12 Wrestlers You Should Be Excited About

With so much great pro wrestling out there, here are 12 wrestlers worth focusing on in the coming months.

For the most part, you will recognize a lot of the following names, but if not, there is plenty of talent here that should be getting more praise for their recent work. For some of these wrestlers, it’s been in their in-ring work, for others, their overall gimmick is worth checking out. In some cases, maybe these people weren’t you cup of tea previously, but you should give them another look, because everybody deserves a second chance, right?

So here are 12 wrestlers that you should be excited about, starting first in NXT.

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Ever since the Dusty Rhodes’ Tag Team Classic, the NXT tag division has received a much deserved shot in the arm, and a big part of that resurgence have been Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. While impressive in the ring, Jordan has not jumped off the screen with his personality, but that’s where Gable comes in. Gable brings in a nice balance of comedy to Jordan’s more serious style and so far they’ve been highly impressive. Just last week, they went up against Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano (another two guys worth checking out) and put on a fantastic match that had fans a buzz days after.

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A second NXT tag team on the rise is Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson, they are a no-nonsense 80’s throwback tag team, which initially, I found kind of boring. Although, after watching a few matches and listening to their promos, these guys could easily be tag champs in 2016. Speaking of being champ, it’s very possible Alexa Bliss could be next in line for a title run, thanks mostly to her excellent character work as a heel. The women’s division has had an influx of new talent, so it will be interesting how things shake out. If Alexa can continue cutting quality promos, that should keep her ahead of the pack.

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Switching over to the WWE, Tyler Breeze recently made his main roster debut, much to the chagrin of most wrestling fans. Some have compared him to Fandango, and don’t expect his gimmick to work on the big stage, but so far, WWE has taken the right steps towards making him successful. He has Summer Rae, who can bring in some extra heat, a “VIP Lounge” which helps make him even more unlikable, and there has been talk of merchandise, including a selfie-stick. With amazing in-ring skills and a fully-fleshed out gimmick, Breeze could become a solid staple in the mid-card.

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Bam Smack Pow

The next one will probably get a big “sigh”, but please, drop your previous hate of Nikki Bella, and watch her recent work with clear eyes. Ever since the “Divas Revolution” storyline started, only Nikki has realized that she must step her game up to compete with the new crop of women. Not only has she become a great heel, but her in-ring “Lady Hoss” abilities have grown immensely. Even more impressive, she’s now incorporating some fantastic ring psychology, “working” the limbs, doing moves that make sense while trying to slow down her opponent. Other than Becky and Sasha (both who have been in the background in terms of booking), Nikki has become the most “must-see” wrestler in the women’s division.

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Moving out of the WWE bubble, and over to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Tetsuya Naito has become one of their most creative heels, with a laid-back yet violent temper, Naito has gone after everyone from the ref, the ringside staff, and even the cameraman! Thanks to his tour in Mexico, he joined up with the popular heel stable “Los Ingobernables” (Spanish for The Ungovernables”) and since then, has completely changed up his gimmick, in the best way possible.

With Lucha Underground season two starting up in early 2016, I’m eagerly awaiting what Pentagon Jr. has in store for us. If you weren’t able follow season one, he was one of the most diabolical wrestlers in the entire promotion, breaking multiple wrestlers’ arms, attacking ring announcer (Melissa Santos), and almost setting Color Commentator, Vampiro, on fire. He is basically what Bray Wyatt should be, and with increased popularity, it would be a shame if he isn’t more involved in the main event scene in season two.

Willie Mack is another guy that jumped off the screen during season one of Lucha Underground with his surprisingly crisp aerial abilities in the ring. It’s almost a guarantee that you’ll go “OH!” at least once during his matches.

Finally, two of my new favorite wrestlers are Ethan Page and Peter Kaasa, who, coincidentally, will be having a match together at EVOLVE’s next event. To put it very simply, Kaasa is a hulked-up version of Neville, corkscrews and 630’s are the norm for him. At EVOLVE’s last set of events, Kaasa received a very nice “please come back!” chant from the crowd, thanks to his amazing performance.

If you’re looking for someone similar to Kevin Owens – in terms of character work, attitude, jawing with the fans – Page might just be who you’re looking for. To give you a taste of his style, at EVOLVE 49 (which was the first since it was announced they would be working with the WWE), he came out to Triple H’s music, completely swerving the crowd, he did the water spit and everything. A lot of fun in the ring, I cannot wait to see how his style works with the high-flying Kaasa.

Okay, that’s it from me, so who else are you excited for right now in wrestling? Hit up the comments with your picks!