WWE and AEW Midcard Talent Ready for a World Championship Title Push

WWE and All Elite Wrestling's world title pictures are in desperate need of new blood.

There are countless competitors in both companies toiling away in the midcard with no sense of direction. Although some are making the most of their spot, they would be better suited at the main event level.

Of course, it's easier said than done to push these underutilized athletes simultaneously. WWE and AEW boast incredibly stacked rosters right now, and and there isn't always enough television time for every up-and-comer.

Roman Reigns has been defending his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship mostly against established stars this past year, while MJF's reign as AEW world champion is just getting underway.

In the coming months, more of an effort should be made to showcase the following midcard talent who are ready for world championship programs. The list excludes the likes of AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Adam Page and others who are already main event players.

On the Cusp

Swerve Strickland

A case can certainly be made for Strickland being one of the best all-around heels in wrestling today. He's been a breakout star since splitting from Keith Lee but should first target the AEW TNT Championship before setting his sights on world title gold.

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Austin Theory

Although it appeared Theory was on the brink of breaking into the world title picture with his men's Money in the Bank win last summer, his failed cash-in wound up being a blessing in disguise. He's doing great work as United States champion right now and can be elevated to the next level with a WrestleMania 39 match against John Cena.

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Ricky Starks

The former FTW champion received his biggest break to date when he unsuccessfully challenged MJF for the AEW World Championship on the Winter Is Coming edition of Dynamite. He proved that night he deserves to be more than just a challenger of the month.

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LA Knight

Knight is still fresh on the WWE scene and has already shown signs of being world champion material. Now that his feud with Bray Wyatt appears to be over, he can begin working toward winning a midcard title before moving on to the main event.

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'Jungle Boy' Jack Perry

Perry scored a major win over Luchasaurus at Full Gear in November that should have skyrocketed him to the top of the card. Unfortunately, he has continued to spin his wheels in the tag team ranks alongside Hook instead of boosting his stock as a singles star.

Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn is currently, of course, one of the most featured acts in all of WWE, but he has never actually been booked as a top-tier star in the seven years he's been on the main roster.

Babyface or heel, he has only ever been positioned at the midcard level, losing to everyone from Kevin Owens to Johnny Knoxville. He's held the Intercontinental Championship on three occasions but hasn't been afforded many opportunities at world title gold.

This is an obvious entry, not only because of how popular is with the audience but also because of how much sense it makes for him to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber on February 18.

It's likely going to be a one-off for Zayn in the title picture before he reunites with Owens in time for WrestleMania 39, but he has proved he can work as a world championship challenger for more than a month.

His upcoming clash with Reigns in his native Montreal is bound to be a barn burner.

Darby Allin

Darby Allin closely rivals Zayn as one of wrestling's most beloved stars right now, especially since regaining the AEW TNT Championship from Samoa Joe on January 4.

Prior to that point, he was bouncing around from feud to feud and losing more than he should have been. This was the same star who was on fire for a solid stretch of time in 2021 and appeared to be a few key wins away from ascending to main event status.

AEW has done an effective job lately of getting him back to where he was by having him defend his TNT title against all comers on Dynamite and Rampage. Eventually, though, a move to the AEW World Championship scene is inevitable.

Allin and MJF have history and had a tremendous match at Full Gear in November 2021. Running that back on a pay-per-view this year would be best for both of them as well as giving Allin a bigger platform to showcase his skills on.

He can, without a doubt, be a future world champ if he can continue on his current course.

Intercontinental Champion Gunther

Gunther's reign as intercontinental champion will go down as one of the best in the last two decades, and it isn't over yet.

Each of his title defenses has been different from the last and all of them have delivered. His booking has been practically perfect on the main roster and has made him the second biggest heel on SmackDown behind Roman Reigns.

Following his stellar showing in the men's Royal Rumble match on Saturday, fans were left wondering when he'll move beyond the intercontinental title and onto bigger things. He could have easily won the Battle Royal, and it would have been both believable and satisfying.

If WrestleMania 39 is the end date for The Ring General's title run, it shouldn't be long before he makes his way into contention for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Regardless of whether it's Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes or someone else, he should be next in line for an opportunity given how dominant he's been and the threat he'd pose to anyone already at that level.

Gunther as a WWE world champ is inevitable.

Eddie Kingston

Eddie Kingston's exceptional mic skills alone should keep him at the top of the card consistently. Instead, he's hardly been featured these past few months and has largely been relegated to lower-level stories.

The 41-year-old is no stranger to the main event scene in AEW. He was contending for the top title within months of debuting and even headlined Full Gear 2020 with Jon Moxley.

Kingston had several significant run-ins with notable names in the year that followed with the likes of Miro, CM Punk and Chris Jericho, but he could never seem to win whenever it mattered most.

Once his feud with Sammy Guevara fizzled out last fall, he was absent from Dynamite and Rampage for months. Only recently did he resurface for a rivalry with House of Black that he's virtually guaranteed to lose.

Eventually, Kingston will challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship and it will be a remarkable story. It may not happen any time soon, but it could start tomorrow because he is that tremendous of a talent.

'The Celtic Warrior' Sheamus

Despite being a four-time world champion, Sheamus hasn't been anywhere near contention for a top title in several years and there's no logical reason as to why that is.

The Celtic Warrior was aggressively pushed at the time of his main roster debut in 2009 and captured the WWE Championship rather quickly. He went on to win the title a few more times in the years that followed, but he hasn't been as truly ready for a world title run as he is right now.

That includes his last reign as champ in 2015. It was perceived as a flop by fans because of his poor booking at the time, but he's grown exponentially as a performer and has had an outstanding last three years inside the squared circle.

Another run with the prestigious prize at some point would be well-deserved. He must first win the Intercontinental Championship from Gunther to complete that story, but getting back into the world title mix is a must as well.

Unlike Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley, Sheamus has been at the midcard level for long enough that it's hard to classify him as a main eventer at this particular point. He and Reigns have a checkered past and rekindling that rivalry would ensure he gets back to where he belongs.

'The Redeemer' Miro

Miro has been a world championship-caliber competitor since the moment he arrived in AEW in September 2020 but has strangely yet to be utilized at that level.

He spent his first six months in the company in a makeshift tag team with Kip Sabian before finally hitting his stride as a singles star in 2021. He did some of the strongest work of his career as AEW TNT champion but disappeared from programming once it was over.

The Redeemer has been seen sparingly on AEW TV for the last 18 months and hasn't been involved in anything of note whenever he has been around. Needless to say, he has been long overdue for an opportunity at the AEW World Championship.

Both he and MJF are heels, so it's doubtful we'll see Miro anywhere near championship contention for the foreseeable future. It would be pointless for him to remain in the hunt for the TNT title when he could be among the elite and wrestling for the world title gold instead.

Not only could AEW benefit from having Miro back in a regular role on its shows, but he could also make for a compelling challenger to MJF and be a fresh face at the top of the card.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.