10 Hidden Gem Wrestlers That Would Blow AEW Fans’ Minds

by Andy H Murray

1. Suzu Suzuki

suzu suzuki
Ice Ribbon

Few wrestlers have had as interesting an arc as Suzu Suzuki in 2021, with the 19-year-old's long-running quest for deathmatch credibility positioning her alongside the most exciting young prospects in the world.

An incredible match with Ice Ribbon vanguard Tsukasa Fujimoto started Suzuki's year on the right note. Buoyed by its student vs. teacher story, it was a slick, crafty match with creative counters, excellent timing, and enough heart-in-mouth spots to bring hope to Suzuki's doomed title challenge. Though felled in the end, she will return to face Fujimoto stronger someday.

Much of that strength will come through her gauntlet of Japan's gnarliest hardcore wrestlers. Abdullah Kobayashi, Masashi Takeda, Jun Kasai, and more all felled Suzuki with varying levels of brutality, though this Hardcore Determination Seven Match Series helped bring out the diehard within her. Like Darby Allin, Suzuki is fearless. She fought through scissors, light tubes, and other horrors without ever letting up, and while deathmatches are her passion, that spirit would serve her extremely well during a jaunt on the other side of the Pacific.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.