Happy New Year!
With another holiday season behind us, I hope it was everything that you wanted and needed it to be. For the second consecutive year, my family dealt with being sick at Christmas, with my wife and daughter having colds, and with me dealing with a lot of the after effects of Bell’s Palsy. All things considered, it could’ve been a lot worse, so I’m not going to complain too much.
For my first column of the year, it has become an annual tradition to deliver the latest edition of my “30 Under 30” series. It has become one of my favorite columns to do every year. I have a really lengthy track record when it comes to “predicting the future” in sports, whether it be pro wrestling, basketball, football, and so on. For those of you that are new to my work, the premise of this column is a simple one. This is a list of 30 wrestlers under the age of 30 that I feel have the brightest futures in the business. Make sure you pay attention to that last part. The names you’ll see listed aren’t necessarily who I feel are the 30 BEST wrestlers under the age of 30. Being the best in the ring doesn’t guarantee a ton of success, just like being subpar in the ring doesn’t guarantee failure. These folks are just the ones that, for one reason or another, I feel are best suited to having a successful future. Some of them are going to be midcard, at best, right now, but I think can make the jump to being main event players. Others are already in the top ranks, but I think they’ve got what it takes to stay there.
As I’ve done in recent years, this list is going to be focused on mainstream wrestling. That is purposely done, because it makes things a lot easier to look at. I think I watch enough non-mainstream wrestling to make lists involving those wrestlers, but figuring out the future of those currently in WWE and AEW is a lot easier than figuring out the future of someone who just wrestled their seventh match at a YMCA in front of two dozen fans. It’s the same line of thinking that sees a million mocks for the 2023 NFL Draft and not exactly a lot for the 2029 NFL Draft, you know? Besides, if I expanded the search, half the list would just be women from Stardom, anyway. In the interest of fairness, though, I will save a spot at the end of the list where I’ll throw out a bunch of names that would’ve been included on the list had it been open to anybody. Deal?
There are only two other “rules” in place here, just like always…
– Wrestlers have to be under the age of 30 as of January 1st, so they’re free to be included if they turned 30 on January 2nd.
– The list is in chronological order, from oldest wrestler to youngest wrestler.
Are we all on the same page now?
Good.
Let’s take a look at the future.
Darby Allin (Born on January 7th, 1993): In Darby’s time with AEW, I have gone back-and-forth about where I think his ceiling is. At some points, I could picture him getting a big enough push to make him the AEW World Champion. He’s over enough for that type of placement, and even though he’s a lot smaller than most of his opponents, his complete disregard for his own safety allows him to garner more offense than the average 5’8″ 180-pound wrestler would. At other points, I see the former TNT Champion as someone who can reach that level again, but no higher than that. On the most recent episode of Dynamite, Darby planted himself squarely as Samoa Joe’s next challenger for the TNT Title, so maybe that really is the ceiling. Either way, he’s someone who always seems to be involved in some sort of story that is getting a lot of television time, and as I said, his crowd reactions remain on the level of many of AEW’s main event wrestlers, so his future looks bright, no matter what.
Solo Sikoa (Born on March 18th, 1993): When he signed with WWE last August, you knew that he would eventually find himself involved in a storyline with his brothers and his cousin. It made too much sense. After a ten-month stint in NXT, he got the main roster call-up that everyone expected, and became the newest member of The Bloodline. In the almost four months since joining the group, Solo has performed tremendously well, essentially becoming the “enforcer” for his family. His Umaga tribute fits him really well, even though he’s a lot smaller than his uncle was. If you look around enough, you’ll see a lot of speculation on the role he’s going to play in the eventual chapter of the story where The Bloodline splits. Is he going to be the one to destroy Sami Zayn? Is he going to be the one to get booted from the group for a singles push? He has been the forgotten-about piece of the puzzle, with everyone focusing on Roman Reigns or The Usos taking Sami out, so there’s a lot of mystery involved in his future. One way or another, he has put himself in a position to be in title contention in 2023. What title? That depends on how the rest of the Bloodline story plays out.
Sammy Guevara (Born on July 28th, 1993): Like Darby Allin, I find myself conflicted about Sammy’s future with AEW, albeit for different reasons. There are times when I can clearly envision Sammy as a future AEW World Champion, getting himself a shit ton of heat as he amps his heel act up even further to piss people off. Then, there are times when I see him getting released because he seems addicted to the stupid backstage drama and will end up getting into yet another physical altercation. It’s a toss-up, really. If he can keep himself out of trouble, there’s no denying that his future is bright. He’s such a talented performer in the ring, and he clearly has a knack for getting people to hate him, fairly or unfairly. He’s one of the rare heels in today’s wrestling scene that gets a huge level of heat for simply existing, and the heat only gets worse when she starts speaking. When Tay Melo is included in the deal, you’re looking at some of the biggest heel heat in the business. That’s the kind of thing that wrestling promoters and bookers would kill to have in their company.
