Wrestling is only as good as its next attraction and to that end, the writers of SteelChair were tasked with finding the future of the business, or at least who we think has the chance of being the next big draw in the wrestling world in the years to come. Any list like this will show our prejudice and what we watch, but here is our conversation starter, 16 wrestlers we think will rule the business sooner or later. Let us know what you think on our Twitter.
Hook
Few wrestlers have created as much of a stir in their rookie year as Hook. The son of Taz has been nothing short of a sensation in AEW simply by being so atypical to the way wrestlers are presented. Hook is not all over social media, he doesn’t talk on the microphone, he doesn’t court the interest of the fans, he just comes in, destroys his opponents in ice-cold fashion and leaves. Hook is clearly still very raw, and very green (as you would expect from someone in his position), but he undoubtedly has “it”. That intangible star-power that cannot be taught, being effortlessly cool, while simultaneously intimidating. His suplexes look devastating, his Superstar aura is off the charts, and he has the legitimacy of having a legitimate legend as a father and a trainer. It helps that he also hasn’t been overexposed, has been presented as a killer, and that’s without knowing much about him, and that mystery factor only makes him more intriguing. They are completely different in every way, but the presentation of Hook is reminiscent of Goldberg in late 1997 in WCW, and hopefully, he’ll continue in that vein. Send Hook, straight to the top.
Tom Mimnagh
Dante Martin
Top Flight might not have been a tag team that everyone was familiar with a year ago. Darius and Dante Martin had made waves on the indie scene and as a duo on the B-shows” for AEW, but an injury to Darius last May left Dante in limbo. However, Dante grasped the nettle and began to shine as a singles star with breakout performances on Dynamite against Miro, and against The Elite alongside The Sydals. Dante continued to impress to the point he had a competitive match with World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page only a few months ago, after which Page endorsed Martin as a star of the future.
Martin’s style is both spectacular yet measured, with precision and athleticism that is rarely so easily combined. His offence feels like the next evolution of what wrestling could be. Martin has great timing and a connection as an underdog babyface that works incredibly well in front of a sympathetic crowd. Although he has returned to the tag team division now that Darius is healthy again, and they are undoubtedly future tag team champions, it definitely feels like Dante has some unfinished business as a future singles star.
Tom Mimnagh
Janai Kai
When the idea of this feature was first pitched to me and I was asked to contribute, the first name that popped into my head was Janai Kai. She is not particularly experienced, four years in as a pro, but she has “it”. That indefinable quality stands between being good and being over. From Washington, DC, she has wrapped her strike heavy offence into a total package of presence and cool that makes her look like a video game character come to life.
A lifelong martial arts practitioner, she has an exciting offensive repertoire, and the unique look she carries helps her stand out from a crowded women’s wrestling market on the US indies that has progressed incredibly over the last few years. Alternating between barefoot and shoot shoes depending on her environment, and with gear that accentuates her form and movement. Her tag team with Yoya YoKai has developed a strong following, and has worked her way through some big indie dates with GCW, most famously at Bloodsport, and is all over IWTV for many different promotions. It is hard not to see great things to come.
James Truepenny
Maki Itoh
Maiki Itoh has a level of cross over appeal that you would not believe. After her short but eventful run in AEW last year, a friend texted me to tell me he had watched the show and loved her. It has now become part of his family viewing every Friday night. The former Idol is all about presenting an alternate vision of what things could be. Originally moving into show business via Idol Band LinQ, she got started in wrestling as a cross over sideline through DDT in 2013.
Therein gives a clue to her appeal, she knows she is a star and presents herself as such. She can act, she has already done several films, she can sing, and she can wrestle. Having had a long term company defining rivalry with company Miyu Yamashita, where she never quite gets one over on the long term ace, has pinned her to the top of the company. A perennial International Princess Champion or contender, she has made her own imprint on the company, but she could get over anywhere she goes, she just has to figure out the playing field and she will make it work as her AEW run proved. She’s just that good.
