wrestling fans as The Rock, has had a busy 2025, including appearing on a couple of WWE shows early in the year. He also brought back his legendary "Final Boss" persona to the world of wrestling entertainment, with this negative character driving most of the talk around him on Twitch.
He was also in the headlines almost constantly for his portrayal of UFC and MMA legend Mark Kerr in the Benny Safdie directorial The Smashing Machine. Although the movie failed to deliver at the box office despite huge anticipation and hype, Johnson mainly received praise for his performance. The excitement around his role in this flick would no doubt have contributed to his popularity on Twitch chat.
Following The Rock in the second spot is John Cena, who has enjoyed a milestone year, with 121,348 mentions. He first won a record-breaking 17th world title at Wrestlemania 41 before clinching his first, and last, Intercontinental Championship to finally complete his trophy cabinet and become a Grand Slam Champion.
Along the way, the Boston native "turned heel," wrestling parlance for playing the bad guy, when winning that 17th world championship in the land of the giants. Although this run, his first as a "bad guy" in over two decades, was mostly panned by fans and critics, it had its moments.
Rounding off the trifecta of entertainment-based WWE names atop this list of male superstars is Logan Paul. The social media influencer turned podcast host turned entrepreneur has had a polarizing run in the company, but there is no doubt he brings a different set of eyeballs to the product compared to the regular wrestlers on the roster.
Interestingly, the Prime co-owner has the highest share of chat mentions on Kick, which is dominated by American channels. Many moments from Logan Paul's matches have also gone viral on social media, showing just how influential such a name can be in shining a spotlight on organizations like WWE in new market segments.
Other legendary names in the sports entertainment firm, like CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles, also find places on this leaderboard. All of these names are at the end of their careers, and with AJ Styles announcing that 2026 would be his final year in the ring, it will be intriguing to see how long the other two will continue.
Among the women, Australian fan favorite Rhea Ripley was easily the most popular, reflecting the standing she enjoys in the company and among fans today. She was the only female talent to get over 10,000 overall mentions, also outdoing the company's golden boy and the current Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes.
There are also a few intriguing insights when it comes to wrestlers and certain linguistic communities:
- John Cena found high engagement among European channels, especially Spanish and Portuguese-speaking streamer chats, as 2025 was his final sojourn to the continent as a wrestler
- Gunther, one of the top stars of the current generation who is of Austrian descent, found much support from European audiences and had the highest mentions of all WWE superstars among German-speaking streamer chats.
- The legendary Bayley was highly popular among French-speaking streamer chats, who vociferously support her and have even come up with a popular chant for her when she performs in front of them.
With Gunther earning the honor of facing John Cena in his final match via a tournament held over multiple weeks of TV, a lot is at stake come the latter's final match. With the Road to Wrestlemania also fast approaching, it remains to be seen which of the above superstars will feature prominently come the Showcase of the Immortals, which will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in April 2026.
Header image via Netflix