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If you are a fan of pro wrestling then you probably are familiar with at least half of the current All Elite Wrestling Roster. To be honest, I was unfamiliar with most of the Japanese wrestlers except for CIMA and Aja Kong.
But beyond those wrestlers, I at least had a working knowledge of most of the roster.
WWE fans are probably only familiar with wrestlers like Cody and Dustin Rhodes, Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho and Shawn Spears, who had previously wrestled for the company. Kenny Omega and the Elite might have also caught their attention if friends were gushing about the possibility of the group joining WWE.
Once you take a look at the roster, you see a foundation of the Elite and a lot of former Ring of Honor guys like SCU and Best Friends. And then you have relatively known talents such as Lucha Brothers, Allie and Awesome Kong.
Other than those wrestlers, the roster is filled with a lot of exciting, young prospects that have varying degrees of experience. While AEW will initially rely on the bigger names to get off the ground, here are six names that will eventually shine in the new promotion.
#6. Peter Avalon
Depending on your views of AEW so far, you either enjoy the hijinks involving the Librarians Peter Avalon and Leva Bates or you absolutely hate them. What they have shown is that some stars were brought in for both in-ring ability and character work.
I've been watching Championship Wrestling From Hollywood recently and Avalon is one of the staples of the promotion. He is much more serious in that promotion and even wrestled David Arquette recently at an event for the company.
While the gimmick has been met with lukewarm reviews and two losses, it is a way to at least get Avalon and Leva Bates screen time. Avalon is a technical wrestler and is more than what the gimmick portrays.
The shelf life of the "Librarian" gimmick will allow Avalon to showcase more once it either ends or changes. He's one of the lesser-known stars in the company but was signed for a reason. It wasn't to sit on the bench.
#5. Sonny Kiss
Sonny Kiss was briefly a part of Lucha Underground during its fourth season. Going by the name XO Lishus, he befuddled Jack Evans and challenged for the Trios Championships alongside Ivelisse and Joey Ryan.
Once things became apparent regarding the slim chances of a fifth season, both Kiss and many of the members of the LU roster moved on. He signed with AEW and it was a big deal for the man and the company. Kiss is openly gay in a sport that was once not so kind to those who were different from the majority of the locker room. Darren Young did come out eventually, but it was a tough road for the former WWE Tag Team Champion.
Regardless of his orientation, Kiss has proven to be an overly charismatic and athletic performer. If you saw his entrance at Fight for the Fallen, then you could see just how athletic he is. As a former dancer, he is extremely agile and limber and works that into his offence in the ring. He's already a role model and has a bright future ahead of him.
#4. Luchasaurus
Just like Kiss, Luchasaurus appeared in Lucha Underground in its later years. He first appeared as the "end boss" of the Reptile Tribe led by Kobra Moon and was known as Vibora. His unfortunate end came when Johnny Mundo, who was cosplaying as Indiana Jones, infiltrated the tribe's lair and cut off his head, which was done to write him off of the show.
But what he did show in the promotion was that he was a special performer. He was agile, quick and a stiff striker. Since he towered over a good deal of the roster, they often played up his size advantage over most of his opponents. The crowd routinely chanted "Luchasaurus" when he was in the ring because of how impressive he was in such a short amount of time.
He also had a few matches in Ring of Honor and continued to impress people with his skill. A fun fact is that he and Jungle Boy have trained together and have been friends for more than 10 years. I originally just thought it was a gimmick, but there is some history to the pairing. If AEW books him right, he will be one of the many crowd favourites right away.
#3. Kip Sabian
If AEW officials and the management didn't think much of Sabian, then he would not have participated in the first match in AEW at Double or Nothing. Facing Sammy Guevara, Sabian introduced the fans to the promotion's first match. He ended up being successful and showed those who weren't familiar with him just what he was capable of.
He also squared off with the chosen one in AEW, Adam Page, at Fight for the Fallen. Despite losing to the member of the Elite, he pushed Page to the limit.
I hadn't heard of him before but was impressed with his match with Guevara at Double or Nothing. His promo ahead of his match with Page impressed me even more. I believed a lot of what he said about Page getting every opportunity while others have had to work a little harder to just get noticed. He's a high-flyer and stiff striker like a lot of wrestlers are today, so he'll likely find his spot in the company once the weekly show starts in October.
#2. Sadie Gibbs
She's only been wrestling for a few years but she's already one of the more exciting prospects in the world. Gibbs is a personal trainer and Crossfit nut. Both of those styles have helped to shape her in-ring style as she uses both power moves as well as high-flying moves from Lucha Libre.
I haven't seen many of her matches but was impressed with the highlights I found online. She's routinely battled men and has even fought AEW's Joey Janela at one point. If you need any more proof of her potential, just watch some of her highlights from Stardom on her Twitter or watch below.
Gibbs has yet to make an appearance in AEW but she might be on tour with Stardom at the moment. Once the tour concludes, she'll likely pop up to shake AEW's women's division to its core. She has some experience with the Japanese women on the roster, so she'll be able to mesh well into things. Look out!
#1. Jungle Boy
Jungle Boy has many things going for him right away. Firstly, he's the son of Luke Perry. Secondly, he's somewhat of a protege and a young friend of the Elite. The third thing going for him is that a good portion of the crowd is already behind him.
He also appears to be a nice young man which also helps him out. In short, he has all the potential in the world to be a big star in AEW despite his size. He might be a little bigger than Lio Rush but without the supposed bad attitude. His partnership with Luchasaurus is one of the more entertaining pairings in the company. If AEW creates a mid-card or middleweight type belt, he'll likely be one of the top stars in that division.
While he might have a long way to go to become AEW Heavyweight Champion one day, he has everything else on his side to make an impact on the wrestling world. The name might be a turn off if you haven't seen him compete, but he'll change your mind the first time you see him in the ring. If AEW is going to cultivate some "homegrown" talent outside of the Elite, it might start with Jungle Boy
