6. Sami Callihan
Another young man who enjoyed a fantastic 2012 is Sami Callihan. Nicknamed the "Callihan Death Machine," Callihan first gained notoriety in Combat Zone Wrestling when he won a battle royal on his debut, going on to capture every singles title CZW has to offer, even winning the 2012 Best of the Best tournament, and since then, hes taken EVOLVE/Dragon Gate USA by storm. Sami has featured for several top independent promotions including Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Syndicate, as noted Dragon Gate USA/EVOLVE and Jersey All Pro Wrestling. Seemingly adaptable to all styles, Callihan can fly with the best of them, brawl with the most rugged you can find and hit harder than Mike Tyson on the set of The Hangover. WWE have reportedly taken a vested interest in Callihan, who turned 25-years-old last September, a month later he competed in a dark match for the company and as recent as last week, "The Game" apparently wants him back for another examination. If Callihan were to join WWE, It'd open up a wealth of possibilities. His dark and gothic character in itself is different to anything currently on WWE programming and it opens up an avenue for a reformation some time down the line with former Switcheblade Conspiracy partner, Dean Ambrose.
5. Adam Cole
For me Adam Cole is on par with Dean Ambrose as the best product ever produced by Combat Zone Wrestling. On a personal note, having interviewed Adam twice he is an extremely nice and enthusiastic young man, determined to succeed in the weird and dangerous world of professional wrestling, and with the look of a "Panama City Playboy" and the in-ring talent to match, there may be no stopping Adam Cole. Cole currently reigns as ROH World TV Champion and PWG World Heavyweight Champion, at 23-years-old that's impressive right? Well, that's only the beginning of the accolades this young man has earned. Former CZW World Junior Heavyweight Champion, CZW Best of the Best X tournament winner which featured notable independent names such as Sami Callihan, Kyle OReilly and Johnny Gargano, plus Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2010 Rookie of the Year. Cole's breakout performance arguably came in 2012. At ROH Best in the World during a "hybrid fighting" rules match with rival and former tag team partner Kyle O'Reilly, Cole took a kick to the mouth which left his face looking rather similar to Niagara Falls, except instead of water there was blood and instead of a cliff, it was his mouth. Cole continued, blood staining the better part of his torso and inevitably came out victorious. Cole is another talent reportedly on Triple H's prospective talent shortlist.