10 "Next Big Things" In Wrestling Nobody Cared About
Parker Boudreaux was NOT the next big thing, let alone the next Brock Lesnar...
Nick Khan claimed Logan Paul will be the next big thing in pro wrestling.
Saraya claimed Skye Blue will be the next big thing in pro wrestling.
Typing the keyphrase 'next big thing wrestling' into any search engine brings up such conversations of who will be the next big thing in pro wrestling, but it's these examples which immediately catch your eye. Not only do they come from two wholly contrasting minds of pro wrestling - one has had a hand in monopolising the WWE-led industry, the other was once an indelible leader of the Women's Revolution - but they represent two wholly contrasting pro wrestlers.
Logan Paul, a WWE part-timer only on the basis of his infrequent stints, competed for its top prize three matches in, is yet to wrestle a subpar match, and is a cross-platform megastar whose huge social media reach has brought significant interest to WWE. Skye Blue, meanwhile, is a good-to-great AEW prospect whose growth in the Tony Khan-fronted group has been thus far very telling of what the future holds for the pillars of AEW's women's division. She's not a household name yet, but such prominence will come with experience.
Both are worthy of the 'next big thing' moniker - unlike...
10. Austin Theory
Triple H was instrumental in the scouting, signing, and development of so many would-be top WWE Superstars that you forget Austin Theory stood among them. A brash blue chipper, Theory's reign as EVOLVE Champion got the hype train behind across 336 days of hidden gem matches vs. Kyle O'Reilly, JD Drake, and gobs more that saw him come out the other end a carbon copy of what the prototypical WWE Superstar looks like.
But that's precisely why he's failed to get over with the audience.
Staunch WWE supporters don't want a less-chiselled Triple H clone. They want panache and finesse, and while Austin Theory has charisma, he doesn't have a lot of it, meaning he's looked like a chump in promo battles with John Cena and now, fresh off a switch to SmackDown, he's failing to stand out from Pretty Deadly in a trio designed entirely to get Theory over.
His time with the United States Championship has been detrimental to his success, too. Having been involved with the championship since April 2022, featuring in 70.83% of the championship's televised matches with zero stand-out attractions, it wouldn't be a stretch to describe Austin Theory as having devalued the United States Championship amidst GUNTHER's restoration process for the Intercontinental Championship.