AEW has often been criticized for bringing in too many “ex-WWE” guys, although it is hard to argue with the fact that AEW has tried to bring in the best available talent. Whilst there are plenty of notable veterans and big stars who made a name for themselves elsewhere, AEW is a promotion in which there have been some homegrown talent.
In this instance, homegrown is referring to those who either weren’t prominent on the independent circuit, or else didn’t appear there at all. Some of these names have been a success, whilst others have unfortunately floundered near the bottom of the card.
10 Brock Anderson
Brock Anderson is a graduate of the “Nightmare Factory”, and is notably the son of Arn Anderson. However, even with this boost, he has failed to make any sort of impact in AEW thus far, and has only shown a fraction of the charisma that his father has.
It seemed as though AEW were initially trying to give Brock Anderson a push, as he debuted alongside Cody Rhodes, but in recent months it feels as though Tony Khan has just given up on trying to spotlight him.
9 Red Velvet
AEW is by far the most prominent place Red Velvet has wrestled, with her initially getting a decent push when she filled in for Brandi Rhodes in a featured tag team match involving Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, and Shaquille O’Neil.
From there, Velvet has gone up and down the card, with her babyface run ending up as a failure, with fans turning on her for some reason. She is now a member of The Baddies, and whilst this is a good role, she is very much a background character.
8 Julia Hart
Julia Hart is one of the youngest names on AEW’s roster, and considering that her debut in AEW was just her 10th professional outing, it was impressive how good she was. Since then, her character work and in ring work has improved steadily over time.
Her recent booking hasn’t been great, and she has lost a lot of momentum since her heel turn, but she has plenty of potential and a lot of upside, even if it isn’t being explored just yet.
7 Top Flight
The story of Top Flight making it to AEW is a brilliant one. After not yet making a name for themselves prominently, they made a stab in the dark by sending their work to the Young Bucks. After being impressed, they forwarded this onto Tony Khan who quickly swept them up.
Due to Darius Martin’s injury, Dante Martin has been making strides as a singles competitor, steadily building up his popularity and becoming a promising young name in AEW. They still have a way to go, but once Darius is back and fit, they could make a big climb up the tag team division.
6 The Gunn Club
The Gunn Club have been fortunate enough to have the backing of their father Billy Gunn, but as proven by Brock Anderson, that isn’t enough sometimes. Over the course of AEW, Austin and Colten Gunn have been on a gradual ascent, gaining more screen time and more storylines.
They are in a much better position now, and could easily be in line for a Tag Team Championship run down the line. They have been an example of AEW doing a good job of building a team up over time.
5 Anna Jay
Anna Jay was very new to the wrestling business when she joined AEW, but managed to quickly make an impact with a clear natural ability. She would join the Dark Order eventually, which would prove to do wonders for her character work and her star power.
She is now one of the more notable members of AEW’s women’s division, even if her current heel turn feels a bit out of left field. She is still very young and has an incredible amount of promise.
4 Powerhouse Hobbs
Powerhouse Hobbs started out on AEW Dark as a jobber, but he is now someone who looks primed to become a big star. Hobbs’ journey in AEW has been brilliant, with him building himself up more and more as time has gone on.
His team with Ricky Starks proved to be a popular tandem, and whilst their feud wasn’t perfect, he is someone who has a lot of potential to become a top name down the line. His in-ring work is crisp, his promo work is improving, and he is now a recognizable and popular individual amongst fans.
3 Hook
For someone who has done fairly little in terms of promo work, ring work, and character work, Hook is one of AEW’s most major success stories. His debut was electric, with him naturally being over with the crowd in a way which is simply unteachable.
His in-ring work has been effortlessly good, although it will be interesting to see him in a longer bout. He has played his role perfectly, and whilst his inexperience does sometimes show, he already feels like a star.
2 Jade Cargill
There is perhaps no one on AEW’s roster who commands the stage and has the sort of presence that Jade Cargill has. She wrestled her very first match in AEW, and has since gone on an unbeaten run which has seen her win the TBS Championship.
She still shows signs of inexperience, but her charisma more than makes up for that. Her booking has mostly been strong, although if AEW aren’t careful, she could squander her star power if she doesn’t have a strong feud in the near future.
1 The Acclaimed
The Acclaimed were created in AEW, with Anthony Bowens and Max Caster being brought together. From putting others over on Dark to now reigning as the AEW World Tag Team Champions as the most over team in the company, they are the best example of a homegrown act reaching success in AEW.
Their rise has been incredible, and it is testament to their talents and the patience of Tony Khan in terms of his booking.