Ranking WWE and AEW's Biggest Breakout Stars of the Year Thus Far

Credit: WWE.com

Professional wrestling in 2023 has brought with it several breakthrough stars in WWE and AEW, all with different backgrounds and stories.

Some are veteran competitors who have finally broken out, becoming the stars they should have been years ago but were not, for whatever reason. Others are young performers who found their feet and were able to make the most of whatever opportunities came their way.

Whatever the case may be, they are among the buzziest stars in the industry and figure to remain that way as the latter third of the year draws near.

In celebration of their highlights and career-defining moments, here is a look at the 10 breakout competitors across wrestling two biggest promotions, whose stars have shined the brightest.

Skye Blue has appeared on AEW television for well over a year but has begun developing traction and establishing her place in the AEW women's division here in 2023.

The spunky underdog has been a regular in the Outcasts' rivalry with the AEW originals and on the June 14 episode of Dynamite, challenged Toni Storm for the world women's title. She was unsuccessful in that match but continued to demonstrate improved in-ring skills and a better connection with the AEW faithful than she ever enjoyed before.

Memorable moments in her hometown of Chicago and a few matches with fellow young star-of-the-future Anna Jay have helped her build on a career year.

An energetic performer with a fearless in-ring style, she has the potential to be one of the faces of the women's division for the next decade, especially at just 23 years of age.

Consistent booking will be key as floating in and out of angles involving other, higher-profile women will only get her so far before that connection with the audience wears thin.

Do not let Willow Nightingale fool you: behind her vibrant smile and good vibes is a tough, physical professional wrestler.

She has proven it on multiple occasions here in 2023, including during a Ring of Honor Women's Championship match against Athena at Death Before Dishonor that made history as the first women's match to main event an ROH pay-per-view.

It was also the first time two black women competed in the main event of any ROH or AEW show. They also previously competed in the main event of AEW Rampage.

A historic feat would mark a great year for any wrestler but Nightingale did not stop there. She proceeded to win the Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament, defeating Ruby Soho to take home the honors and solidify what had already been a breakthrough year.

Moving forward, it will be imperative that Nightingale evolves beyond the "wrestler who helps her friends during beatdowns" trope. She is capable of more, has proven it, and is over with fans. Giving her the ball and letting her run with it will net the desired result.

Chad Gable, Otis, and Maxxine Dupri have developed into the most unexpectedly fun act on Monday Night Raw.

Much of that can be attributed to Gable and Otis having the time of their lives while Dupri has thrown herself into the role of the eager trainee looking to develop her in-ring skills. She has never looked out of place or overwhelmed, seemingly going with the flow and genuinely investing in her work.

The trio has carved out a fun role for themselves on Monday nights, with Gable gearing up for an Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther and enjoying increased television time as a result.

Gable and Otis enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in 2022, in several segments with RK-Bro and other high-profile acts, but it was this year and their current run with Dupri that the act is enjoying its greatest success and finally breaking out.

Much like Alpha Academy, there is an argument to be made that Konosuke Takeshita broke out in 2022. It was the first year that he made a major impact on American television and he had the opportunity to highlight his ability against top stars and perform to adoring audiences.

In 2023, though, he broke out of the mold of "really good, promising young wrestler" and became a significant part of an AEW storyline, thanks to a shocking heel turn at Double or Nothing.

Takeshita sided with Don Callis after betraying The Elite and is now in a position for an inevitable showdown with Kenny Omega. His entire stature in AEW has been elevated by the turn and while last year may have signified his arrival on the international stage, this year has (and should continue to) be a breakout campaign for the talented young star.

Tony Khan and Co. will have to get back on track with his booking a bit as it has stalled thanks to Callis' ongoing storyline with Chris Jericho, but he still figures to play a prominent role in both the upcoming All In and All Out pay-per-view events and should be at the center of high-profile feuds for the rest of the year.

Given the talent on this countdown, the idea that Austin and Colten Gunn would rank as highly as they do may seem almost sacrilegious but they have quietly turned in the best year of their young careers while simultaneously discovering the presence and personality that will carry them to the top of tag team wrestling sooner rather than later.

The second-generation competitors kicked off 2023 by winning the AEW World Tag Team Championship from The Acclaimed. They would lose the gold two months later to FTR but were the main event of Dynamite in the process.

Since dropping the titles in April, they have found a home in Bullet Club Gold, where their arrogance and cockiness fit right in with that of Juice Robinson and "Switchblade" Jay White. That faction has become one of the centerpiece acts on Collision, AEW's new Saturday night show, and allotted the brothers the spotlight that they received all too inconsistently on Dynamite.

Having shared the ring with CM Punk and FTR, the headlining stars on the show, they are clearly viewed as building blocks for Collision's future and that is a testament to their work to improve and the connection they have forged with audiences as uber-athletic, cocky, arrogant degenerates.

Chips off the ol' block, you might say.

And their entrance is one of the coolest in wrestling.

Anyone paying even the slightest bit of attention to pro wrestling beyond the big promotions knew who Swerve Strickland was way before he competed on major cable TV. He was influential, acclaimed and one of the buzziest wrestlers in the world.

Here in 2023, for AEW, he has broken out as one of the most ruthless and calculated heels in the industry.

He entered the year having betrayed his tag team partner and friend, Keith Lee. After a bumpy start to his singles push with a failed Mogul Affiliates faction, he finally gained momentum by merging with Prince Nana's group to create The Mogul Embassy.

Since then, Strickland has lifted off.

Matches with Darby Allin elevated his status among fans and resulted in some of the best work of either man's career, not to mention the best content on Dynamite.

