Professional wrestling relies heavily on nostalgia. Sometimes it just can't be helped. We all remember when we fell in love with the over-the-top theatrics, crowd participation and embellished action that only wrestling can offer.
That era of sports entertainment often becomes our favorite because we look back on it so fondly. Honestly, it's hard not to view the media through the rose-colored glasses of our youth. It was still new, and we could still easily suspend disbelief.
Is it any wonder why many companies continuously bring back the wrestlers that captured our imaginations? Nevertheless, it's still important to create new names and reach new fans.
In that regard, the industry is in good hands as the newest crop of stars and up-and-comers are primed to be the future of WWE and All Elite Wrestling. Let's look at the top 10 WWE and AEW Stars Under the age of 30.
As Shotzi Blackheart, the Filipino American star made a name for herself with indie wrestling promotions like Rise, SHIMMER, Shine, Pro-Wrestling: EVE, and Evolve. In 2019, she joined WWE and brought her devil may care attitude and audacious in-ring style to the black-and-gold brand.
Her infectious energy and unique style made her a fan favorite as she went on to become the 2020 NXT Breakout Star of the Year. In March, she and Ember Moon upset Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez to win the brand's women's tag title on the night they were established.
Recently, the 29-year-old made the jump to SmackDown, where she simply goes by Shotzi. Her latest appearance proved that she's still surprisingly popular.
9. Carmelo Hayes
When WWE signed Christian Casanova in February, anyone who has seen him wrestle could tell he was bound to succeed. As Carmelo Hayes, he has already had several memorable moments on NXT.
In the June 22 episode, the 27-year-old paid homage to John Cena's iconic debut when he challenged Adam Cole to a match. Later, he entered and won the 2021 Breakout Tournament.
He has already become a fixture on NXT 2.0 and used his contract to challenge for the North American Championship. On Oct. 12, he effectively turned heel and defeated a prone Isaiah "Swerve" Scott for the title.
The Pride of New England has already vowed to make the mid-card title the "A-Championship." Still, it's only a matter of time before he claims the brand's top prize. After all, he doesn't miss.
Jungle Boy was earmarked to be a sensational signing for AEW since its first year. So far, he has exceeded expectations as one of the company's most popular new stars.
Straight away, he seems instrumental to its vision of pro wrestling where there is no cruiserweight division and smaller guys can thrive. If you doubt just how over the 24-year-old star is, go back and watch the closing sequence of the Casino Battle Royale.
At Double or Nothing, Jungle Boy eliminated Christian Cage and earned the right to challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship. Although he was unsuccessful, the real-life son of Luke Perry produced a strong showing.
On June 23, he became the first AEW wrestler to win 50 matches days after his loss to The Best Bout Machine.
7. Kris Statlander
Krist Statlander helped to reinvigorate AEW's women's division in November 2019. In the following year, The Galaxy's Greatest Alien went on a dominant run before she suffered a knee injury over the summer.
On March 31, the 26-year-old made her surprise return to Dynamite to help Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends. Statlander quickly climbed the rankings and entered the title picture again. At All Out, she delivered a phenomenal match against Britt Baker, but she was unable to unseat the reigning champion.
Nevertheless, the former IWTV Independent Wrestling World champion is no stranger to winning gold. In fact, she was the first and only woman to win the aforementioned title, which is recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Kay Lee Ray may not be as well known among mainstream fans, but the Scottish wrestler has already accomplished so much for her age. The 29-year-old has notably won championship gold with ICW, Pro-Wrestling: EVE, and NXT UK.
Ray is the longest-reigning NXT UK women's champion. Her tenure was sadly overshadowed by the outbreak of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the accomplishment undoubtedly earned her a spot on the PWI Women's 150, where she landed at No. 17.
Earlier this year, the tenacious all-rounder took part in two incredible matches with Meiko Satomura. The Final Boss ended her 649-day reign in their second encounter, and she recently joined NXT.
5. Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley is the second NXT UK alum to make our list. The brand's inaugural women's champion illustrated that she had a bright future during her appearances in the Mae Young Classic in 2017 and 2018.