James Truepenny
Kennedi Copeland
Everything I’ve seen of Kennedi Copeland screams future star. As a former H2O Hybrid champ, she proved she could be given a title and run with it, taking on the odds every time. Copeland has mixed martial arts with deathmatch to give everyone a variety of different matches with big names across the board. She even beat Matt Tremont in a barbed-wire madness match. With the sounds of MCR announcing her arrival, Copeland has managed to put on great matches with a multitude of foes whilst building character and shocking everyone with her recent turn to the dark side.
Outside of H2O, Copeland is hitting more and more promotions and continuing to show out. The future looks bright or dark depending on how evil she’s feeling and hopefully, she’ll carry on flying the flag for her brand of wrestling. The Girl From Ocean Avenue is an absolute badass and it’s only a matter of time before more of the world gets to see it. Oh and she wields a light-tube sword, how is that not cool?
John Dinsdale
Cole Radrick
It feels like the world is finally starting to fully embrace just what Cole Radrick is capable of. With multiple years in the business, Cole Radrick has been a dependable hand, learning, growing and only getting better as time goes on. I’ve watched him go from captivating Terra Haute with AKIRA (another solid shout) to Backyard Wrestling with Nick Gage to getting bloody as hell in the Carousel Room.
Radrick was always good, it’s just now people are finally taking full notice. He was killing it across his indie scene, killing it in scramble matches and now he gets routine screen time in GCW and flies the flag for several of those indie companies. Cole Radrick is turning into a main eventer and a surprise deathmatch superstar through his reckless, careless style and his genuine likeability. Even when he’s being a dick it’s hard not to root for him. A lot of companies are putting their faith in Radrick and soon, we could see him on an even bigger stage.
John Dinsdale
Baliyan Akki
It takes a lot to upend your life and move across the globe to chase your dream. That’s just what Baliyan Akki did and now, it’s paying off. When he came to Japan, he was scooped up by Gatoh Move and now, a few years later, he’s their superstar. Akki has become the go-to guy when you want to make a classic. When the pandemic hit, he was busier than ever as he became the poster boy for the ChocoPro brand. He has risen from the ranks of the underdog getting killed by veterans like Minoru Suzuki and Masato Tanaka to being a former double champ within the company.
Whilst he may no longer hold the Asia Dream Tag Titles, he’s now cemented as the Super Asia Champion and has fought off some of his biggest rivals to maintain it. Throw in the fact that he’s started spreading his wings, doing stints around all the Japanese companies, Akki is becoming a household name through his hard work, hellacious schedule and commentary talents, providing English commentary for TJPW alongside frenemy Chris Brookes. The sky is the limit for Akki, he has the talent, the drive and the opportunities just keep on coming.
John Dinsdale
Wheeler Yuta
While some think All Elite Wrestling heavily relies on former WWE talent and “indy darlings”, anyone who has watched the company grow over the past three years will tell you that AEW has plenty of evidence of growing its own stars. Sure “Hangman” Adam Page, MJF, and Darby Allin are some of the first names that spring to mind, but over the past 18 months, AEW has been planting the seeds for their long-term future.
Amongst the group of fast-rising stars in AEW is Wheeler Yuta. Although he has seven years of experience under his belt, it is his appearances for companies such as AEW, ROH, Beyond, and on the NJPW ‘Strong’ show that has put him in the spotlight. His star has begun to shine brighter in recent months as noteworthy AEW matches against PAC, Bryan Danielson, and Jon Moxley highlighted his technical prowess and determined attitude.
His recent AEW ‘Rampage’ main event with the latter has already been considered a “star-making” performance. Proving to be a bloody battle with Moxley, the outcome saw Yuta win the respect of Moxley, Danielson, and the Blackpool Combat Club leader, William Regal. Now under the learning tree of the BCC, Yuta’s potential to be well-rounded and technically deadly is endless.
Sêan Reid
Chris Bey
Two years ago, on the same night, two companies were ready to welcome Chris Bey on their roster. But he had already chosen Impact Wrestling. Bey already worked every Impact Wrestling tapings session or event around California or Nevada the year before, and he impressed the fans. In fact, since he was 13 or 14 years old, he has shown on his own YouTube Channel his prowess on his skateboard, his predictions on wrestling PPVs, and his passion for the sport. With time, his posts became the diary of a wrestler in the making as Chris Bey never wanted anything else but to be a wrestler. He perfected his craft on the indies before signing with Impact Wrestling.
