The 10 WWE and AEW Stars Most Likely to Break Out in 2023

Throughout 2022, fans of WWE and AEW saw a significant increase in quality among the top talent recruited to the rosters.

The fresh faces helped each product exponentially and will be the ones who carry the companies into the new year and beyond.

Although Austin Theory's booking was far from perfect, he certainly made his mark in 2022. He held the United States Championship for a time, became Mr. Money in the Bank, and was an important part of Raw's midcard scene all year long.

Meanwhile in AEW, Wardlow finally got his due as AEW TNT champion, Daniel Garcia's stock skyrocketed, and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry took off as a singles star. That's not to mention all of the other promising prospects Tony Khan has since secured to deals.

Expect the following 10 competitors to find similar success in WWE and AEW in 2023.

LA Knight possesses every tool necessary to be a main event player for years to come. It's more a matter of whether WWE is willing to feature him at that level consistently.

His main roster debut as Max Dupri earlier this year was a total waste of his potential. Thankfully, it wasn't long before he was repackaged as LA Knight and settled back into the role he was destined to play.

He's gotten off to a solid start on SmackDown these past few months and has (somewhat) found direction in a feud with Bray Wyatt, but more can absolutely be done to maximize everything he has to offer.

Once he wraps up his rivalry with Wyatt, Knight should continue climbing the card and working with the best the blue brand has to offer. He'll get over with the audience the more opportunities he's given to shine in the ring and on the mic.

He's someone who would greatly benefit from winning the Money in the Bank Ladder match and holding the opportunistic briefcase until the appropriate time comes for him to cash in and take his rightful place at the top of the card.

Needless to say, Action Andretti was a last-minute addition to the list following his huge upset victory over Chris Jericho on the Winter Is Coming edition of Dynamite.

We know nothing about the up-and-comer other than he's capable of beating an icon the caliber of Jericho and in clean fashion, no less. It remains to be seen whether his win will be followed up on accordingly or if it was meant to be more about Jericho in the long run.

Khan did announce his official signing as soon as the show was over, so it'd be silly to not at least attempt to make a star out of him coming off such a special moment and one of the most shocking in AEW's short history.

Andretti was a blast to watch on Wednesday and proved he had what it took to hang with Jericho. It's all about the aftermath, of course, but there's no reason why he can't be competing for championship gold eventually.

Regardless of what you refer to him as, Butch should have a bright future ahead of him in 2023.

His abrupt transition from Pete Dunne to Butch upon arriving on the main roster earlier this year took many fans by surprise and wasn't exactly organic. Thankfully, he developed instant chemistry with Sheamus and Ridge Holland in what would be become known as The Brawling Brutes.

He's had his fair share of solid showings in singles matches, but he has largely been a background player for the majority of 2022. That must change in the new year as he's too talented to be underutilized any longer.

Triple H was very high on Dunne during his stint in NXT, so it isn't at all out of the question that the former NXT UK champion could be bound for big things on SmackDown soon. He can still be aligned with Sheamus and Holland while also chasing his own goals and ditching the Butch name for good.

As one of The Dark Order's last remaining masked members, Preston "10" Vance has been held back for quite some time now.

He was given a handful of chances to shine in 2021 (including in an AEW TNT Championship match against Darby Allin on Dynamite), but 2022 was hardly his year. With Dark Order becoming a non-factor and dwindling in numbers, it was only logical for Vance to break out on his own eventually.

Sure enough, he turned on his Dark Order brethren late last month and proceeded to join forces with Rush and company. The alliance is just getting underway, but Vance being unmasked will allow fans to take him more seriously going forward.

He has the size and look of a potential star, but time will tell whether he'll be able to adapt to an elite level. The way he's been booked since turning heel has been encouraging, though.

After over a year away, Tegan Nox is back where she belongs on SmackDown and is ready to show the world what she can do at long last.

