Top 10 Names To Watch In 2021

It’s prediction season here at The Wrestling Estate, and while we’ve already published a roundtable on some of best predictions and hot takes we’ve got for the year ahead, I want to take a deeper dive into 10 wrestlers poised to break out in 2021. Granted, many of the names on this list are already nationally known, but there’s levels to this game and several names on this list have the talent and opportunity to level up over the course of the next year.
Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Names to Watch for 2021.

10. Jordan Oliver

Editor in Chief John Corrigan has been singing Jordan Oliver’s praises for as long as I can remember, but it took me a little while to come around on him. After all, there’s very little about Oliver that is conventional, but that’s also what I’ve come to like about the guy. He’s a bit of a unicorn; his look is such that it would probably turn off many fans, but he does have size, a believable promo and some legitimate amateur skills. He’s a talented young man, without question. While I haven’t gotten to see him live like John has, I did happen to check out a match between him and Myron Reed in a ropeless ring on YouTube, and the creativity of that match impressed the hell out of me. Reed would probably be an honorable mention for this list, as he is every bit as good in the air as Oliver is on the mat. Look for both guys to rise among the ranks in MLW and cultivate more of a national following this year.

9. Rohit Raju

Rohit caught my eye in the six-way scramble at Bound For Glory 2020, and while I really detested that match and actually thought it was one of the worst I’d seen all year, my biggest takeaway was how great of an asset he could become for Impact Wrestling down the line. Historically, a good X-Division or cruiserweight division has the common denominator of an old-school heel who bucks everything conventional about the division. He’s not in it to put on a five-star match or entertain the fans. His one and only goal is to reign supreme atop the mountain. We’ve seen it with Gregory Helms, we’ve seen it with Austin Aries and now we’ve seen it with Rohit. He’s one of the most natural heels Impact has inside the ring, and outside of it he’s absolutely no slouch whatsoever on the mic. My hope is that he regains the X-Division title soon and becomes the focal point of the division in 2021.

8. Brian Johnson

This is a bit of a homer pick perhaps, but hear me out. Brian did me a big favor during my time in journalism school at Temple University, so you won’t find anybody happier than me to see what a prolific talker he’s become. The former heart and soul of OTW, Johnson used to don a ponytail, and admittedly I kind of miss that look for him. He always reminded me of “The Franchise” Shane Douglas during peak ECW, but since coming to Ring of Honor, he’s become one of the most original characters in the company.

As far as his promos go, Johnson is right there with the best in ROH, guys like Jay Lethal, Jay Briscoe and ECIII. For that reason, he stands out on a roster filled with plus athletes with average mic skills, and that should allow him to rapidly ascend up the card in 2021. Another member of the roster who stands out similarly to Johnson is Danhausen, and the two coincidentally wrestled at Final Battle last month. I’d recommend that match to anyone who hasn’t seen it, provided they keep an open mind.

7. Penelope Ford

It’s no secret that Penelope Ford has all the tools to be a main player in the AEW women’s division, but the company’s lack of depth amongst women may necessitate her wrestling for the belt a couple times in 2021. What I’m about to say really goes for all sports and not just pro wrestling, but “breaking out” is generally the result of talent meeting opportunity. Ford has had immense talent in the ring for as long as I can remember and is a beautiful woman to boot, but thus far hasn’t broken out among a thin AEW women’s division perhaps the way people thought she would. However, the addition of Thunder Rosa, Serena Deeb and the NWA Women’s Championship will open up more opportunities for underused women like Ford to take the next step, whether it means a high-profile feud or a title opportunity.

6. Ilja Dragunov

Depending on who you ask, Ilja Dragunov may already be a made man. His match with WALTER stood out as my favorite match in 2020. He entered the conversation of the elite of the elite in NXT UK, a group that includes only WALTER, Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate. But unlike WALTER, who’s destined to be a mainstay in NXT UK, bigger things could be in store for someone like Dragunov. It’s no secret that WWE will jump at the chance to make international stars, and it has someone in Dragunov who fits the bill and speaks perfect English to go with a Russian and German heritage. Plus, the guy can sell snow to an eskimo, if you know what I mean. I’d like to see Triple H bring him to America in 2021 and get a long run out of him on the standard NXT brand before hitting the main roster in 2022.

5. Tessa Blanchard

No, Tessa Blanchard doesn’t exactly fit the bill of “breakout star.” For Christ sakes, Impact put the world championship on her in 2020. There is no denying Blanchard’s talent and her pedigree as a third-generation wrestler, but I have a feeling people are going to forget about her because as it stands currently, Blanchard is a woman without a country. However, don’t expect that to last all year and make sure to keep her name in the back of your mind. Both WWE and AEW will have some big matches to make if they opt to lock in Blanchard at any point this year.