His unlimited range meant he became X-Division Champion just a few weeks after his official debut. Currently a member of Bullet Club, alongside Jay White and The Good Brothers, Bey, 26, has been perfecting his character of “Ultimate Finesser,” a dude with a lot of attitude and the absolute conviction he will be IMPACT World Champion one day. His charisma is the key to his coming successes in the wrestling business because Chris Bey is just getting started.
Stephanie Franchomme
Jordynne Grace
When in 2018, Jordynne Grace eliminated Brian Cage at All In in the 19-person over budget battle royale, all eyes were suddenly on her. The world found out about this petite but incredibly strong wrestler, who would later fight Cage in an intergender match. After that, it was just a matter of time until a promotion like Impact Wrestling knocked at her door and signed her, as Jordynne Grace is epitomizing what women’s wrestling has become, strong, fearless, and unique. “Thick Momma Pump” is a quintessential powerhouse women’s wrestler made for success.
The powerlifter and wrestler was only 16 when she competed in her first match. Ever since, she has never left the ring, on the indies or on Impact Wrestling. The former Progress World Women’s Championship is the first Impact Wrestling Knockouts Triple Crown Winner, as the Knockouts Champion, Knockouts Tag Team Champion, and the inaugural Digital Media Champion. Grace, 26, competed in an all-female and a male Ultimate-X Match and was very close to becoming X-Division Champion twice. In a company that let a woman be its World Champion, there’s no reason a woman couldn’t be X-Division Champion. This woman had to be Jordynne Grace.
Stephanie Franchomme
Ace Austin
Three years ago, some vignettes announced the upcoming debut of Ace Austin. As the talent-maker it has always been, Impact Wrestling decided to sign a young wrestler who had already been in the Indy business for 4 years. His first match on TV was like a slap in the face. Ace Austin couldn’t help but let us think of AJ Styles. The CZW student and alumni was showing to the world his really creative, unique and complex repertoire. His Fold is a weapon of mass destruction that led him to the X-Division Championship twice. And maybe a third this Saturday at Rebellion.
The “Inevitable” is so incredibly talented and agile, with great promo skills. Ace Austin has every tool in the world to be the next best thing in pro wrestling. With Impact Wrestling’s continuous growth, it is not inconceivable that he would be their main man in the future to come. However, he has never succeeded in winning the World Championship he has been coveting for a while now. But the fact he chose to stay with Impact Wrestling in the coming years, while still working on the indies, is a sign the 25-year-old kid is a smart man.
Stephanie Franchomme
Masha Slamovich
Born in Russia, Masha Slamovich trained and made her debut in Japan at only 18. She then moved to the USA and trained with Amazing Red and Johnny Rodz. She exploded in 2018 on the indies, competing against men and women. And because intergender was not enough, she explored the world of deathmatch, working for vXs, GCW, H2O, or ICW NHB. In September 2021, despite losing against then IMPACT Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, Gail Kim was so impressed by her performance that she offered her a contract with a company that would let her continue to work on the indies.
Pure violence, Masha is a powerhouse, a high-flier and a convincing badass. For the moment, she has only wrestled enhancement talent on IMPACT, a sure way to build a monster, but she, for me, proudly earned the name of “Hospital Masha” as her Russian Death Device is lethal for her opponents. She is the future because she is not like the other female wrestlers. Her attitude and her repertoire breathe greatness. On Impact Wrestling, and everywhere else, she still has so much to show because, at only 23, she is just scratching the surface of her capacities. And the sky is definitely the limit with Masha Slamovich.
Stephanie Franchomme
Bron Breakker
“Aside from injury, I don’t know what could keep this guy from being one of the top talents in the company in two or three years.” Legendary (and controversial) wrestling manager Jim Cornette uttered these words when describing current NXT Champion Bron Breakker. Regardless of what people think of Cornette, he’s had a history of identifying some pretty significant talents in the past 20-30 years, so it’s quite the statement. However, considering Breakker started his in-ring career in late 2020 and is already holding his own in high-profile bouts with the likes of Tommaso Ciampa and Dolph Ziggler, says a great deal about the son of Rick Steiner.