Ilja Dragunov (Born on October 10th, 1993): With NXT UK getting shut down, it’s difficult to predict the futures for a lot of the brand’s talents. It isn’t just as simple as bringing all of them over to NXT, Raw, or Smackdown on a full-time basis. One, there aren’t a ton of open spots available. Two, that’s a bigger move than going from one neighborhood in Orlando to another neighborhood in Orlando. We’ve seen people like Gunther make the move and be a permanent member of the Smackdown roster, and we’ve seen people like JD McDonagh in NXT for a few months now, but what about everyone else? Dragunov, for example, came to NXT and wrestled four matches for the brand, the last of which was over two months ago. He’s too good to sit back and do nothing. He’d be great in a bigger role in NXT, but he’d also be great on the main roster if he was placed in the right opportunity. A heel turn and a run in Imperium, for example, is something that could make for entertaining television. People have been fantasy booking a Bloodline vs Imperium feud, anyway, so a fourth member for Imperium makes sense to counter the four (once the likely removal of Sami Zayn takes place) on the other side. Before anyone says anything… yes, I’m well aware of the rivalry that Dragunov has had with The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Walter. However, as has been proven time and time again, what happens in NXT (and NXT UK) doesn’t exactly have a lot to do with what happens on Raw and Smackdown. The average main roster viewer has no idea what is taking place outside of the main roster, so that isn’t going to be a problem if the WWE writers decide it shouldn’t be one. I’m just throwing things out there.
Butch (Born on November 9th, 1993): Do you remember when Pete Dunne debuted the Butch character? The general opinion online was that his WWE career was done. His name change was terrible. The character was awful. He was going to be a job guy because he was so much smaller than Sheamus and Ridge Holland. The list goes on and on. Well, we’re coming up on ten months since the debut of the Butch character, and how do you all think it has gone for him? We’ve seen him as a heel, and now as a face. He would feud with The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, compete in a War Games match, and have a bunch of really entertaining bouts. If you ask me… and you did just that by clicking on a link to read this… I think Pete Dunne has exceeded all expectations as Butch. I’m not exactly sure he has Universal/WWE Title hopes for the future, even with Triple H in a position of power, but then again, I don’t know if I can picture that for the NXT/NXT UK Pete Dunne, either. That’s perfectly fine, by the way. There’s a ton of money to be made as a tag team guy, or even a midcard title guy. He has that type of potential, at least in the short term, and I think it’s only a matter of time before he reaches it.
Liv Morgan (Born on June 8th, 1994): Liv is in an interesting period in her career. For a while, she was a super popular performer that couldn’t quite break through to the top tier of women’s performers in WWE. Then came July 2nd of this year when she won the women’s Money In The Bank briefcase, and then cashed it in approximately two hours later and defeated Ronda Rousey to become the Smackdown Women’s Champion. Not only was she finally able to break through, but she beat one of the biggest stars in the company to do so. Unfortunately, her three-month title reign was largely viewed as a disappointment because of the way she was booked, and she hasn’t received another televised shot at the title since dropping it three months ago. Does that mean she’ll never be able to do it again? Of course it doesn’t mean that. Again, she continues to be one of the most popular women on the WWE roster, and that alone can keep someone relevant. However, the key for her is that she was able to show a different side to her character and her matches at the end of her title reign, even though it, ultimately, didn’t keep her at the top. She’s going to be just fine, even if she never truly reaches the levels of women like Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and so on.
Carmelo Hayes (Born on August 1st, 1994): For a full year-and-a-half, there might not be a more consistently entertaining member of the NXT roster than Carmelo Hayes. If you’re watching an NXT show that has him on the card, you can probably be sure that his match is going to be the best of the night, or at least really close to it. As good as he has been, he has been kept away from the NXT Title scene. He hasn’t even had a random shot at the title during an NXT house show. A few months ago, I half-jokingly wrote that the company was waiting for the WrestleMania weekend show in Los Angeles to give us Bron Breakker (Bron) vs Carmelo Hayes (Melo) as a “tribute” to LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, a current and former Los Angeles Laker, respectively, in the same arena that the Lakers call home. As time goes by, I’m beginning to wonder if that’s really the plan. Melo has been talking about being the next NXT Champion, so there would need to be some more work done to keep him away from the title for a couple months, as the Stand & Deliver event isn’t until April 1st. No matter what, this is a man that is deserving of the NXT Championship, but is also deserving of being able to shine on Raw or Smackdown every week. He’s one of the fastest, crispest, most athletic wrestlers in the business today and could step into the United States or Intercontinental Title pictures tomorrow without a problem at all. Melo don’t miss, indeed.
Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson Born on August 4th, 1994, Elton Prince Born on May 21st, 1997): Yes, it’s cheating a bit to include two names in one entry. No, I don’t care. I’m writing the column, so I’ll “adjust” the rules as I see fit. It would be difficult to keep them apart, anyway. Wilson and Prince have done such a great job as a tag team in the relatively short amount of time that they’ve been paired together. They’ve played their roles to near perfection, blending some really good new school in-ring work with the old school character work that make them heat magnets, both in the United Kingdom and now, for the NXT brand in the United States. They’re the fifth team in NXT history to hold the brand’s Tag Team Titles more than once, and with another reign, they would tie The Undisputed Era for most reigns with three. At this point, I’m thinking another reign is pretty likely for them, especially as they continue to feud with The New Day, who beat them for the belts a month ago. Should Pretty Deadly wind up on the main roster, I do think they can continue their streak of success. Like I said, they’re heat magnets, so I think they would be great heels anywhere, from Chicago to New York to San Diego to New Orleans to Charlotte to Tulsa to Cincinnati to Norfolk to Kansas City to Toronto to Des Moines, and everywhere in between.
