10 Best Wrestlers Under 30 (Who Don't Work For WWE)

Wrestling fans are always looking towards the future, speculating on what young talents will become huge stars, who will leave the independent scene for mainstream success, and so forth. It's a natural thing to do in any aspect of sports, and wrestling is certainly no different. This column will be for those folks, as it will essentially be looking at the future by looking at ten great wrestlers under the age of 30 that don't currently work for WWE in any way. They could be on the TNA roster, they could be on the indy scene, or they could wrestle internationally. The common thread is just that they haven't quite reached the age of 30, and that they aren't currently under WWE contract. It won't really be a gauge of their success to this point, or how many titles they've won wherever they've been wrestling. It won't even look at who has the best odds of one day signing with WWE. Instead, it will just look at who is the best performer, and who is worthy of recognition for what they can do in the ring, not what they might be able to do in the ring one day if they are signed.

10. Michael Elgin

Age: 27 As the current Ring Of Honor World Champion, Elgin has now been placed squarely on the independent wrestling map, if he wasn't there already. One of the strongest men on the indy scene, Elgin doesn't wrestle like the stereotypical indy worker, which is what helps him to stand out even more. He isn't the largest man in the world (5'11", 240 pounds), but because of his power, he gets to throw his opponents around and impose his will, so he doesn't have to be. Now that RoH has given him the proverbial ball to run with, it will be interesting to see what this extra level of pressure does to him, but to this point, he has done a great job for himself, and since he's only turning 28 later this year, he still has plenty of time to improve and to make a bigger name for himself.