Ranking WWE and AEW's Biggest Breakout Stars of 2026

WWE and AEW have had their fair share of fresh faces break out in a major way in 2026 and ascend to new levels of stardom.

Both companies were in desperate need of new blood on their respective rosters coming into the new year. All in all, they've done an exceptional job of bringing in and calling up several stars who have been difference makers.

Chad Gable and Penta are currently the hottest they've ever been, but both began to break out in 2025, leading to the success they've had with the Intercontinental Championship in 2026. The same can be said for Jacob Fatu and Kyle Fletcher, who were already on the cusp of main event greatness last year.

Although Ricky Saints, Blake Monroe, Joe Hendry, Steven Borden and Zayda Steel have also arrived in recent months, they're all in the process of finding their footing and have yet to hit their stride.

These are WWE and AEW's biggest breakout stars of 2026.

Honorable Mentions

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Royce Keys

At the onset of 2026, Powerhouse Hobbs was one-third of the AEW World Trios champions. Within weeks, he was gone from AEW and an entrant in WWE's Royal Rumble match. Rechristened as Royce Keys, he went on to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and has since cemented his spot toward the top of the card as the leader of the new 946 faction.

Tommaso Ciampa

Fed up with being relegated to midcard and tag team purgatory in WWE, Tommaso Ciampa allowed his contract to expire and immediately jumped ship to AEW at the end of January. Even as a seasoned veteran, he had one of his best years ever in 2026 by capturing the AEW TNT Championship, competing on several pay-per-views, feuding with Chris Jericho, challenging for the AEW World Championship and so much more. This was the Tommaso Ciampa fans had long waited to see.

Ethan Page

Ethan Page wrapped up his super successful stint in NXT in April to make way for his move to the main roster. He's been an entertaining fixture in the Intercontinental Championship picture this entire time and has racked up impressive wins over Rey Mysterio, Je'Von Evans and Penta. That Intercontinental title is undoubtedly in his future.

Persephone

AEW signing Persephone to a dual contact while she simultaneously wrestles for CMLL was a genius move. She was originally a regular in Ring of Honor before building momentum in AEW, winning the CMLL World Women's Championship and unseating Maya World at All In for the AEW TBS Championship. She's become a major force in that women's division in a relatively brief period of time.

Jacy Jane

Fatal Influence wasted no time in making an impact in their debut on the post-WrestleMania SmackDown. All three members have been standouts so far, but Jacy Jane in particular has excelled. In addition to it not being hard for her to generate genuine heat from crowds, she bested Tiffany Stratton for the Women's United States Championship, her first of what should be many titles in WWE.

8. Maya World

Maya World getting signed to AEW largely stemmed from her and Hyan stepping up in the absence of Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize to face TayJay in a tag team match last October on Collision. They were booked for many matches after that, and their commitment to the craft along with the skills they showed earned them a full-time contract with the company.

Even after they put pen to paper with the promotion, they were still utilized as an enhancement team and were exclusive to Ring of Honor. World's impressive outings over there led to her getting booked for AEW more and more, and when Sareee had to be pulled from the 2026 women's Owen Hart Cup, World was yet again right there to seize the opportunity.

World went way further in the bracket than anyone could have expected. Her win over Athena sent her to the finals with Mercedes Moné at Double or Nothing, where she narrowly fell short following a phenomenal performance.

AEW wisely had her capitalize on that momentum by having her win the AEW TBS Championship at July's Redemption pay-per-view. Her reign was unfortunately cut short by Persephone at All In, but there's no question that she's proven her worth as championship material and will hold gold again eventually.

7. Je'Von Evans

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It wasn't long into Je'Von Evans' NXT tenure that it was clear he'd be one to watch for years to come.

It'd be almost impossible for fans not to have their eyes permanently peeled for Evans with the way he gracefully flies through the air anytime he's in action. He's also incredibly likable to boot, so it was always going to be a big deal once he inevitably landed on the main roster.

Evans joined the Raw roster at the very end of 2025 and had standout showings in the Royal Rumble match, inside the Elimination Chamber and in the Intercontinental Championship Ladder match at WrestleMania 42. He remained in the hunt for the Intercontinental title in the months that followed and ripped it up with the likes of Ethan Page, Rusev and Penta.

His feud with Big Cass kept him occupied for a brief bit coming out of SummerSlam, but now his sights are firmly set on the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match and walking away with that opportunistic briefcase. The chances of actually winning are low, but he'll shine as only he can.

At only 22-years-old, he has his entire career ahead of him.

6. Sol Ruca

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Sol Ruca is very similar to Je'Von Evans in the sense that she's a human highlight reel and made a name for herself in NXT with her awe-inspiring athleticism and natural charm.

Ruca spent much longer in NXT but also had more success, having won the WWE Women's Speed Championship and the NXT Women's North American Championship. She never got the chance to win the NXT Women's Championship, but that's because she was due to be called up to Raw after WrestleMania 42.

Her inexperience was apparent from the get-go, but she gradually worked through the nerves and won the Women's Intercontinental Championship from Becky Lynch by Clash in Italy. The reign itself was forgettable, but she did have two quality title defenses against Lyra Valkyria and Raquel Rodriguez.