The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed Born on October 3rd, 1994, Brutus Creed Born on May 13th, 1996): Ooh, cheating again! Like I did with Pretty Deadly, though, I simply couldn’t split this team up, so here they are, included together. These guys are basically the new age Steiner Brothers, and I’m all for it. It has been a long time since a tag team has come out of nowhere to hit the scene and deliver such a fun, must-watch presentation in their matches. There’s not a lot of subtlety or nuanced concepts during their matches. When the bell rings, Brutus and Julius want to pick their opponents up, throw them around a few dozen times, get the pin, and then head back to the locker room. I can respect that. We should all aspire to be so efficient in our day-to-day lives. This is the type of act that can succeed in front of 100,000 fans at WrestleMania, in front of a few hundred fans at NXT, in front of a couple thousand fans at Ring Of Honor, in front of a few dozen fans at an independent show, in front of 40,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome, and anything in between. Start taking bets on when they get called up to Raw or Smackdown. I figure it won’t be long.
Wes Lee (Born on November 2nd, 1994): When Nash Carter was released from his contract, that placed Wes Lee at a major fork in the road for his career. As we’ve seen when a lot of tag teams split, no matter how the split happens, you’ll often see one of the members struggle to find any sort of ground as a singles wrestler and they fade into the background until they wind up losing their job. A lot of people were worried that would happen to Lee. Before NXT, he had shown the ability to have success in singles competition, including being the winner of the Super X Cup in 2017 during his time with Impact Wrestling, but obviously the WWE umbrella is a different place entirely, so there were questions to be asked. All he’s done since MSK split up is move up the ladder, both figuratively (moving up to the North American Title picture) and literally (winning a Ladder Match to become the North American Champion). He reached the two-month mark as champion a few days before Christmas, so it’s still a bit too early to tell what kind of champion he’ll be, but the fact that he’s even in this situation says a lot. He has even been able to showcase some promo skills that he wasn’t able to show off in MSK, but that was due to character restrictions more than anything he did. With Carmelo Hayes moving up to the main event scene in NXT, and potentially beyond that, Wes Lee is the perfect “replacement” for him with his exciting in-ring work and way he’s able to connect with crowds. He was able to take a very unfortunate situation that was completely out of his hands and make the most out of it.
Tegan Nox (Born on November 15th, 1994): I don’t mean this to sound like a troll, but there’s always one major question mark when it comes to trying to predict Tegan Nox’s future, and that’s whether or not she can remain an active in-ring competitor. Her history with knee injuries has been well documented. It started at the age of 13, when an injury cost her a spot on Wales’ Under-16 football team. Then, she would go on to tear her ACL in 2017, which led to her being replaced from the first Mae Young Classic. After barely being medically cleared in time for the following year’s Mae Young Classic, Tegan would suffer an even worse injury to her other knee. She tore the ACL, MCL, and LCL in her left knee, as well as tearing the meniscus and dislocating the patellar. If you know anything about the structure of a human knee, that’s about as devastating as a knee injury can be. Many a world-class professional athlete has seen their careers derailed from less than that. She fought her way back to the ring in mid-2019, only to tear her ACL yet again the following year. After returning from THAT injury, she would last four months until she was released from her WWE contract. She would be brought back a year later, and we’re currently getting to watch her once again on Smackdown, but there will always be those questions in the back of everyone’s minds. Hell, those questions are always going to be in the back of her mind. When she’s able to compete, she is a dynamic force that can, and should, be in contention for championships. Here’s to hoping that her terrible injury luck is behind her, and she can finally get the chance to truly show the WWE Universe exactly what she’s capable of.
Logan Paul (Born on April 1st, 1995): I know he belongs on this list. You know he belongs on this list, whether you’ll admit it or not. His match against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel opened so many eyes about his in-ring abilities and his future in the sport. It showed that he is about as much of a “natural” at the sport of professional wrestling as you’re going to see, stepping in and looking like someone who has far more experience at it. He signed a multi-year deal that will see him perform on a few pay-per-views, and the early reports are that he might have a match lined up with none other than John Cena at WrestleMania this year. That would guarantee Paul a ton of attention, both in the wrestling world and in the mainstream world. With as much as he has going on outside of wrestling, I highly doubt we’ll ever see him as a full-time wrestler. At most, I could see him handling a workload similar to what we’ve seen in recent years with Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and people of that nature. For example, if he won the Universal/WWE Title at a pay-per-view, I could see him making a handful of appearances on television, depending on how long his title reign was going to last, and then wrestling at every pay-per-view for the duration of the reign, but nothing beyond that. Does that put a ceiling on his potential? Again, I’ll throw those names out there… Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and Goldberg… making less appearances certainly didn’t do anything to put a limit on what they were capable of achieving. He’ll be around, just not on the level of someone like Seth Rollins, wrestling 117 times in 2022. As long as he is around, though, expect him to be treated as a big deal, especially if he continues to get better in the ring.
