AEW is on a real nice roll right now and a lot of that can be contributed to the big free-agent signings that the company has made in the past few months.
And as exciting and surprising as some of those debuts have been, it takes much more than free-agent signings to keep a promotion moving in the right direction.
You also have to have a way to develop the young talent on your roster and integrate them with the stars of today so you have a fresh young crop of performers ready to step into bigger roles when the time comes.
For AEW, the use of their YouTube shows, AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation have been vital to the company’s future.
AEW has used these platforms with great success to audition unsigned wrestlers and also to develop some of the young talents that the promotion already has under contract.
There are a number of wrestlers that have benefited from these shows in terms of development. Performers such as Anna Jay, Bryan Pillman, Jr., The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens), Leyla Hirsch, and Dante Martin.
But these were all people that AEW had an idea would be part of their big picture moving forward and they used Dark to help them hone their skills.
This list is more about people that were more brought in as enhancement talent but performed so well that AEW quickly realized these wrestlers were destined for more.
These are the five performers that have best used AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation to create a niche for themselves in AEW.
5. Griff Garrison
Griff Garrison’s AEW run started very modestly.
Garrison came in as a singles competitor and was racking up losses on AEW Dark at a frequent pace to the likes of Jimmy Havoc, Lance Archer, and Ricky Starks.
But he performed well enough in those matches to earn a spot on Dynamite, albeit in a squash match against MJF.
From there Garrison would be paired with fellow up and comer, Bryan Pillman, Jr. and they would form the tag team known as the Varsity Blonds.
Together, the young team would accumulate their fair share of losses, but two months later they would earn their first win as a team when they defeated Cesar Bononi and David Ali.
From there the charismatic duo would add a cheerleader to their team in the form of Julia Hart. and they would start to pile up wins on a regular basis on AEW Dark.
So much so that the Varsity Blonds would crack the top 5 rankings and earn their first AEW Tag Team Title shot against the Young Bucks in May of 2021, just eleven short months after Garrison debuted.
Garrison has come a long way over the course of a year and a half. And it will be exciting to see what the future holds for him in AEW.
4. Powerhouse Hobbs
Much like Griff Garrison, the man known as Will “Powerhouse” Hobbs began his career with a litany of losses to a number of established singles stars in AEW. Hobbs would come out on the losing end of matches with Orange Cassidy, Ricky Starks, Scorpio Sky, Shawn Spears, and Darby Allin.
But it was clear Hobbs had the ability to be much more than enhancement talent. He boasted strength that could match anyone on the roster and moved around the ring with the agility that shouldn’t be possible for someone his size.
Hobbs had his breakthrough at the 2020 edition of the All Out pay-per-view when he competed in the Casino Battle Royale.
And though he didn’t win it, he was mighty impressive as he racked up a number of eliminations in the match. From that point on the push was in motion for Powerhouse Hobbs.
Hobbs would end up aligning himself with Darby Allin and Jon Moxley in their battle with Team Tazz, and eventually, Hobbs would join the heel faction.
Since joining Team Tazz, Hobbs’ star has continued to rise as he has been trusted in high-profile singles matches versus Brian Cage, Adam Page, and most recently CM Punk.
Powerhouse Hobbs has certainly made the most of his opportunities in AEW. And with a brilliant mentor like Tazz by his side, there is no telling how high the big man will climb.
3. Fuego Del Sol
Mobile, Alabama’s favorite luchador comes in at number three.
Fuego does not win many matches, in fact, he is a mere 3-46 in his AEW career. Which makes what he has been able to do all the more impressive.
It was just one month ago that we were watching Fuego Del Sol headline AEW Rampage in a TNT Title match against Miro.
How does a performer with that sort of record work his way into a TNT title match?
First, Fuego does a great job playing to the crowds. Everything he does in and outside of the ring is done with the fans in mind and they have responded in kind, giving Fuego pops that are rarely heard by enhancement talent.
Secondly, he befriended Sammy Guevara and then let his personality shine through on Sammy’s Vlog. It can be argued that Fuego Del Sol has gained more fans from his work on Guevara’s Vlog than he has in anything related to AEW.
Not much has changed for Fuego in the win-loss column. He can still be found on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation taking losses on a regular basis.
But the man took his relationship with the crowd that was garnered on AEW’s YouTube shows and enhanced it on social media and turned that into an AEW contract.
Even if Fuego Del Sol is never victorious in another AEW match, he has already won.
2. Lee Johnson
Quite possibly the performer with the most upside on this list is “Big Shotty” Lee Johnson.
And while some of the competitors on this list found wins in AEW in relatively quick order, Johnson took the long road.
Johnson made his AEW debut on March 26th, 2020 in a singles match against QT Marshall.
“Big Shotty” had his moments, but would fall to QT in his debut. Johnson would proceed to lose his next thirty matches in AEW in every way possible. He lost singles matches, tag team matches, and even battle royals during this stretch.
Yet Johnson never wavered. And his talent was not lost upon Cody Rhodes, who welcomed Johnson into the Nightmare Family.
This proved to be the move that turned Johnson’s fortunes in AEW around. So much so that Johnson’s first win came in a tag team match with Cody Rhodes as his partner.
Since winning that first match Johnson has built momentum, compiling a 19-9 record and turning heads in the process.
Lee Johnson has always been quick and competed with no fear in the ring, but since joining the Nightmare Family he has put on a good deal of muscle as well and turned into a more complete competitor.
So much so that he earned a TNT Title match against Miro, and was extremely competitive in the match.
As much as Cody Rhodes and the Nightmare Family have helped Johnson succeed, Johnson has returned the favor in spades. This was evident when Johnson stood up to one of the most intimidating competitors in AEW, Malakai Black.
Lee Johnson proved that he had no issue taking up the fight of the entire Nightmare Family in Cody’s absence. And even though he would be defeated by Black, Johnson won fans over with his determination and fortitude.
“Big Shotty” is still learning the professional wrestling game. But the amount of strides he has made in his time in AEW is extremely promising.
If this young talent stays healthy and continues to put in the work he will be a main event player for years to come.
1. Red Velvet
Number one on the list of talents to most benefit from their time on Dark and Elevation is Red Velvet.
Much like the other wrestlers on this list, Red Velvet was brought in to elevate her opponents and struggled to get in the win column in AEW.
But even in defeat, she was turning heads, and she turned an important head when she caught the attention of Brandi Rhodes.
Under the tutelage of Brandi, Red Velvet was starting to rack up wins on both Dark and Elevation.
As Red Velvet was busy racking up wins on the promotion’s YouTube shows, Brandi was busy setting up a program with her husband, Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, and Shaquille O’Neal.
Life would throw a curveball to that program though, as Brandi Rhodes soon after would announce her pregnancy.
Instead of scrapping the program, AEW turned to Red Velvet to fill Brandi’s role. And Velvet delivered in a big way.
Cargill was making her in-ring debut in AEW and Velvet did a great job in helping Jade through the match and ultimately putting Cargill over.
Velvet’s performance in this match led to her having shots at both the NWA Women’s Singles and Tag Team Titles, as well as a shot at the AEW Women’s Title, against Britt Baker.
While Red Velvet is yet to cash in on her title opportunities it is clear that the promotion is high on her chances to be a main event player in AEW for years to come.
And it is all thanks to the hard work of Red Velvet and the opportunities provided to her on both Dark and Elevation.