Predicting Where Every AEW Wrestler Will Be In 5 Years' Time

61. HOOK

Hook AEW Thumb
AEW

Future World Champion and key demo draw.

If that seems optimistic and almost cruel to forecast after just one match at time of writing, it really isn't. His debut was special. A captivating presence and unreal athletic specimen, HOOK is cool in a way that the millennials that largely comprise the fanbase can't even articulate.

He's simply magnetic in an elusive way that only really young people can get - but us olds can infer.

In short, the kid is amazing, he's in the right hands, and the wrestling world is his.

60. Private Party

Private Party
AEW

On their current trajectory, the forecast is bleak.

The team is far away from the unit that wowed crowds in 2019, whether AEW's less than intensive schedule or their own aptitude is to blame. If and when the world returns to normal, Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen need to get reps on top of reps on top of reps. No other AEW act is a better pitch for an NJPW excursion. Three tours of that gruelling Road To loop might be the making of them.

The talent is there, the conditions aren't, but the inner optimist wants to think that it will happen for them.

59. Jake Hager

Jake Hager
AEW

"Thanks and good luck" seems like Jake Hager's fate.

Genuinely underrated in his capacity as a heater and tag destroyer - seriously, listen back to those hot tag pops, Jake Hager is a very, very good doubles wrestler - he's not so good or particularly renowned for his wrestling IQ that he can feasibly become an enduring figure.

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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!