The Nightmare had a breakout year in 2019 as she led her team to a victory in the first-ever women's WarGames match. On the following night, the 25-year-old secured a win for NXT in the 5-on-5-on-5 women's elimination match at Survivor Series.
To cap off the year, Ripley dethroned Shayna Baszler to become the first woman to win both the NXT and NXT UK women's titles. At WrestleMania 36, she stepped on to The Grandest Stage of All as the only champion from the brand to defend their mantle in the history of the event.
Charlotte Flair bested her, but she returned to the main roster a year later as one of the final two in the 2021 women's Royal Rumble match. Bianca Belair stood stall on that night, but Ripley made her way back to WrestleMania and defeated Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship.
The Aussie is one-half of the WWE women's tag team champions with Nikki A.S.H.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman has claimed his place as one of the four pillars of AEW. The company's odious Burberry scarf-wearing loudmouth is undeniably the best heel on the roster.
MJF is a fantastic talker and a convincing antagonist in a day and age in which it's tough to get wrestling fans to jeer its intended bad guy. Even more, he has proved that he can go, claiming victories over top names like Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho.
The two-time champion also went on an undefeated streak in 2019 ahead of his AEW world title match with Jon Moxley. Mox ultimately won and handed the 25-year-old his first loss, but he had to go back on his word and use the Paradigm Shift to seal the deal.
3. Darby Allin
Darby Allin has been one of AEW's surprising success stories. His rise to the top is a testament to the company's ability to develop new stars.
In his first year, the straight-edge wrestler quickly showed that he could hang with the likes of Rhodes and Moxley. The 28-year-old defeated The American Nightmare for the TNT Championship at Full Gear 2020.
His run with the title produced some captivating television matches. The Invisible Man showed some real heart and determination as champion all the way up to his last defense against Miro. The Bulgarian Brute walked away with a win, but Allin fought hard throughout their showdown.
The punk rock daredevil can also boast that he took CM Punk to the limit in the latter's first match in seven years at All Out. He even managed to elicit dueling chants in the returning hero's hometown.
Pete Dunne hasn't held championship gold in a while. However, he made it this high on our list because he was one of the most dominant champions in the modern era.
His run as the second NXT UK champion will go down in history. The Bruiserweight truly legitimized the title after he wrested it away from Tyler Bate at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. Their critically acclaimed bout at the event was easily one of the best matches of 2017.
WALTER eventually eclipsed his 685-day reign, but the 27-year-old was a fighting flagbearer for his brand. His record-setting 20 defenses produced top-notch matches with a who's who list from the British indie wrestling scene.
Even more, he defended his prize at other promotions like Progress, ICW, UCW, and FutureShock. At the height of his success, Dunne was essentially the face of BritWres.
The third member of British Strong Style also enjoyed a short-lived pairing with Matt Riddle. The BroserWeights won the 2020 men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Then, the hodgepodge duo beat The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championship at TakeOver: Portland. Unfortunately, travel restrictions cut their run short.
Nevertheless, Dunne is in impeccable shape, and he has to be one of the favorites to face Tommaso Ciampa for "goldie."
Sasha Banks is possibly the greatest women's wrestler of her era. As such, she was an easy pick for the top star under 30.
It's kind of hard to believe the youngest member of The Four Horsewomen is still in her 20s, as she has already made history on several occasions. Her title bout with Bayley from NXT TakeOver: Respect is the most influential women's match of the past decade.
The Legit Boss is a pioneer as one of the first women to compete in Hell in a Cell match. The 29-year-old and Alexa Bliss were also the first two women to wrestle in Abu Dhabi. Later, she and her longtime rival and friend helped to reintroduce women's tag team wrestling to a mainstream audience as WWE's inaugural champions.
Last but not least, Banks and Bianca Belair broke the glass ceiling as the first Black women to face off in the main event of WrestleMania. The feat granted them an ESPY for the Best WWE Moment of 2021.
The third WWE women's grand slam champion earned the sixth spot on this year's PWI Women's 150. The publication also named her Woman of the Year in 2015 and one-half of the Tag Team of the Year along with Bayley in 2020.
The Blueprint has already had a prolific career, but her appearances on The Mandalorian cemented her status as a megastar. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that she has proved to be one of WWE's top draws.
