Ranking Every WWE Star Under the Age of 30 on the Active Roster

It is important for any wrestling company to have youth on its roster. After all, the stars of today and yesteryear can only compete for so long before promoters have to turn to the future for the long-term sustainability of their product.

WWE is undergoing a youth movement, with its NXT brands devoted to Superstars under the age of 30 and similarly aged competitors already making a splash on the main roster.

From new United States champion Theory to authority figure Sonya Deville, they are fueling storylines and benefiting from television exposure.

Who ranks where on a countdown of the best under the big 3-0?

Let's take a look.

Superstars Under 30

• A-Kid
• Amale
• Blair Davenport
• Boa
• Bron Breakker
• Brutus Creed
• Cameron Grimes
• Carmelo Hayes
• Cora Jade
• Dante Chen
• Elton Prince
• Fallon Henley
• Gigi Dolin
• Ikemen Jiro
• Ilja Dragunov
• Indi Hartwell
• Isla Dawn
• Jacy Jane
• James Drake
• Josh Briggs
• Julius Creed
• Kay Lee Ray
• Kit Wilson
• Lash Legend
• Malik Blade
• Nikita Lyons
• Noam Dar
• Odyssey Jones
• Roxanne Perez
• Sarray
• Solo Sikoa
• Teoman
• Tyler Bate
• Von Wagner
• Xia Brookside
• Zoey Stark

Among others.

The future is bright for WWE as both NXT 2.0 and NXT UK have compiled rosters of 20-somethings ready to lay the foundation for years to come.

Bron Breakker is the most obvious main event star in the making, with a power-based offense and pro wrestling royalty in his blood, he has already set out to prove himself as one of the pillars of WWE's youth movement.

Carmelo Hayes, Cameron Grimes and Von Wagner make up the core of an NXT 2.0 roster that has become the breeding ground for the men and women who will star on the grand stage of WWE well beyond Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes.

In the company's UK brand, champion Ilja Dragunov is one of the most physically intense competitors on the roster and the star who dethroned Gunther after a historic reign atop the brand. Isla Dawn and Xia Brookside are two of the stars forming the nucleus of the brand's women's division.

Reggie may be the most athletically gifted Superstar on the WWE roster, but his size (or lack thereof) and placement in the comedy-heavy 24/7 Championship picture appears to have stunted his growth and pigeonholed him into a specific role with the company.

It remains to be seen if he can scratch and claw his way out of that position, but for now, he appears to be stuck chasing R-Truth, Akira Tozawa and participating in silly wedding angles.

If he can accomplish what Truth has, and fully embrace that particular role, a long future awaits him with a company who values Superstars unafraid to make a little fun of themselves.

Mansoor's WWE career started as well as any possibly could, with a high-profile victory in a fantastic match against Cesaro in his home country of Saudi Arabia.

He has enjoyed some moderate success, particularly in a short feud with Mustafa Ali, but has disappeared since arriving on SmackDown.

His most recent television appearance came as a lumberjack for the Drew McIntyre-Sami Zayn match on the April 22 episode of SmackDown. Not exactly the role one wants to find themselves in if they are hopeful of achieving success as the company's first Saudi Arabia-born competitor.

Given his relative youth in the industry, there are plenty of opportunities for him to live up to the early potential flashed in the aforementioned match against The Swiss Superman.

Aliyah is a young star who survived obscurity in developmental and appeared to be poised for a surprising push upon her main roster call-up.

Then the wheels fell off, and what appeared to be a high-profile Survivor Series match disappeared.

Since then, she has struggled to make an impact on Friday nights, with most appearances coming by way of backstage segments with other Superstars actually involved in ongoing stories.

Aliyah has plenty of time to develop into a star in WWE's women's division, but the logjam at the top will make it difficult for her to advance beyond a certain point until the likes of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks are no longer full-time competitors.

Los Lotharios, unlike their main roster predecessors on this list, are not lacking for television time.

Angel and Humberto have seen feuds with New Day and Intercontinental champion Ricochet keep them busy in recent weeks.

A vendetta with Madcap Moss has ensured they remain relevant, and their considerable in-ring talents make them valuable assets to a SmackDown creative team looking to fill time without overexposing other performers.

Both are quality wrestlers with an opportunity to grow and evolve as long as they remain in front of the cameras. That has not been an issue thus far, dating back to their days as breakout candidates on the Raw roster.

Sonya Deville has been a key performer for WWE as a heel authority figure, making life a living hell for top babyfaces and displaying unabashed bias while doing so.

Her feud with Naomi made for great television and enhanced both women's stock. Now feuding with Bianca Belair as her first challenger to the Raw Women's Championship, Deville is slowly starting to transition back into the role of in-ring competitor.

It will be interesting to see over the coming weeks how that affects her role as authority figure or if she balances both as one of the most adaptable young performers on the roster.

If she can manage to do that, do not be surprised to see Deville eventually become the sort of performer around whom an entire show can revolve.