Frustrated with his seeming inability to defeat his longtime rival, he partnered with AR Fox to brutally attack 18-year-old Nick Wayne, Allin's protege, and leave him a bloody mess at father Buddy Wayne's wrestling school.

Now, with momentum on his side and a crowd invested in his weekly antics, Strickland will compete in the biggest match of his career in a jam-packed Wembley Stadium at All In, teaming with Fox to battle Allin and Sting in a Coffin Match.

The athletic, charismatic competitor has finally found himself and his spot in AEW and by year's end, if he can continue his upward trajectory, may land even higher on this countdown.

There has never been any denying that Damian Priest is as talented a big man as we have seen in a WWE ring in years. He has raw athleticism that allows him to do things others his size should not be able to and his underlying charisma has always been apparent.

He just needed a consistent platform to display it.

After two years of stop-and-go pushes, he has finally found his place as the enforcer of Judgment Day and 2023 has been a banner year for the bruiser, beginning with the most significant match of his career at Backlash.

Live from Puerto Rico, with the eyes of the wrestling world (and beyond) watching, Priest turned in a defining performance against the biggest pop star in the world, Bad Bunny, in a Puerto Rican Street Fight.

A genuine Match of the Year candidate that was better than it had any right to be, it signified that no stage was too big for Priest. His efforts in that match, and his willingness to put over his former tag team partner and friend, earned the trust of WWE officials and by July, he was tapped to win the men's Money in the Bank briefcase.

Though he has yet to cash it in, Priest has become a central figure on Raw.

The Judgment Day is red-hot and the teased dissension between him and Finn Balor has resulted in a story the audience can invest in as they wait to see what unfolds with those two Superstars and, ultimately, the guaranteed title opportunity.

Does Priest win the World Heavyweight Championship?

Possibly, but even if he does not, he is a top star on the flagship show of WWE and a guy Triple H and the rest of the creative team clearly likes and has faith in. That bodes well for Priest and should ensure the rest of his breakout year continues with the momentum of its first half.

Entering 2023, Iyo Sky felt like the third wheel of Damage CTRL.

Everyone knew how good she was dating back to her time in NXT, and she was a workhorse for the faction having competed regularly on TV, but her significance was not apparent until she challenged Bianca Belair for the Raw Women's Championship at Backlash.

The fans in Puerto Rico were passionate in their support of The Goddess of the Sky, rooting for her to win the title from the massively popular EST. She did not, but the reaction to her and the strength of her performance in that match drew the attention of management, which booked her to win the Money in the Bank ladder match at the namesake premium live event.

One month later, she cashed in successfully to win the Women's World Championship at SummerSlam.

Sky's role on WWE programming has never been bigger and with teased tension between her and a self-centered Bayley, it is apparent that there will be a split that will allow Sky to go off on her own and, potentially, roll as a top-tier babyface in the women's division.

She is good enough to excel in that role, as we have seen before, and Bayley will be the perfect opponent for when that time comes.

As 2023 rolls on, it appears as though we are only witnessing the genesis of Sky's main roster push and that bodes well for a women's division that needed a fresh face.

Knight may not be No. 1 on this list as of now but by year's end, he may have the most monumental 2023 of anyone else on it, thanks to immense popularity and a vocal, passionate fan base that will not allow WWE not to push him.

The self-confident Megastar exploded on the scene, emerging from a feud with Bray Wyatt at the start of the year better off than the former WWE champion it was meant to showcase. With every passing week, his "YEAH!" and "let me talk to ya" catchphrases drew louder reactions, as did his entrance.

By WrestleMania, it was clear there was a groundswell of support and afterward, it was a downright following.

Here was a guy who was saddled with a Max Dupri gimmick that was destined for failure, only to be rescued from it by Triple H as soon as the COO took over as head of creative last summer.

From there, he worked hard, stayed the course and never let his spot on the card get him down. He stayed true to himself and as a result, built up equity with fans. Even as a heel, they appreciated and bought into his shtick and now, he is as over as Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and the rest of the company's most elite top stars.

A win in the Slim Jim Battle Royal at SummerSlam, an appearance on behalf of the company at a New York Mets game, and the reactions as loud as anyone Superstar on SmackDown have him riding a tidal wave of momentum entering the all-important Fall months in WWE.

Whether he can turn that momentum into a key role come WrestleMania season remains to be seen but if one thing is certain, it is that the WWE faithful will not be quiet in their support of him.

The biggest breakout star of 2023 is Dominik Mysterio and despite the presence of Knight at No. 2, it is not at all close.

Mysterio started the year whining about a short prison stint that he endured after breaking and entering his family home over the holidays. The illegitimacy of his "Prison Dom" persona angered and annoyed fans to the point that they mercilessly booed the second-generation star, to the point that he could not conduct his promo.

When he showed blatant disrespect to the legendary Rey Mysterio, daring him to hit him and challenging his father to a match at WrestleMania, the disdain grew louder. By the time the Showcase of the Immortals rolled around, fans wanted to see Hall of Fame dad whup his son on the grandest stage.

That is exactly what happened, but Dominik's star did not diminish. If anything, it grew, thanks to the magical chemistry he shares with Rhea Ripley. He called her Mami, she called him Dom Dom and the crowd ate it up. While still clearly heels, the partnership resembled that of Eddie Guerrero and Chyna and the crowd bought into the dynamic.

And they still do.

Judgment Day is as over as ever and Mysterio is currently a ratings draw for NXT as its North American champion.

He is red-hot, thanks to his ability to portray an unlikeable, punk kid while hiding behind Ripley and the rest of his buddies, and that does not appear to be something that will change anytime soon.

WWE struck gold with Mysterio and he has paid off their commitment to the character with increasingly strong performances, making him the breakout star of the year.