Bandido (Born on April 17th, 1995): I’m very happy to see Bandido get a chance to show what he can do on a bigger stage in America. He has done some phenomenal work over the last few years, whether it was in Mexico, in Ring Of Honor, or in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. His AEW debut match against Chris Jericho back in September was a great way to introduce him to a bunch of new fans, and it will be interesting to see how he is used from here on. Counting that Jericho match, he has only wrestled three times for AEW, and none of those matches have happened since mid-November, but he is far too talented to be ignored and stay on the shelf for too long. While he could definitely return to the RoH brand, I would love to see him get a further shot in AEW itself. There are so many people on that roster that I want to see Bandido get in the ring with, so I’m holding out hope.
Jamie Hayter (Born on April 23rd, 1995): It’s always fun when wrestling fans can get behind a wrestler organically and help get them pushed to the top. That’s what we saw with Jamie Hayter and the AEW fans. She was basically nothing more than hired “muscle” for Britt Baker, but the fans started cheering for her. After some impressive performances in a handful of matches, those cheers only intensified. At some point, Hayter was getting some of the best pops on a weekly basis… as a heel. Now that she’s the AEW Women’s Champion, there’s plenty of pressure on her to show the world that the company made the right move by listening to the fans. Can she handle that pressure? Of course she can. She’s a great wrestler, and she continues to prove that whenever she steps in the ring. Ask Hikaru Shida.
Konosuke Takeshita (Born on May 29th, 1995): Talk about your out-of-nowhere success story. Takeshita had a good amount of success in Japan’s DDT Pro Wrestling promotion, holding a title on 18 occasions, including the KO-D Openweight Championship, their biggest singles title, five times. However, the average wrestling fan in the United States doesn’t know much, if anything, about New Japan, the biggest wrestling company in Japan, let alone DDT Pro, who might not even be in the top five when it comes to the biggest in the country. Shit, think about how much the average wrestling fan in the United States knows about the fifth or sixth biggest wrestling promotion in the United States. Takeshita would make an excursion to the States and would immediately win the AEW fans over, teaming up with the likes of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. It was Takeshita’s second stint in AEW that marked him as a star, though. Jay Lethal, “Hangman” Adam Page, Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli… when you’re working against the likes of those men and putting in very impressive performances, people are going to take notice. He has now signed an official contract with AEW, while still remaining under contract with DDT Pro, so his spotlight in AEW is only going to get bigger. Going back-and-forth between Japan and the United States will make for an interesting aspect, as we watch how AEW handles his booking, but it’s crazy to think about where he is at the start of 2023 compared to where he was at the start of 2022. It’s even crazier to think about where he might be at the start of 2024 and beyond.
Kris Statlander (Born on August 7th, 1995): Are we all in agreement that, of the known AEW roster members at this very moment (so excluding possible names like whatever Sasha Banks is going to be called from here on), Kris Statlander is the odds-on favorite to be the one to hand Jade Cargill her first defeat? Of course, there’s a potential hurdle to that taking place, and it’s the same hurdle Tegan Nox has to deal with… knees, and more specifically, the health of said knees. She suffered a torn ACL in her left knee back in June 2020, missing almost ten months before making her return. In August 2022, she tore the ACL in her right knee, as well as her lateral meniscus. There hasn’t been word on a potential return date, but some quick math would tell you that she would be out until at least mid-May if she has the same recovery time from her first injury. For the sake of argument, let’s say Jade Cargill has already been defeated by then… does that mean Kris Statlander’s future isn’t as bright? Well, she would certainly be missing out on that potential star-making opportunity, but if she remains healthy, it’s pretty clear that AEW sees something special in her and will continue pushing her. She’s going to be some sort of champion in AEW in 2023, whether it involves beating Jade or not.
Toni Storm (Born on October 19th, 1995): She wasn’t happy with her time on WWE’s main roster, and really, why would she be happy? You can probably count the number of people who were happy to deal with Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis’ bullshit on one hand. After going to AEW, all she did was become one of the more consistent in-ring performers the company had, with Tony Khan going so far as to say she was probably one of the company’s MVP in 2022 and one of the best free agent signings in AEW history. She won the AEW Women’s Title, and even though her reign lasted less than three months, she has really made a mark on the division in the short time she’s been there. You can even tell that she’s back to enjoying herself in the ring. With new women rumored to be on their way to the company all the time, there’s the fear of someone like her getting lost in the mix, but I’m hopeful that her talent level wins out. She can be one of the cornerstones of the AEW women’s division for years to come.