As "The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne, there was no questioning the 28-year-old's future as a star for WWE.

A main roster call-up, character overhaul and name change to Butch has called into question his ability to overcome it and headline for the company as the vicious, ruthless, finger-breaking badass he was during his time in NXT.

The good news is, according to his performance on the April 22 episode of SmackDown, his in-ring style has not changed. He is still cold, calculating and uber-willing to utilize joint manipulation while picking his opponents apart.

The intimidating facial expressions and the trademark mouthpiece remain, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that he can transition back into the Dunne persona.

He will have to if he is to achieve any major success.

Why?

Ask yourself how realistic it would be for Mike Rome to announce, "and NEW WWE champion, Butch!"

Does not have the same ring as Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes, huh?

Liv Morgan really should be a consistent contender in the Raw or SmackDown women's divisions by now.

Instead, she has been the proverbial bridesmaid, routinely challenging for gold but never actually winning it.

Morgan is a great underdog competitor with a passionate and loyal fanbase. Better yet, she has a consistently evolving in-ring game that reflects her passion for improving.

A recent split with tag team partner Rhea Ripley has left Morgan on her own and raises the question: Where does she go from here?

Hopefully, the answer is "up."

If not, the fans will eventually demand that it happens, and when WWE finally gives in, they will have another enormous star on their hands.

Dominik Mysterio has the pedigree of a future star. His father, the legendary Rey Mysterio, is an all-time great who has accomplished all that there is to in an industry not at all kind to competitors of his size.

Dominik is taller but has his father's fearlessness when it comes to flight, soaring through the air to take out his opponents. Beginning his in-ring ventures with WWE at the SummerSlam 2020 pay-per-view with a loss to Seth Rollins, he has been poised for big things from day one.

A former tag team partner, he is often seen by his father's side in tag team action but has also gained valuable experience against former world champions like Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dolph Ziggler.

His win-loss record could use some work, but there is plenty of time for that. What Mysterio must develop is a personality separate from that of his father. Once he does that and displays confidence in it, he will be ready to take the next big step in his journey.

Omos will get every opportunity in the world to succeed because of his immense size.

WWE is, has and will always be, to a certain extent, the land of giants, and no one is bigger than the former collegiate basketball star.

At just 27 years old, he has already achieved success in a tag team with former world champion AJ Styles, and he just competed at his second WrestleMania against another former champion in Bobby Lashley.

Now under the guidance of MVP, he has been surrounded by veteran competitors who have been to the top of the proverbial mountain and know exactly what it takes to stay there.

It is now entirely up to him to sink or swim by developing his in-ring abilities and discovering a personality that fans will connect with beyond his enormity.

Gable Steveson ranks so high on this countdown because it is readily apparent WWE sees him as the next big thing in professional wrestling. An Olympic gold medalist with two NCAA Championships to his name, he has already been drafted to Raw without wrestling a single match and starred on WrestleMania 38 Sunday, suplexing Chad Gable in a moment that captured mainstream sports coverage.

There is no telling if Steveson will develop into the next Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar, but the potential is there.

A phenomenal athlete with a sparkling resume, it will be up to him to do as those two industry giants did by letting his personality shine. The in-ring stuff is great, but it was not until Angle berated fans for daring to boo him and Lesnar started wrecking people and showcasing that natural charisma that the audience embraced them.

That will be the biggest hurdle for Steveson to overcome. If he has that and can convey it, the transition from the mat to the squared circle will be infinitely easier.

Rhea Ripley has held the NXT and Raw Women's Championships and the Women's Tag Team Champions with Nikki A.S.H., proving that WWE sees her as one of the top women's competitors in the world. She captured gold on the grand stage at WrestleMania 37 to hammer that point home.

The question now is whether she can excel as a heel.

To this point, she has exclusively portrayed a babyface on the main roster. Even during the end of her NXT run, she found her greatest success on that side of the roster.

Bigger and stronger than her peers, she can be the monster heel that dominates the competition as a competitor singularly focused on winning championships. A potential partnership with Edge and Damian Priest, a rumor reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, would elevate her star and add credence to the idea of her as a top-two Superstar under 30.

At 24 years of age, Theory has already competed at two WrestleManias, is Mr. McMahon's protege on WWE TV and just won the United States Championship by defeating Finn Balor. He has exhibited all of the tools necessary to be a premier player for WWE for years to come, and the on-screen partnership with McMahon has earned him the scorn of the WWE Universe.

It is good to be Theory right now, and that is likely to be the case for years to come.

He even paired off with Brock Lesnar as the final two competitors in February's Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship and ate a Stone Cold Stunner from Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, proving the company's faith in him to perform with the biggest stars in the industry.

He is absolutely headed for greatness with the company, with momentum on his side and tremendous support from the creative team.

Theory will likely be world champion before the age of 30, making him the surefire No. 1 on this countdown.