Rodriguez would end Ruca's reign in their rematch, but Ruca has remained a constant on Monday nights as part of her program with The Judgment Day. She has been exactly what the women's division needed, and as she continues to put the pieces together, she'll become a big star.

5. Andrade El Idolo

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It's difficult to label Andrade El Idolo a breakout star when he's had multiple stints in WWE and AEW along with several other promotions, but the heights he's reached this year were at one point believed to be unfathomable by some.

Andrade could have very easily been doomed to stepping stone status, but once he returned to AEW early on in 2026, he was determined to become the top talent many hoped he would be years ago. Sure enough, he came across as more motivated than ever before and had some stellar matchups with Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega and Adam Page.

His alliance with The Don Callis Family may have been brief, but it did spawn his current rivalry with MJF. It also led to him beating Mark Davis for the AEW National Championship at Redemption and earning a future shot at the AEW World Championship by winning the Casino Gauntlet match at All In.

There is a very real possibility of Andrade becoming the top title holder in AEW very soon, and until then, he's being positioned as one of the biggest babyfaces in the company. That's quite the turnaround from being one-half of a random tag team with Rey Fenix on SmackDown around this time a year ago.

4. Kevin Knight

Kevin Knight was already trending in the right direction during his time in the tag team division last year with Mike Bailey, but breaking away from Bailey was really put him on the path toward main event glory.

Following a quick run with the AEW World Trios Championship alongside Adam Page and Bailey, he clinched the vacant AEW TNT Championship at Dynasty and went on to defend it more times than anyone else in the history of that title.

He had a handful of excellent title defenses against the returning Brian Cage, Bailey, Darby Allin and even MJF.

He took his singles career to the next level by betraying Allin at the end of Double or Nothing, severing ties with Bailey on the subsequent Dynamite, and becoming the newest member of The Don Callis Family. All of that got him a pay-per-view main event with Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship, which he obviously lost but benefited from big time.

Knight is no longer TNT champ following his Falls Count Anywhere loss to Allin at All In, but AEW seems to be building him up as a future world champion and rightfully so.

3. Trick Williams

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Trick Williams spent so long in NXT and accomplished almost everything he possibly could on the brand (including invading TNA and holding their world title hostage) to the point where it was comical just how overdue he was for a main roster call-up.

He hit SmackDown on the first Friday night of 2026 and instantly had an aura about him. Strong showings at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber boosted his stock and resulted in him walking out of WrestleMania 42 the new United States champion.

The matches he had during his first reign were nothing to write home about, but the promos and crowd work were wildly entertaining. His alliance with Lil Yatchy also got over massively and became a weekly fixture on the blue brand.

There's still room for improvement as far as Williams' in-ring ability is concerned, but he checks every other box and is nearly the complete package of what WWE wants out of their world champions. He'll be in that spot at some point, but no time soon.

He's had a terrific year and there's no need to rush him into something he's not ready for.

2. Thekla

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Thekla first made her toxic presence felt in AEW last summer, but it wasn't until 2026 that she truly got going and became the focal point of the women's division.

Toni Storm taking time off after Revolution opened a huge void in the AEW Women's World Championship picture, one that Thekla didn't hesitate to take. Although she was initially unsuccessful in unseating Kris Statlander as champ, she stole the gold in their rematch and defeated her for a third time at Revolution.

From The Brawling Birds to Thunder Rosa, a slew of stars stepped up but were put down by Thekla. She became undeniable in the ring but also on the mic, electrifying audiences whenever she was given time to talk.

She has a legitimate vibe about her that no one else in the women's division does. The cadence of her promos combined with the swag in her step make her must-see television, which is why it was disappointing that she dropped the AEW Women's World title before she could make it to Wembley Stadium for All In.

The Toxic Spider has since rebounded and will be fighting Willow Nightingale at All Out for an opportunity to reenter championship contention. Regardless of the result, she's still one of the most over stars on the roster.

1. Oba Femi

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Oba Femi went from never having appeared on either Raw or SmackDown (outside of a cameo in the crowd) to being one of the hottest commodities on WWE's main roster in the span of one month.

WWE portraying him as the face of the future during Saturday Night's Main Event last December sent the message that he had to be taken seriously as soon as he showed up as a permanent member of the main roster. That's why he lasted for so long in the men's Royal Rumble before answering Brock Lesnar's open challenge for WrestleMania 42.

The build to the bout was masterful and the match played out practically perfectly with Femi decisively destroying Lesnar in one of the year's greatest triumphs. It was very much a passing-of-the-torch type of moment, even though they continued to feud on and off through SummerSlam where Femi beat him inside Hell in a Cell.

Realistically, Femi should have already won the World Heavyweight Championship by now, but all signs point to WWE wanting to wait until WrestleMania 42 in Saudi Arabia to give him his crowning moment. It's not often you see a Superstar have as hot of a rookie year as he has, a testament to just how spectacular of a start he's gotten off to and the high hopes officials have for him going forward.

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.