The only question is, will any of these companies be able to trust her? My guess is WWE, having a little more money to offer long-term and more of an ability to swallow its pride from a character standpoint, will sign Blanchard and soon. I really don’t think we can rule out a match with Charlotte at WrestleMania, as for as much of a hard time as AEW has had with its women’s division, WWE has shown a complete inability to further anyone not named Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Asuka and Bayley. Signing Blanchard would solve a lot of problems creatively for WWE, but whether or not they’ll be able to make a deal will come down to trust, not talent.

4. Ricky Starks

Earlier in the piece, I used the phrase “level up” to describe the names on this list. As someone who regularly viewed NWA Powerrr, it’s safe to say Ricky Starks has leveled up in a big way since arriving in AEW and aligning himself with Taz and Brian Cage. His ring work is every bit as tight, though you have to credit him for making his flashy style work as a heel. The big step forward for Starks is the believability of his promos and the mean streak he’s begun to show inside and outside the ring. That aspect alone is probably what makes the Ricky Starks character whole.

Give AEW a ton of credit here as well, as it’s done a good job of pushing him as a dangerous stablemate of Cage without Cage or Taz stealing his thunder. Although we here at The Wrestling Estate did not have a category for “favorite new entrance music in 2020,” my choice would be an easy one. Look no further than “THE REVOLUTION IS TELEVISED.” My hope for Starks this year is an eventual face turn that allows him to essentially be the same character he is now, just directed against other heels instead of babyfaces. That is the mark of a great character: one who can easily transition between face and heel without changing the characteristics that make them who they are.

3. Michael Wardlow

Why yes, John, Wardlow DOES in fact have a first name. Whether or not he breaks it out in AEW remains to be seen; however, it is all but certain a face turn is going to be in Wardlow’s not so distant future. His arrangement with MJF already reeked of an eventual turn, and his inclusion in the Inner Circle along with MJF was sort of AEW doubling down on the duo. I stress duo because we’ve been constantly reminded that BOTH men are members of the Inner Circle, which I take as a subtle reminder not to forget about the man. We’ve already seen him square off with Jake Hager after all, and Wardlow getting his hand raised should be a smoke signal to everyone that a face turn is coming and it is merely a matter of when, not if. For my money, it’ll be this year.

Whether Wardlow has the goods to deliver a Dave Batista-esque run atop AEW down the line remains to be seen, but in the meantime, expect some kind of turn before the end of the year and a heavy focus on him when said turn does finally occur. I’d be shocked if Wardlow heads into 2022 still a heel and I could also see him being a benefactor of a hot crowd when it does happen. If AEW were to turn Wardlow on say, the same night fans return to shows, it can create a lasting image that will cement the new Michael Wardlow in the minds of fans as a serious player in the company.

2. Alex Hammerstone

Ah yes, Jim Cornette’s favorite wrestler. The “five-tool player” and “quarterback” as Cornette likes to put it, I, too, am very high on Hammerstone’s upside this year, so no need for a breakdown on what I like about the guy. My only concern with him is whether he’ll become too big for MLW, and if he does, it could stunt his ascension in the world of pro wrestling. However, although Hammerstone recently re-upped with MLW, he’ll eventually find his way to WWE before the end of the year. One of wrestling’s greatest mysteries is the nature of how MLW contracts work, but this is my list dammit!

My feeling is that eventually, the pure upside Hammerstone presents as a talent and the connection between, well, let’s just say high-ranking executives in WWE and MLW, will eventually win out and build a bridge for Hammerstone to arrive in NXT and wreak havoc before the end of the year. Once there, the sky, or rather the pen of Vince McMahon, will be the limit for how far Hammerstone can go should he find his way onto the main roster.

1. Karrion Kross

To be fair, 2020 was supposed to be the year of Karrion Kross. Credit Triple H and all the guys in NXT for setting him to have immediate success upon arrival. However, Kross separated his shoulder when he took the NXT Championship away from Keith Lee, cementing his status as the shortest-reigning champion in brand history. But now that he’s healthy again and back on TV, Kross should regain his spot atop NXT in short order. Like Hammerstone, there’s no need to run down all the attributes that make Kross an elite talent. All he needs now is the opportunity, and if he can stay healthy, the opportunity will be there for Kross to finish the year as one of the most influential characters in both NXT and pro wrestling.