Nox originally joined WWE years ago but saw her momentum routinely ruined by injuries in 2017, 2018 and 2020 respectively. She battled back from every single setback only to be unceremoniously released mere months into her main roster run in late 2021.

Triple H has brought back many talented women's wrestlers from the black-and-gold era of NXT, but Nox may have the best chance of going the farthest in the company.

She's always been excellent in the ring and has a certain presence about her that makes her a natural fan favorite. If WWE continues to allow her to share her story and connect with the audience, she can be a top babyface in the SmackDown women's division in no time.

The energy Willow Nightingale brings to any arena she enters is infectious. Truth be told, it was mind-boggling she didn't receive the elusive "All Elite" graphic sooner than she did.

She was a great asset to Ring of Honor's women's division for as long as she was there and has been a breath of fresh air in AEW's women's division in 2022. She's starting to win more matches and be featured more regularly, which is a big step in the right direction.

AEW boasts plenty of exceptional female talent on its roster, but few have the ceiling for the success that Nightingale does. If the company stays the course with her in 2023, she'll be one of the more prominent players in the division in no time.

The ultimate goal should be for her to dethrone Athena for the ROH Women's World Championship down the line, or to rekindle her rivalry with Jade Cargill and possibly be the one to dethrone her as AEW TBS champ.

Santos Escobar is a sensational talent, not only because of what he's capable of in the ring, but also because of his excellent mic skills and ability to care for himself as a star.

The same can be said for the rest of Legado del Fantasma as well. The group is golden and should be booked as an important act on SmackDown in 2023.

Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro have lost more than they've won up to this point, but Escobar has been well-protected. As the main attraction of the faction, Escobar can use Legado as a vehicle to get him to the top of the card.

Quality matches and promos will go a long way in showcasing his strengths, and already WWE has done a commendable job of that. All he needs now is a notable feud with someone such as Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre or Sheamus to really get him going.

From there, he can set his sights on championship gold, specifically the Intercontinental title.

AR Fox is another individual who recently signed with AEW and doesn't deserve to get lost in the shuffle like so many others before him.

Prior to putting pen to paper, Fox was killing it on AEW's Dark shows as well as across the independent scene. It was a mystery as to why he wasn't locked down to a deal somewhere sooner.

His first two official matches, one being against Death Triangle and the other against Samoa Joe, were contested for championships and he did not disappoint in either show. He more than held his own and his skills shined through.

We haven't seen much in the way of character work from him on AEW TV yet, so establishing an identity for him should be what's next. He's in the upper-echelon of workers in the promotion and can easily be a star with the proper backing.

This entry should be a no-brainer considering how countless fans have long envisioned him as the breakout star of The Street Profits and that time is clearly coming soon.

As entertaining as Street Profits are together, there's truly not much left for them to accomplish as a tandem. If and when they start exploring opportunities in the singles ranks, there's no reason for them to do a formal breakup.

Ford and Angelo Dawkins can remain a unit while Ford also chases the United States Championship. He's gotten himself into spectacular shape this year and would pose a threat to anyone on the Raw roster.

Fans have been waiting to see Ford break out for years, and 2023 will be the year it finally happens. He can be put into any situation right now on his own and he would undoubtedly thrive.

If you want a prime example of what a star-making performance looks like, you must seek out Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jon Moxley from the December 9 edition of Rampage. If Takeshita wasn't a made man before, he is now.

Takeshita was already a known name in Japan, but it wasn't until he debuted for AEW over the summer that he was exposed to an all-new audience. It was rare he was given promo time or the vignette treatment because he typically let his outstanding abilities in the ring do the talking for him.

He hasn't had a single televised match yet in AEW that wasn't above average. Better yet, more fans have taken notice of his work and he's gained a strong following among the AEW faithful.

Being signed to a full-time deal by AEW was the last piece of the puzzle, and now that he has as of last month, he should be given direction and consistent television time on the sooner side.

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.