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

97. Hangman Page

Hangman Page
AEW

There's a not inconsiderable chance that Hangman Page has rewritten the blueprint of pro wrestling booking.

If that scans as hyperbolic, it really isn't. Page has elicited a new strain of sympathy with his audacious mental health arc since 2019, in addition to the deepest level of audience engagement with his grand overarching story. Should he continue on this path, and it proves lucrative, there's a strong chance his successors think of wrestling narrative as something more than the total sum of some feuds here and there.

Page, in five years' time, might well be recognised as the trailblazer of the 21st century. He's only 30, and by late 2026 will have only entered his wrestler's prime.

His potential is enough to make everybody else feel anxious.

96. Britt Baker D.M.D.

Britt Baker
AEW

Not that anybody would want to be compared to Ric Flair in 2021, but Britt Baker might emulate the better aspect of his legacy: as an enduring star who becomes more endearing the more arrogant and gilded she becomes.

Longevity is hard to gauge, generally, but not in Baker's case. She has mastered every facet of the episodic TV star game and has remained consistently, riotously entertaining since she first called Tony Schiavone a shmuck on a boat in January 2020. She isn't running out of material. She hasn't even turned face yet.

She will be the gatekeeper final boss in 2026: a victory over whom will mean everything.

95. Sammy Guevara

Sammy Guevara
AEW

This one is more complicated.

Guevara is immensely talented; preposterously athletic with an ability to sell that will inform his legacy and work when those explosions start to dull slightly. He's also great at playing heel and babyface. He's also smart and dumb, all at the same time. His enterprising vlog is a joy, and he's a supportive friend, but he's also not particularly PR-savvy. The man spends too long on Twitter, in 2021, building a Ric Flair dream match.

He has the potential to headline AEW cards, particularly as the heel who starts to believe his own bullsh*t, but there's a not inconsiderable chance he gets in his own way without even really knowing it.

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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!