MJF (Born on March 15th, 1996): The man had himself quite the 2022, didn’t he? Some of the most memorable promos in recent memory, and he capped it off by winning the AEW World Title for the first time. He will continue to be a major force in AEW for as long as he remains with the company. That’s where things get interesting, of course. There remains a possibility… how big that possibility happens to be depends on how much you believe the internet reports… that MJF will no longer be under AEW contract at this point next year. All we “know” is that his current contract expires on January 1st, 2024. Could he have re-signed with AEW and that news just hasn’t been made public yet? Absolutely. Could he end up re-signing at some point in the next 362 days? Absolutely. Could he end up making an appearance on the January 5th, 2024 episode of Friday Night Smackdown? Absolutely. No matter what, all of these options are going to be mentioned and talked-about on a weekly basis for the entire duration of the year. That keeps plenty of attention on MJF and his future. He has put himself in position to be one of the top talents in the business, no matter who signs his checks, for years to come.
Rhea Ripley (Born on October 11th, 1996): Can I just take this time to say I love the work she’s doing with The Judgment Day? She is showing a completely different side to her character, and that has opened doors for bigger matches and feuds in the future. She was a big deal when she first arrived on the main roster, but she was never really able to break through and be seen on the same level as the top women were. The Judgment Day has her working with some of the men on the roster, making her come across as an even bigger badass because she’s out here talking shit and winning physical confrontations. There is some big money in a WrestleMania match between her and Bianca Belair, based on their history, but we’ll have to see if we get it this year, next year, or at all. This is the best she has looked since leaving NXT, and it would behoove WWE to take advantage of that. With Triple H in charge of a lot of the decision making, that can only benefit Rhea, as he has shown himself to be a huge fan of her work.
Tyler Bate (Born on March 7th, 1997): There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Tyler Bate now that NXT UK has been eliminated. He showed up in the O.G. NXT, but it was to drop the NXT United Kingdom Title, allowing it to be unified with Bron Breakker’s NXT Title. Then… nothing. It has been almost four months since we’ve seen him. He was one of Triple H’s “guys” when he first worked for the company, and he was a favorite of Shawn Michaels when HBK was working behind-the-scenes in NXT UK, but still… nothing. He’s one of the most talented performers that WWE currently has under contract, so it would benefit the company to use him somewhere, whether it be in NXT again, or somewhere on the main roster. Now, we play the waiting game until we see him again.
Dominik Mysterio (Born on April 5th, 1997): Can I just take this time to say I love the work he’s doing with The Judgment Day? He is showing a completely different side to his character, and that has opened doors for bigger matches and feuds in the future. Seriously, though, he is showing so much more humor than anyone expected him to have. It’s not like Rey Mysterio was known for being a great comedic character through the years. However… Eddie Guerrero sure seemed to have a knack for being hilariously entertaining. It’s almost as if… hmm… you know… nah, it can’t be. Kudos to Dom for diving in, head first, to the silliness of the “mami and papi” deal with Rhea Ripley. It remains to be seen if that character work can translate to a move up the card, but he is squarely positioned in a spot that allows him to get more television time and more fun storylines to be had, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice.
Jungle Boy (Born on June 16th, 1997): One of the original “pillars” of AEW, “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry hasn’t had the level of success I expected at this point. He and Luchasaurus won the AEW Tag Team Titles from The Lucha Brothers on the first episode of Dynamite of 2022, but if you remember, that was the match where Rey Fenix dislocated his elbow after being chokeslammed through a table. It’s worth asking if the titles would’ve even switched hands if it weren’t for the injury. He also won the Casino Battle Royal at Double Or Nothing 2021, earning himself an AEW World Title shot, but he was unsuccessful in taking the title from Kenny Omega. I wasn’t expecting him to be a World Champion by the start of 2023. Not with the list of names that were “ahead” of him. I just figured he would’ve been more of an impact player by now. What does that mean for his future? Well, if there was a list of names that were “ahead” of him when it comes to winning the AEW World Title, you have to think some of those names have been checked off by now. JB remains as popular as just about anyone on the roster, and his feud with Christian Cage and Luchasaurus has allowed him to show a different side to his character, even if the feud was sidetracked almost immediately by Christian’s injury. If he were elevated to the World Title picture next week, the AEW crowds wouldn’t even flinch, and they’d probably just root for him even more. Even though he hasn’t reached the levels that I, personally, expected him to, he’s just fine, and he’s in a good place.
Austin Theory (Born on August 2nd, 1997): I first put him on this list a few years back, saying that if Vince McMahon ever laid eyes on him, he would view Theory as the “next John Cena” because of the way he looked and he would fall in love. Sure enough, Vince finally laid eyes on the guy and what happened as soon as Theory was under Vince’s creative thumb? The two men were working together on-screen. Yes, it was almost all terrible, but that’s because Vince McMahon is almost all terrible. It wasn’t Austin Theory’s fault. With a new regime in charge of things, Theory’s future has gotten much brighter because his present has gotten a lot better. It looked rough for a minute when he cashed his Money In The Bank shot in on the United States Title and still lost, but that was used as great motivation and character advancement for him on television. He continues to put on some really good matches on a near-weekly basis, and is now moving up the ranks organically. Here’s some random statistics that I don’t know if I should’ve found amazing, but I did, anyway. Theory is the 44th person to have more than one reign as United States Champion in the 48-year history of the title, and he is about to crack the top 50 for most days as United States Champion. Clearly, that says more about the way the title has been booked through the years, especially at the end of WCW’s existence, but as I said, I still found the stats amazing. If he holds the title until WrestleMania, he will crack the top 30 for most days as champion. Alright, enough of the random stuff.
