The 10 Most Over Stars in WWE, NXT and AEW Right Now
Regardless of what you're watching at the moment, it's safe to say it's as exciting a time as ever to be a fan of professional wrestling. Between WWE stepping up its game, NXT debuting on the USA Network and All Elite Wrestling ushering in a new era of competition, there is plenty to enjoy from all three promotions.
As compelling as some of the storylines are, the stars in each company are really what make their television shows must-see. Without them, there wouldn't be much of a reason to tune in and get invested in any of the angles.
It's tough to measure how over wrestlers are nowadays without factoring in merchandise and ticket sales and how they affect business overall. However, the crowd reactions they receive every week (in addition to how they're positioned as top talent) are almost enough to go off of in determining their level of popularity.
There are so many Superstars to choose from in WWE, NXT and AEW that it's virtually impossible to include them all in one list. For example, a majority of AEW's stacked roster has wide audience appeal, but only an elite few can claim they are truly over.
The same can also be said for NXT, as most of its competitors feel like main event players in front of the fans at Full Sail University.
When looking at the best of the bunch, these 10 wrestlers are the ones who stand out as being the hottest commodities at the moment.
Cody
1 of 10
The brains behind All Elite Wrestling surely deserves a spot on this list, not only because he has given fans a true alternative to WWE but also because of how he's managed to remain relevant as a performer since its start.
There are bound to be fans who will argue the reason Cody has come across like such a star in AEW is because he has booked himself to look like one. Then again, he was wildly popular long before the new promotion came into the picture.
Following an incredible run on the independent scene that saw him hold gold everywhere he went, Cody took his rightful place as one of AEW's main event players at Double or Nothing in May when he beat his brother, Dustin Rhodes, in an instant classic. He went on to have great matches with Darby Allin, The Young Bucks and Shawn Spears in the rest of the summer.
Despite the subtle (and not-so-subtle) shots he's taken at WWE over the last number of months, he continuously comes out to rock star-level reactions every time he makes his entrance. He'll never be mistaken for an amazing in-ring performer, yet his connection with the crowd is second to none.
In other words, it should come as no surprise that he'll be contending for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear on November 9. Of course, he shouldn't cut Chris Jericho's title reign short so soon, but there's no reason to think he won't be holding the belt before long.
'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt
2 of 10
There was a time when fans couldn't have cared less about Bray Wyatt. Through no fault of his own, he had been completely ruined by WWE after years of missed opportunities and botched booking decisions.
It wasn't until he repackaged himself as the friendly face on "Firefly Fun House" and as The Fiend that he finally caught the attention of fans again. The WWE Universe wasn't sure what to make of those early vignettes he put out in April, but they were intrigued nonetheless.
The months of the Fun House culminated in Wyatt returning as The Fiend on Raw one night removed from Extreme Rules in July. As soon as the lights went out that night, the audience in attendance knew they were about to see something special and reacted accordingly.
His re-debut against Finn Balor at SummerSlam 2019 couldn't have gone better. The match itself was hardly anything special, but The Fiend's entrance alone was enough to give fans goosebumps as well as hope that this character had a high ceiling for success.
WWE's roster feels like it's bigger than it's ever been before, yet Wyatt has been the best thing going on either Raw or SmackDown since he reemerged. His segments have made the shows worth watching each week, despite wrestling all of two televised matches in the last year.
Granted, the atrocious ending to his Hell in a Cell clash with Seth Rollins on October 6 hindered his momentum a bit, but it's nothing he can't bounce back from in time.
Johnny Gargano
3 of 10
The heart and soul of NXT is the only accurate way to describe Johnny Gargano.
He has been bleeding black and gold since debuting in the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic alongside Tommaso Ciampa four years ago. In that time, he has accomplished it all by capturing every possible championship and contesting multiple Match of the Year contenders.
In short, Gargano is essentially an institution in NXT and has made it quite clear on countless occasions that he has no desire of going anywhere else. For a while, he appeared to be on the brink of a main roster call-up to either Raw or SmackDown, but he has since solidified his spot as the undisputed face of NXT.
