PWP Nation’s Tim Bell outlines goals and expectations for wrestlers from multiple promotions for the new year of 2016.
As we enter 2016, is there any more of a cliché article to write than a “keep an eye on these guys” piece? On social media and inside the bubble that is the internet wrestling community, I’ve seen plenty of them popping up, and while I certainly appreciate many telling me to “watch out for Kevin Owens in 2016,” I dare say if you need to read that in order to expect big things from Owens in 2016, you haven’t been paying attention.
So with that, I set out to take a look at names from all over the wrestling world that should see a huge uptick in their impact in 2016, while trying to limit the obvious names to minimum.
WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, Dragon Gate, PWG, Beyond Wrestling and more are represented in the list below.
Obviously, “up and coming” is a relative term, as I’m expecting much more from a WWE established talent than I am from a wrestler still working their way through the independents, but all of these guys have shown talent and potential in 2015, and are positioned to break through, one way or another, in 2016.
Kalisto
Those familiar with my work on PWP Nation shouldn’t be surprised by this one, as I’ve been touting Kalisto as a major player in waiting for quite some time. WWE has seemingly begun to get the message, focusing on the Lucha Dragons as a team more lately, but I still feel Kalisto has much more to offer.
And while everyone loved the incredible Salida Del Sol at TLC last month, I really hope he’s not defined by that moment, because once he finds his footing a singles competitor (something I believe should occur in 2016), Kalisto will really be able to wow the WWE Universe.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Separate from Sin Cara, and begin the path towards becoming a legit US/IC Title contender via great matches with the ever-expanding WWE midcard.
Donovan Dijak
For anyone who’s seen Dijak perform in Ring of Honor, or anywhere else, this one’s going to be obvious. And I’ll admit, pegging last year’s Top Prospect Tournament winner as a “can’t miss” talent isn’t exactly going out on a limb, however, Dijak’s performance in 2015 deserves the spotlight.
Positioned alongside ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, Dijak’s poised for great things within ROH in 2016, and looking at his performances on the independents against opponents such as Eddie Edwards, Biff Busick, Tommaso Ciampa and Chris Hero, among others, all fuels the belief that when the time is right, Dijak will take over any company he chooses.
For 2016 specifically, anything less than a ROH World Championship reign will be surprising to this writer.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Ring of Honor World Champion.
Kimber Lee
Gaining notoriety with her CHIKARA Grand Champion victory recently, Kimber Lee has been proving herself on the independent circuit for years. Her win at CHIKARA finally seems to have other companies taking notice, with ROH bringing Kimber in for their “Women of Honor” competition.
It’s clear that Kimber Lee’s leading the charge to bring upon a completely different “Divas Revolution” in wrestling than we’ve heard about so much recently, and as companies like ROH take notice and continue to feature Kimber and others like her, wrestling fans will continue to get a taste of what women’s wrestling really can be.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Continue being featured on national TV via ROH or another company.
Biff Busick
Who knows whether this is what we’ll be calling him when we see him next, but fans across the nation are counting the days until we see Biff in an NXT ring. Busick had a great 2015, even if it was a bit truncated due to his move to Orlando, tearing down the house in matches with Donovan Dijak, Chris Hero, Drew Gulak and others, and even wrestled three matches on his final independent booking, squaring off against Drew Gulak, Timothy Thatcher and Eddie Edwards in the same night.
In 2016, I’m looking forward to seeing Biff bring his intensity and mat prowess to Full Sail and NXT, This is one debut that NXT fans will want to take note of.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Debut on NXT with a major impact, and help enhance the ever-growing NXT brand.
Tyler Breeze
To be honest, a couple of weeks ago, I’d never have put Tyler Breeze on this list, because I was becoming very fearful that we’d see him returning to NXT in 6-8 weeks, as we have Adam Rose or Zack Ryder. However, after this past week’s SmackDown, where it was announced that Breeze was ending his alignment with Summer Rae, it seems WWE has realized how bland and uninteresting their angle had already become, and are prepared to hit the reset button on Tyler Breeze’s introduction to the main roster.
As any NXT fan knows, Breeze is capable of having the match of the night on any given night, all he needs is the opportunity. Once I heard “Prince Pretty” was going solo once again, I was able to revive a bit of my hope that Tyler Breeze’s opportunity would come in 2016.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Bit of fantasy booking…but I’d love to see Tyler Breeze answer a John Cena US Open Challenge – even in defeat, a 20+ minute match with Cena could have the same impact for Breeze as it did for Cesaro in 2015.