Bron Breakker (Born on October 24th, 1997): I said it before, and it’s definitely worth repeating here… Bron is going to be wrestling in the main event of a WrestleMania, perhaps even as soon as next year, although WrestleMania 41 in 2025 is more likely. Barring some sort of unforeseen circumstances, he has been built up as such a dominant force that you have to think it’s going to continue on Raw or Smackdown sooner or later. Allowing him to show more of a personality in the last month or so, and not just “A Rick Steiner lookalike doing a Scott Steiner impression,” has really opened the door for him. He’s less of a one-dimensional character now, which really bodes well for him on the main roster. The fact that he has only wrestled 31 matches on television or pay-per-view so far makes his ascent even crazier to fathom. He’s only going to get better, which means he’s only going to get bigger, and that means his future is only going to get brighter.
Daniel Garcia (Born on September 17th, 1998): I continue to say that he’s in a weird spot. He’s another person who, technically, gets pushed in AEW because he’s facing a lot of the main event guys and top level performers on the roster, but he loses. Then loses some more. Finally, he… loses even more. He’s a lot more successful outside of AEW, where he continues his reign as the PWG World Champion, but for obvious reasons, AEW is what everyone is going to focus on. I think it’s clear that Garcia needs to get away from the Jericho Appreciation Society, which isn’t doing him or anyone not named Chris Jericho any favors. He’s one of the better technical wrestlers in all of AEW, and has been able to showcase that against many of the best wrestlers in the world. If he can step away from Jericho and his cronies, he can be a big star. We saw how AEW crowds were reacting during the brief stretch when Bryan Danielson was trying to get him away from Jericho. They want it. The fans want to cheer for him. There’s a high ceiling for him. You could see him as an RoH World Champion, AEW TNT Champion, and one day, even the AEW World Champion.
Damon Kemp & Gable Steveson (Damon Kemp Born on March 20th, 1999, Gable Steveson Born on May 31st, 2000): Another instance of me cheating a bit, but this one is vastly different than the previous two, because there’s a lot more speculation on my part here. Yes, it’s all speculation because I’m looking ahead to the future, but here, we have someone who hasn’t even wrestled his first match with WWE yet. His signing has gotten a lot of press and publicity, and WWE is going out of their way to keep his name floating around, even before his career has officially begun. He made an appearance at SummerSlam 2021, was drafted to Raw in the 2021 WWE Draft, then made an appearance on both nights of WrestleMania 38, and was a part of Kurt Angle’s special birthday celebration on Smackdown last month. Seeing them do all of that for someone who hasn’t even wrestled for them yet makes it pretty clear that they have big plans for him. His brother, on the other hand, has come a long way in a very short amount of time in NXT. He has a total of 11 matches on NXT television and pay-per-view, plus three matches that aired on episodes of the NXT UK show, and he has shown a ton of improvement, both in the ring and on the mic, in those matches. I’m grouping them both here for now, even though there’s no guarantee you’ll even see them together. Kemp continuing his improvements will only bode well for his future in NXT, and whenever little brother makes his debut, it’s safe to assume he will be in an enviable spot. Even if they don’t get paired together and form a kick ass tag team, there’s a world of potential in both of their futures.
Hook (Born on May 4th, 1999): There are some times when I feel the buzz for Hook has died down a bit. Then, there are other times when I feel like the buzz is only getting stronger. He is moving up the ranks, albeit slowly, but that’s probably the smartest thing AEW could do right now. As much as people want to fantasy book him against the likes of MJF, Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, and the rest of the top tier names in AEW, but I like seeing him built up on Rampage, and now making the move to Dynamite, and the show’s larger television viewership, more frequently. Some sort of partnership with Jungle Boy is a good idea, as well, especially if it doesn’t change the Hook character that AEW fans have fallen in love with over the last year. Can you picture Jungle Boy and Hook as the AEW Tag Team Champions? I can. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but I can damn sure picture it, and I can also picture the crowd it happens in front of popping huge for it. All of you self-proclaimed “Hookers” are probably going to continue being happy for a bit, one way or another.
Top Flight (Darius Martin Born on September 20th, 1999, Dante Martin Born on March 3rd, 2001): The final instance of my cheating and bending my own rules. Darius Martin has missed chunks of time on multiple occasions due to injuries, which let his brother get one of those “AEW pushes” where someone moves up the card and faces bigger opponents, but they lose almost every match, even though they handed in some impressive performances along the way. When both Martin brothers are healthy and available, though, they form one of the most exciting tag teams in the wrestling business today. I know that some people have raised questions about their promo skills, or lack thereof, but I’m not sure that those people have been truly paying attention to AEW. Lucha Brothers were the AEW Tag Team Champions in 2021, and they clearly weren’t out there cutting 20-minute Promo Of The Year contenders. Same for Jurassic Express, who defeated them for the titles. Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, Hook, Riho, Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa… all people who have held titles in AEW but aren’t known for their promo skills, for one reason or another. That type of thing simply isn’t a pre-requisite in AEW. It’s more about the matches and the connections with live crowds, and those are both categories where Top Flight shines. I like that they’re having a bit of a feud with Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli now, as that puts a major spotlight on the brothers. It’s letting people really see what they’re capable of. 2023 might finally be the year when Top Flight earns the Tag Team Titles after a couple years of start-and-stop pushes.