Johnny Wrestling has largely remained fresh with fans because of his booking and how he brings the best out of everyone he steps in the ring with. He's perfectly cast as the ultimate underdog, and because of that, it's practically impossible to boo the guy (unless his opponent is just that popular).
The respect he's earned from NXT's faithful fans will likely never be replicated. He may lose more often than he wins, but that doesn't change how he'll always be world-championship material in their eyes.
After getting blindsided by Finn Balor this week on NXT, it will be exciting to see Gargano back in the main event mix heading into the final stretch of 2019. If his past feuds have been any indication, it should be nothing short of stellar.
The Young Bucks
4 of 10
Love them or loathe them, there is no denying The Young Bucks are among the most popular acts in all of wrestling right now, and they have been for quite some time.
They carved out an outstanding career for themselves on the independent scene for several years before making it big in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. There, they made enough money from their matches and merchandise that going to WWE was never a necessity for them.
Sure enough, they were able to bring life to their vision of having another wrestling promotion to go to, one they could build from the ground up and mold into what they wanted it to be.
Similar to Cody, it would have been easy for them to book themselves to be the featured attraction in AEW's tag team division, but they've actually done a lot to get up-and-coming tandems such as The Lucha Brothers and Private Party over in a major way.
Even with those losses on their record, Matt and Nick Jackson have been delivering superkick parties to much fanfare for months. They were bumped from the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament in the first round and came out to a thunderous reaction just one week later.
That goes to show the Bucks are on a whole other level at the moment and how they can seemingly do no wrong. Their matches are electric as anybody's and never cease to bring crowds to their feet.
Becky Lynch
5 of 10
While Becky Lynch's once-white-hot popularity has noticeably faltered since WrestleMania 35, she's still hotter than a vast majority of WWE's current roster, male or female.
Needless to say, she was never intended to be as popular as she is today. She had always received strong reactions, but the lack of consistency with her push made it difficult for fans to rally behind her for more than a few months at at time.
In the summer of 2018, Lynch went rogue and adopted "The Man" nickname. She proceeded to run roughshod over SmackDown's women's division and basically became an overnight sensation.
Fans' unwavering support led her to winning the 2019 women's Royal Rumble match as well as the Raw and SmackDown women's championships in the main event of WrestleMania 35. That's quite the accomplishment for someone who couldn't make the main card of The Show of Shows the year prior.
WWE hasn't done the best job of allowing Lynch to maintain that momentum coming out of 'Mania, but she has been booked stronger than any other female in either women's division.
In fact, she's been beaten only once in singles competition this year, and coming off her recent victory over Sasha Banks inside Hell in a Cell, it's unknown who (if anyone) can knock her off her pedestal.
Tommaso Ciampa
6 of 10
There's a very good chance Tommaso Ciampa wouldn't have cracked this list had he not recently returned to NXT in the way he did. That said, it would have been a massive mistake not to include him considering the raucous reactions he's been receiving since his hot comeback.
Interestingly enough, he was as hated a heel as could be one year ago when he was the NXT champion. There wasn't a single better bad guy in WWE than him, which is why the timing of his injury in March couldn't have been worse ahead of his huge title defense at TakeOver: New York the following month.
All it took was him undergoing neck surgery and showing off his family-man side to be beloved by the fans. When his music hit at the end of the October 2 episode of NXT, the arena exploded with excitement.
It was at that moment that Ciampa became the babyface no one thought he'd ever be again but were happy to have back. He has said little over the past three weeks but has made his intentions known of wanting "Goldie" back in his possession.
When the time comes for Ciampa to regain the gold, it will be as a fan favorite. Much like his longtime tag team partner Johnny Gargano, he has won over the audience since 2015 and reached heights many performers can only dream of.
The blood, sweat and tears he's put into making the black-and-gold brand what it is today have certainly paid off.
MJF
7 of 10
In such a short span of time, MJF has already taken All Elite Wrestling by storm.
The former MLW standout was one of the first notable names to sign with the promotion in January and quickly established himself as an egotistical maniac shortly thereafter.