Similar to his father and uncle Scott Steiner, Breakker possesses an incredible blend of physical strength, quickness, and agility, allowing him to tear through opponents with Goldberg Esq. force while also hitting his uncle Steiner’s legendary Frankensteiner. Based on his recent Takeover match with Ziggler, it’s clear Breakker is still green and needs plenty of guidance. But as evidenced by his fluidity and intensity in their RAW rematch, which captured and won over the live crowd, superstar potential is clearly written all over Breakker. It’s also clear WWE has high hopes, justifiably so.
Humza Hussain
Gable Steveson
Olympic Gold Medallist and two-time NCAA Champion – these accolades alone allow one to understand why WWE has rolled out the proverbial red carpet for young sensation Gable Steveson, and why he’s in line for a Brock Lesnar-like push upon his official debut on RAW. Prior to signing with WWE, various organisations, including the UFC, were interested in signing the amateur wrestling superstar. That level of interest does not happen for an ordinary athlete, and Steveson’s last-second comeback to win gold in the Olympics, along with his celebratory back-flip, was more evidence of why all eyeballs were seemingly on him.
His accolades, skills, and size have naturally drawn comparisons to Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, who quickly rose to the top of WWE within a year or two of training. Therefore, it’s understandable why WWE, fellow superstars (including Brock Lesnar), and many observers see him as the “Next Big Thing.” It’s difficult to imagine anything but the next WWE megastar when thinking of Steveson, especially considering his natural ability and the effort and care WWE are seemingly putting into his career. Time will tell, of course, as one belly-to-belly suplex on Chad Gable isn’t much evidence of anything thus far.
Humza Hussain
Willow Nightingale
Although Willow Nightingale hasn’t fully broken into the big leagues yet, she’s more than had her exposure on the indies, appearing in Beyond Wrestling, GCW, and CCW. Nightingale oozes confidence in the squared circle and has such an amazing personality that can’t help but make you smile. It’s rare for someone to strike up such an instant connection with the crowd, yet she manages it every time. Not only is she massively over with the fans but Nightingale also manages to blend a strong offensive presence with natural agility, making her a force to be reckoned with.
Over the last year, Nightingale has chalked up victories against Allie Katch, Lady Frost, and Jordynne Grace. It feels as though she’s on the precipice of something great, and when it finally happens, the entire wrestling community is in for a treat. There’s no denying Nightingale is on the up, after great performances against Deonna Purrazzo in IMPACT, and Mercedes Martinez at ROH’s Supercard of Honor. Many believe Nightingale should’ve beaten Red Velvet in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament qualifier due to her impressive performance, but it’s only a matter of time before she leaves her impression on the professional wrestling business.
Chris White
Jordan Oliver
Jordan Oliver is insanely talented for his age and has already faced some of the best talent professional wrestling has to offer, including Sammy Guevara, MJF, Rocky Romero, LA Park, and Nick Gage. If anyone saw his recent match with Jack Cartwheel at GCW’s Devil in a New Dress, you’ll know just how quickly Oliver can turn up the heat, and that insane springboard powerbomb finished became a popular gif on social media. Oliver can blend lightning-quick speed with technicality at the drop of a hat, and even though he’s not a big guy, he packs one hell of a punch.
He first made a name for himself in CZW where he held the Wired Championship for an impressive 427 days. Nowadays, Oliver is a mainstay on the GCW roster, constantly putting on impressive displays against everyone he meets, and is always a joy to watch in the various scrambles he takes part in. The Young Dumb N Broke member has a bright future ahead of him, and any company would be lucky to have him on their roster. At 22 years old, the world is Oliver’s oyster, and people should expect to see much more of this guy soon.
Chris White
All Pics and videos courtesy of WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestling, DDT Pro, Wrestling Inc, Ring of Honor, Beyond Wrestling – Feature Image courtesy of New Japan Pro Wrestling