8. Michael Elgin
There are a couple guys on this list who you don't have to question whether they'll one day walk the aisle of Raw or Smackdown, and instead we question when - "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin is one of those guys. Standing 5'11 and weighing 245 lbs of muscle bound force, Michael Elgin's 2012 was sensational, rising through the ranks of Ring of Honor, debuting for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and gaining a five-star match from pro-wrestling critic Dave Meltzer for his bout against Davey Richards at ROH Showdown in the Sun last March. Elgin is a big guy, he's a powerhouse, but he can move too, not only that but he can actually go to the ground but he out wrestle just about anybody, whether they be bigger or smaller. Still only in his early twenties and having broken away from the House of Truth faction in ROH, many expect Elgin to eventually gain the ROH World title before 2013 is out - this is of course unless WWE comes calling before then. "Unbreakable" has previously attended a WWE tryout camp which works in his favor, they'll have his name on file so the better he works the more chance there is of him gaining the promotion, but coming off the back of such a great 2012 if they signed him now there'd always be questioning on what he could have achieved, especially with ROH.
7. Samuray del Sol
If you've not heard of this man previously, well now you have. Samuray del Sol is another competitor who had a great 2012, in fact as it pertains to the American independent circuit, this was his breakout year. Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised between the "Windy City" and Mexico City, del Sol grew up obsessed with becoming a professional wrestler, watching everything from WWE, to WCW, ECW, Ring of Honor and basically any VHS tape or DVD he could get his hands on. Eventually venturing into wrestling as a profession, del Sol is a unique combination of an American wrestling style and Lucha Libre, which he learnt from a luchador while training in Chicago before further honing his craft while competing for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, appearing on a reality television program "¿Quién Pinta Para La Corona?" a Lucha Libre version of WWE's Tough Enough series. Samuray's matches began catching the eye of spectators, especially those with soon to be WWE Superstar El Generico, where the duo embarked on a trilogy of matches with Generico coming out on top. This cemented del Sol as a fan favorite in Dragon Gate USA. Del Sol and WWE would go together like a scoop of ice cream and a wafer cone, he has a marketable mask, he has a great look, he knows English and Spanish, hes trained in both the American and Lucha Libre styles of performing; I honestly can't see a negative.