Ricochet
I don’t think I need to tell anyone who’s been paying attention that Ricochet has been on fire in 2015, and that trend should continue in 2016. He’s already lined up for Season 2 of Lucha Underground under his Prince Puma alias, but Ricochet is a superstar in the making with or without the mask. After winning the 2015 Super Jr. Tag Tournament in NJPW, Ricochet’s officially an international star, and I’d expect that his name is on the list for all three top wrestling companies in the United States.
The only question is whether Ricochet’s independent success would lead him to remain a free agent, a’la AJ Styles, or if he’d be willing to tie himself to either ROH, TNA or WWE.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Continue his stellar work with Lucha Underground, and then find his way onto a weekly national TV show…somewhere.
Michael Bennett
Here’s another name that’s pretty much a household commodity among non-WWE wrestling fans, but there’s reason to believe 2016 could be a huge year for Michael Bennett. Bennett and his wife, Maria Kanellis, by all reports will be appearing on TNA television soon (after this writing, they debuted on Impact Wrestling), and despite anyone’s opinions of TNA’s position or their history of making new stars, getting on national television is never a bad thing.
Plus, assuming they present Bennett’s resume (IWGP Tag Champion, ROH Tag Champion – unlikely they mention this one), they should have no issue selling him as a main eventer from day one. Bennett has all of the tools, and moving to TNA will only heighten his name recognition, giving him the opportunity to become a true household name.
2016 Goals/Expectations: A Bennett/EC3 feud would be absolute money, but regardless, Bennett should have his name in World Title conversations shortly after his debut, unless we see a Kingdom reunion in TNA sometime in 2016.
Tye Dillinger
A guy I’ve been a fan of since his early days on NXT TV teaming with Jason Jordan, Tye Dillinger always reminded me of a young Tully Blanchard in the ring. Now, his “10” persona is a bit silly, but I don’t expect it to be a deterrent as he rises the ranks of NXT. While NXT is stockpiling talent lately, one thing it hasn’t had a plethora of is great heels, normally only having 2-3 real significant villains at a time. Dillinger has a real opportunity, if he can turn up his intensity and viciousness inside the ring, to carve himself a real good spot in NXT, and 2016 is the year for him to do so.
Besides Baron Corbin and Samoa Joe (who nobody expects to stay in NXT for much longer), NXT is searching for its next villain, and with talks of a second singles title, now is the time for Dillinger to find a way to take the next step.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Move away from the silliness and the cheers, establish himself as a true villain in NXT, and ascend to the next tier within NXT, alongside guys like Hideo Itami and Apollo Crews.
Lio Rush
Already announced for Ring of Honors 2016 Top Prospect Tournament, Lio Rush is already positioning himself for a larger role in the wrestling world for 2016. Lio Rush has been lighting up the independent scene this past year, going from bookings with 3 companies in 2014 to over 20 different companies in 2015, and his high-flying style is a large reason for his popularity.
Currently the CZW Wired TV Champion, I expect it will become much easier to find Lio Rush on your television this year, and his work on the independents will continue to build his name and reputation, as he’s only 2 years into his professional career.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Continue killing it on the Indies, put together a showing to remember in the ROH Top Prospect Tournament, and keep building the Lio Rush brand.
EYFBO (Angel Ortiz & Mike Draztik)
You may not be familiar with the only tag team to make my list, but you should go out of your way to become familiar. Admittedly, most of my exposure to EYFBO has been from my constant presence at Beyond Wrestling’s monthly shows, but they’re been spreading their names throughout the independents, and were one half of the match which kept me coming back to Beyond Wrestling every month, as their match with Da Hit Squad in May of 2015 stole the show on a card containing Samoa Joe, and a War Games match.
These guys are the real deal, now they just need a company to put them on TV!
2016 Goals/Expectations: Keep growing the brand, and the opportunity will come. In the meantime, EYFBO seem destined to begin stockpiling Championships throughout the regional Indies in 2016.
Peyton Royce
NXT fans, while familiar with Peyton Royce, probably don’t know too much about her, but Royce should be a large part of the next generation of NXT females to take Full Sail by storm. Trained by Lance Storm, and identifying Eddie Guerrero as her main inspiration, Royce has the credentials and the wrestling passion needed to succeed in NXT, now she simply has to get her feet underneath her in the fast-growing company, and success should follow.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Become a weekly fixture on NXT Television, and finding herself on a NXT Takeover special.