Cora Jade (Born on January 14th, 2001): While Cora Jade was a popular member of the NXT roster as a face, it wasn’t until she turned heel that she really started coming across as a major star. She seems a lot more comfortable out there, which makes a ton of sense, because she was completely pretending to know how to skate when she would carry her skateboard around before. Her comfort level and confidence are clear as day now, and that carries over into her matches, too. She has been making a lot of improvements there, and is one of the top heel women in NXT now, especially with Mandy Rose’s departure. I’m not saying she’s going to be the next NXT Women’s Champion, but I am saying that she does have history with the new NXT Women’s Champion, so there’s certainly a possibility. Even if Cora isn’t the next woman to hold the title, I’m a firm believer that she’ll be the champion at some point relatively soon.
Roxanne Perez (Born on November 5th, 2001): The very first Ring Of Honor Women’s Champion. One reign as half (with Cora Jade) of the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. The current NXT Women’s Champion. All this for someone who has only been able to buy alcohol legally for two months now. She is advanced in the ring well beyond her years, but her best trait is just how likeable she is, and how that allows her to make such a strong connection with the fans. That’s the kind of thing that is going to allow her to have continued success in NXT, and then more success on the main roster, whenever that call is made. She has everything it takes to be the next big star in WWE’s women’s division one day. All she needs is the opportunity to do so.
As I said earlier, let’s open things up a little bit, just for shits and giggles. Had I opened this list up to more than just what is happening in WWE, AEW, and NXT, here are some of the names that, at best, would’ve been included, and at worst, would’ve been in the conversation. In no particular order…
– Ace Austin
– Trey Miguel
– Deonna Purrazzo
– Jordynne Grace
– Ren Narita
– Shota Umino
– Will Ospreay
– Francesco Akira
– Lio Rush
– Kaito Kiyomiya
– AZM
– Giulia
– Mayu Iwatani
– Momo Watanabe
– Natsupoi
– Saya Kamitani
– Starlight Kid
– Suzu Suzuki
– Utami Hayashishita
– Michael Oku
– El Hijo del Vikingo
– Komander
– Shun Skywalker
– Kyle Fletcher
– Starboy Charlie
– Billie Starkz
– Nick Wayne
– AJ Gray
– Atticus Cogar
– KC Navarro
That list could go on and on and on and on and on the further down the independent rabbit hole I go, so I’ll just wrap it up there. Now, of course, is your turn. Who do you think has the brightest future in pro wrestling? You can give me one name, or you can give me a bunch of names. They can be from the “big” promotions, or they can be from your local independent. I just want to hear from you. As always, hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Weekly Power Rankings
Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega: In case you missed my last column, Ospreay was my choice for Wrestler Of The Year in 2022, and he participated in my pick for Match Of The Year. I’ll be damned if he isn’t trying his absolute best to be involved in those conversations at the end of 2023, as well. What a fucking match this was. As brutal and as hard-hitting as you could ever ask for. Ospreay, specifically, took a hellacious ass whooping, with crazy bump after crazy bump. THIS is the Kenny Omega that I want to see in AEW.
Jay White vs Kazuchika Okada: On its own, this was a great match, fitting of a Wrestle Kingdom main event. Unfortunately for both of these men, they had to follow Ospreay vs Okada, and that was going to be an impossible task. Starting the match with a methodical pace didn’t help things at all. Like I said, this was still a great match, with “Switchblade” being at his annoying best and Okada continuing to make a case for the best in-ring performer of all-time.
Austin Theory vs Seth Rollins: Theory continues to have really good matches, and people keep doubting him. I’ll say it again… some of you are getting your dislike of his character confused with him not being a good wrestler, and you’re looking more and more foolish as the months go by. Now, we sit back and wait to see if Seth Rollins’ leg injury is legit or not. WWE has already lost AJ Styles to injury for what could be months, so losing Rollins for an extended period of time would be especially horrible as we continue down the Road To WrestleMania.
Bryan Danielson vs Ethan Page: Page has had some really good matches in AEW, and yet, the top of the card is so stacked that he seems to be going absolutely nowhere. That’s a shame. As far as Bryan Danielson goes… it’s another great match to add to his collection of them. Ho hum, am I right?
Death Triangle vs The Elite: Six matches, and six appearances on this list. They’re having one helluva Best-Of-Seven series, but again, I’m more than ready for it to be over. Let’s get to Escalera de la Muerte and get it over with. We need to see all six men move on to something new.
