Predicting The 10 Best Wrestlers In The World Five Years From Now

7. Jungle Boy

WALTER Tyler Bate
AEW

Jungle Boy has an inherent star quality and core appeal as a babyface, to such an extent that his act with Luchasaurus has stolen the hearts of the AEW fanbase - and the buzz away from the Young Bucks and their status as the undisputed top babyface tag team in the company.

Jungle Boy is, to use a worn phrase in earnest, a joy to watch: he pulls audiences into his matches because they just want to root for him, and because his slender frame and spirited, exciting work accentuates his innate, wholesome charisma. Jungle Boy was green this year, but he isn't green anymore; he looked of equal class, more or less, to the veteran SCU set at All Out in a fun and shockingly good opener. It was significantly better than the hot match most expected, and per reports, he entered an even better performance in this year's PWG Battle of Los Angeles opposite Jake Atlas. The match earned rave reviews, and it speaks to his ability to get over in front of different audiences: the AEW set is more earnest and ready to fall for most every act, where the PWG crowd - who wait to be impressed - is about as discerning as it gets.

At just 22 years of age, with time to re-sculpt that physique and how to carry himself differently, his potential is incredible.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!