Devin Blaze
Blaze has the skill to match up with the quick high-flyers running rampant on the independent scene today, but also has the intelligence to craft and project his personality, or character, if you will, which is often a rare blend on the independent circuit. Even when within a group like Crusade For Change, Blaze manages to stand out once he gets in the ring, both with his mannerisms and his in-ring talent. Another name everybody might know quite yet, but with his Crusade For Change partners, they’ve begun making their names known in more companies throughout the Northeast, and Blaze should continue to impress in 2016.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Continue expanding across the Northeast and beyond. Also, I’d be shocked if I don’t see Blaze and his partner, Tommy Trainwreck, pick up some tag team gold in 2016.
Ryan “Rush” Galeone
This one’s a layup, as pinpointing Galeone as a big time prospect for 2016 after his performance in Beyond Wrestling’s “Tournament For Tomorrow 4” in November doesn’t take a lot of psychic ability, but it doesn’t change the fact that Galeone is on the rise. A regular in Beyond Wrestling and CZW, Galeone really stepped into the spotlight in the finals of TFT4, dominating a large portion of the match against David Starr, Lio Rush, and eventual winner Brian Fury. That, along with his performance the following month, was enough to draw the attention of Veda Scott, who’s apparently aligned herself with “Rush” after last month’s Beyond Secret Show.
The fact is, this 6’7” monster has a no-nonsense, smash mouth style that translates anywhere, and he’s poised to begin to fulfill some of the massive potential he’s shown for many years on the Indy circuit.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Galeone should be on the path towards matchups of much higher prestige in the coming months. Continue the roll, and pick up victories against a few more familiar names, and soon it’ll be Galeone’s name selling the tickets, rather than his opponents.
Shynron
Another name that those familiar with me won’t be surprised by, as I’ve been touting Shynron’s talents since first seeing him in Beyond Wrestling. A regular in Beyond, CHIKARA, Dreamwave and more, Shynron’s innovative style has impressed any crowd he’s performed for, and his clashes with AR Fox and Ricochet needed to be in any 2015 match of the year conversations.
Shynron’s skill cannot be denied, and while being the subject of so many “dream match” scenarios in 2015 was great, the goal in 2016 has to be expansion, and hopefully, that’ll involve some TV exposure on a regular basis.
2016 Goals/Expectations: Already the CLL International All Star Champion, expect Shynron to obtain more gold in 2016, whether it be in CHIKARA or elsewhere. Ultimately, there needs to be a company out there that wants to put this incredible athlete on TV…it’s just a matter of who it is.
David Starr
“The Product” David Starr’s stock has exploded over the past couple years, yet all signs point upwards again for 2016. A constant in CZW, Beyond, XWA and other companies throughout the Northeast, Starr has already lined up a European tour for early 2016, and after breaking out on his own, should be in for another great year. His clash with Johnny Gargano at Beyond Wrestling’s “Americanrana 2015” is must-see wrestling for anyone who isn’t as familiar with “The King of Taunts” as they should be.
Surprising that he’s not included in the field for ROH’s Top Prospect Tournament for 2016, but make no mistake, Starr’s style would flourish inside a Ring of Honor ring, and it feels like only a matter of time before the two find each other.
(Note: After writing of this article, Starr was announced for the qualifying match for the eighth spot in the Top Prospect Tournament)
2016 Goals/Expectations: Continue performing in high-profile matchups, with the ceiling being an opportunity to get on weekly TV with one of the top companies.
Bray Wyatt
Nothing like finishing with a bang, eh? Most will scoff and say Wyatt’s already arrived, and therefore can’t truly “break out”, however, I don’t feel Wyatt’s risen to his ceiling quite yet. I feel like 2016 is the year for Wyatt to ascend from the middle of the road feuds he’s been embroiled in for much of 2015, and find his place among the titans. In WWE, the only way to truly do that is to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
If the Wyatt Family has been feeling a bit stale to you, there’s good reason for that, and that’s the fact that the stable has run its course. It’s time for Wyatt to branch out, reclaim some of the credibility he had inside the ring that he had during his run with Daniel Bryan, and capture the WWE’s ultimate prize.
2016 Goals/Expectations: My most well-known name is also my boldest prediction: Bray Wyatt will wear the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2016.