Thanks to his many appearances on Being the Elite, he was super-over by the time Double or Nothing arrived in May, making his face-to-face confrontation with Bret Hart on the show that much sweeter.
It's hard for heels to be hated in an era when almost every pro wrestling villain is cheered by fans for playing their role well. MJF has been the exception to that, as whenever it appears he's about to embrace the adulation he receives, he puts them down with one-liners that are met with a chorus of boos.
What's interesting about MJF is that he isn't shy about telling everyone on the roster and in the audience how he feels about them, yet he prides himself on being the best friend of Cody. He has stuck by The American Nightmare through thick and thin these past few months and even saved him from an attack at the hands of The Inner Circle two weeks ago on Dynamite.
It's more of a matter of when and not if he'll betray Cody, but in the meantime, his efforts to be the best companion he can be are commendable. For that, he deserves all the admiration he gets from fans who ignore his insults or wear them as a badge of honor.
If MJF isn't wearing gold around his waist within the next six months, something is seriously wrong.
AJ Styles
8 of 10
Face or heel, AJ Styles will always be one of WWE's top talents.
It's been well-documented how he exceeded expectations in the company by debuting with a bang, becoming WWE champion eight months later, and making SmackDown his own for the three years he was on the blue brand. Through it all, he has been an immensely popular fixture in WWE.
Many fans figured it was a mistake that the company turned him heel in the summer of 2016 after months were spent trying to get him over as a face. However, that change ended up being the best thing that could have happened to him and showed he had more range as a performer than some originally anticipated.
It eventually led to him returning to his roots as a babyface less than a year later. He was even more beloved by the WWE Universe at that point because it became acceptable from a storyline standpoint for fans to cheer him again, and he took full advantage of that opportunity.
Styles' lengthy reign as WWE champion from November 2017 to November 2018 was far from a coincidence; no one else on that SmackDown roster came close to matching the reactions he was getting back then, which is why he held the title for as long as he did.
The Phenomenal One once again reinvented himself with another heel turn this past summer. He can continue to do whatever he wants to get under the skin of fans, but it won't stop them from chanting his name and stocking up on his merchandise.
Undisputed Era
9 of 10
Including Adam Cole on this list of the most over acts in wrestling isn't enough; all the members of Undisputed Era deserve the nod for how pivotal they've been to the success of NXT since they arrived over two years ago.
"Shock the system" is more of a motto for the faction than it is a cool line that kicks off their catchy entrance music. They immediately lived up to the hype by taking the brand over and snatching up championships left, right and center.
The addition of Roderick Strong to their ranks in April 2018 made them that much more dominant. A year-and-a-half later, every member of the group had won championship gold (which still rings true today).
They're the definition of "cool heels" in the sense that they don't do a ton to elicit genuine heat from the audience. They prefer to let the fans choose whether they're willing to support their cause or root against them. Either way, they have been a breath of fresh air in NXT and have shown no signs of slowing down any time soon.
It's going to be a dark day on the black-and-gold brand when Cole, Strong, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish get called up to WWE's main roster, hopefully as a unit.
If they're booked half as well as they have been in NXT, they'll be as over as any faction WWE has had in years.
The Lucha Brothers
10 of 10
Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix have been killing it all over the United States as singles competitors for years (most notably in Lucha Underground), but they actually found their greatest success as a tag team starting one year ago.
There was a period when they were the Impact, MLW and AAA tag team champions simultaneously. All of their buzz was what resulted in them being brought into AEW and immediately entering a rivalry with The Young Bucks that was off the chain.
They've been riding that wave of momentum since the All Out pay-per-view in August and will have a chance to become the inaugural AEW world tag team champions next week when they face SoCal Uncensored. It only makes sense for them to take the titles considering how over they are at the moment.
Fenix's aerial abilities are exceptional, while Pentagon has a natural charisma about him. Together, they are a tremendous tandem that never cease to slow down in their matches and are adamant about stealing the show every time they step inside the squared circle.
The more exposure these two get on the AEW scene, the more they'll be recognized as the premier tag team in the world.
With zero fear and a ton of untapped potential, it's no wonder they are as revered as they are.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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