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For a promotion that has its roots in an informal social media bet, All Elite Wrestling has certainly come a long way.
The promotion, which sees itself as an alternative to the sports entertainment product offered by WWE, started when long-time polarizing pro wrestling and sports journalist Dave Meltzer offered his opinion that small promotions like Ring of Honor wouldn't be selling out a 10000-seat arena 'any time soon.'
Cody, then a Ring of Honor and New Japan star, tweeted his reply.
The result was the All In event held in Chicago, which was a resounding critical success. Fans seemed thirsty for more of AEW's high octane, hard-hitting Japanese strong style influenced pro wrestling.
They would get their wish with All In: Double or nothing. At the end of the event, Cody and the Young Bucks stood in the ring and seemed to strongly hint that they would be forming their own promotion.
On a cold morning in Tokyo, the Elite gathered in the snow to announce that AEW would become a reality. Financed by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Tony Khan, the new promotion would seek to conquer a sizable market share in the pro wrestling landscape.
Now that AEW is proving itself by garnering good ratings for TNT, everyone's eyes are on the fledgling promotion. Chris Jericho is the current AEW champion, but who else should be in the title picture?
Here are five AEW stars who could light the promotion, and the wrestling world, on fire in 2020.
#1 MJF
The man now known as MJF was trained for the ring by WWE Superstar Curt Hawkins at the Create a Pro wrestling academy.
MJF showed a lot of promise, but when he sent in an audition tape for WWE's Tough Enough, he was not selected to participate in the program. From there, he joined Combat Zone Wrestling and won the Wired Championship in that promotion. He is also the inaugural Major League Wrestling Middleweight Champion.
A lot of fans who don't follow the indie scene were unfamiliar with MJF when he first signed with All Elite Wrestling. That has quickly changed with his combination of poise and in-ring talent.
While MJF is relatively inexperienced compared to others on the AEW roster, he more than makes up for it with his charisma and a sharp mind for the business. He's definitely one to watch in 2020.
#2 Rey Fenix
The man now known as Rey Fenix started his career under a different gimmick, that of Mascara Oriental.
When he debuted for the AAA promotion, which has international shows, he was assigned a new mask and gimmick as executives thought 'oriental mask' might offend some viewers. Now dubbed Fenix, after the legendary firebird, he would become one of that promotion's top stars.
When Fenix started working for Impact Wrestling, he was bundled into a tag team with his real-life brother Pentagon Jr. They captured the tag team gold, as well as many independent championships together.
Fenix and Pentagon have been pursuing the AEW World Tag Team titles, which they just fell short of capturing. However, it should be noted that Fenix is undefeated in singles matches in AEW. He defeated Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks and most recently Trent of the Best Friends.
Fenix could be the dark horse breakout singles star of 2020, and is definitely worth watching.
#3 Hangman Page
Adam Page's career took off like a rocket ship. Early in his wrestling years, he signed with Ring of Honor (when that promotion was still innovative and good) and wound up working a high profile program where he was the "Youngboy" of the Decade, a group of ROH veterans.
Page would graduate to a singles star and feud with ACH (most recently seen in WWE as Myles Jordan) before making his way to Japan and eventually joining first the Bullet Club and then The Elite.
Hangman seems to be prominently featured on almost every AEW PPV. He has had a high-profile feud with PAC which has seen each man pick up a win over the other. He also came within an inch of becoming AEW's inaugural champion.
Page has a mix of old school grit mixed with new-age in-ring stiffness, and is an underrated ring technician and top-notch brawler. AEW has big things planned for Page, so his 2020 is going to be worth paying attention to.
#4 Jon Moxley
The man now known as Jon Moxley will be entering his 16th year as a pro wrestler in 2020. Moxley cut his teeth in the Heartland Wrestling Association, but it was his time in Combat Zone Wrestling that really put him on the indie scene map.
Moxley would eventually join WWE's then-developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the name Dean Ambrose. He spent several years there before being called up to the main roster as part of The Shield along with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
As Ambrose, he was thought of by fans as the 'leader' of the Shield even though he was never officially named as such due to his gift of gab and having the most developed character of the Hounds of Justice. Ambrose quit the WWE, declining to renew his contract and signed with AEW instead.
First and foremost, Moxley brings a ton of credibility to AEW. For this reason alone, his 2020 will be worth watching.
#5 Kenny Omega
Our next entry on the list seems like a no-brainer. Kenny Omega.
The Cleaner is widely regarded as the best pro wrestler actively working today. His wildly popular matches against Rainmaker Okada in New Japan put him on the international pro wrestling map.
Rampant speculation followed Kenny Omega for years, suggesting he would sign with the WWE sooner or later. However, that never came to pass. Instead, Kenny signed with All Elite Wrestling, joining his former Bullet Club and current Elite stable mates in the fledgling promotion.
Omega also wrestles for other promotions, which is allowed by his AEW contract, and has even won championship gold.
Kenny Omega is, quite frankly, the Hulk Hogan of AEW. He's the one who is going to be the face of the company, and arguably already is. Snagging Omega for their roster was a major coup for AEW, so look for them to put him in prominent roles. His 2020 will be most intriguing to watch indeed.
There you have it; Five AEW stars to watch in 2020. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading.