Mercedes Monè: Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat… Mercedes’ first appearance featured a botch, but it was completely due to Kairi taking the landing incorrectly. Then, Mercedes cut a promo that wasn’t exactly smooth and memorable. With that said, however, it was great to see her again, and I am very invested in seeing her time with New Japan and Stardom.
Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs Top Flight: Oh, hey, Jon Moxley’s weekly inclusion on this list. This one is going to be memorable for Mox and Claudio wrestling more of a “pissed off, grumpy veteran” style, almost coming across as heels as they were overly aggressive against their younger, smaller opponents. I don’t think it will lead to an actual heel turn for either man, but it was still worth noting.
Apollo Crews vs Carmelo Hayes: Apollo gets to have banger after banger in NXT, but he seems to come out on the losing end of all of them. At the very least, he is getting himself over as a tremendous talent that has been largely wasted during his time with WWE, and he is helping to make the young stars of NXT look like a million bucks.
Kevin Owens & The Street Profits vs Sami Zayn & The Usos: A pretty natural six-man tag to make, considering the storylines, I would say. Works for me.
Charlotte Flair: In one fell swoop, the Smackdown women’s division got a much needed boost of star power, and the Smackdown Women’s Title was moved to the waist of a woman who can actually have some good matches with people. A pretty seismic shift on Friday nights.
Sheamus vs Solo Sikoa: Does anybody remember the last time Sheamus had a bad match? I don’t. He is on the biggest roll of his first ballot WWE Hall Of Fame career, which is amazing when you think of everything he has accomplished through the years.
Wheeler Yuta vs Swerve Strickland: Sure, it wasn’t a clean win, but it was a win nonetheless for Swerve, who looks like he could potentially be next up for a big singles push. That’s great news, as he deserves it. I could do without the rest of his stable, but hey, I’ll take what I can get for now.
Mandy Rose: She made a million dollars through her FanTime page in the span of a month. Think about that. Let’s play a fun game and turn that into yearly earnings. A million a month makes for $12 million a year. From all reports that have come out, the only person in wrestling who makes anywhere near that amount of money in a year is Brock Lesnar. Mandy Rose, without taking a bump, is making more money right now than Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, John Cena (not counting his Hollywood money, of course), and anybody else you can think of. You know, I’m thinking she made the right decision.
John Cena & Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn: It wasn’t a five-star classic or anything, but it was never supposed to be. Cena was heavily protected here, but the crowd ate it all up. Four masters of their craft coming together to deliver a really fun match to close out the year. Plus, it added extra drama to the Bloodline story with Sami taking the loss right in front of Roman.
Orange Cassidy vs Trent Beretta: A nice mix of good in-ring work and comic relief, which is precisely what everyone expected when the match was announced. I still don’t give a rat’s ass about the All-Atlantic Title, but that isn’t Orange Cassidy’s fault at all, just like it wasn’t Pac’s fault before him. It simply isn’t a title that is necessary in any way right now.
Becky Lynch & Michin vs Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky: Michin aka Mia Yim aka Mia “Michin” Yim aka Michin aka Mia Yim aka Michin aka Mia Yim. It would be fantastic if WWE would pick a name for her and stick with it. This was a fun tag match that potentially sets multiple matches up in the future.
Dragon Lee: I’ve seen a bunch of people complaining that a world class talent like Dragon Lee is going to be used in NXT. First of all, the man signed the contract. It’s not like he was promised the WrestleMania main event, signed, and then Triple H jumped out from behind a curtain yelling “GOTCHA, BITCH!” If you’re mad that Dragon Lee is going to be used in NXT, be mad at Dragon Lee for signing a contract that would have Dragon Lee be used in NXT. More importantly, though, where do you think Dragon Lee would get used better? NXT. Even with Triple H making the big decisions, NXT is going to allow him to showcase his skills more. He’ll be used more, have longer matches, and be seen as a bigger deal. Relax.
Samoa Joe vs Wardlow: I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty surprised Joe retained the TNT Title here. Don’t get me wrong… I believe it was the right decision. I’m just surprised it happened. At the start of the show, I just figured Wardlow would win and get the title back. With Joe cutting Wardlow’s hair after the match, it sure seems like the feud isn’t over, but now, the addition of Darby Allin to the title picture adds an extra layer of intrigue.
Prison Dom: Dominik Mysterio is the most unserious person in wrestling right now, and I mean that in the best possible way. He is doing an incredible job with the new character and really leaning into the comedy. I hope he keeps it up and gets more and more inmate-ish as the weeks go by.
Alba Fyre vs Isla Dawn: A nice brawl that saw both women deliver the right amount of intensity. It was never going to be a bloodbath, but that’s fine. That’s just not going to happen in today’s WWE culture, and while I do think blood and/or a more hardcore style can be beneficial from time-to-time, I do understand why it isn’t happening.
This Week’s Playlist: Multiple episodes of Freddie Prinze Jr’s “Wrestling With Freddie” podcast… multiple episodes of Kevin Nash’s “Kliq This” podcast… the debut episode of Dax Harwood’s “FTR with Dax Harwood” podcast