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As a promoter who has a vested interest in finding guys who are going to connect with crowds and have good matches, I wanted to point out 18 more(sometimes I cheat and use tag teams or groups)up and coming guys with typically 1-2 years experience or less that I have my eye on and that I think other promoters, wrestlers, and fans should take notice of.
This list is not any kind of official ranking. It's one man's opinion(mine). I'm sure there's people I've left off that deserve recognition and there's probably people on this list that won't go further than they are. I'd love to hear from you about others that I may have forgotten. One of my goals in making these lists is to make people who are "in the know" take notice of people they aren't familiar with.
In no particular order:
1. Donnie Uptown - Charisma galore! This guy can dance and more importantly, he's finding himself as a wrestler. He's a small bodied guy with abs who spent some time as a ring announcer and can regularly be found at Chattanooga's TWE. He recently did ring announcing for me at the SCI Futures Showcase Tournament but it's only a matter of time hopefully before he gets worked in to the in-ring action.
2. Mr. Brickster - Nashville based, chiseled bodied, former reality show star(Romance on VH1's I Love New York) that looks like a star and has the drive to put in the work to continuously get better. He legitimately has Lex Luger as a mentor and trains with Kerry Awful in Middle Tennessee so he has a diverse upbringing into wrestling. He's starting to be featured at Nashville's Southern Underground Pro - and he'll continue to branch out from there. He competed in this year's Scenic City Futures Showcase Tournament.
3. Kerry Morton - ANOTHER Morton wrestling in Tennessee? Yep!... but this one is Ricky's son. I've been told he's been an active part in helping with the training at the School of Morton and I would venture to guess he'll be branching out soon. He's been working some matches with his dad against the top guys at SOM, Luscious Lawrence and Maverick - both of whom have a ton of potential themselves and probably deserve their own spot on this list.
4. Lee Johnson - Plain name but exciting potential as an Atlanta based WWA4 trainee who has an amateur background. Imagine a Fred Yehi and AR Fox hybrid. He's just a year into his training and has recently started trying to travel a little. When he puts it all together, he's going to be a name you remember if he decides to put the work in.
5. Habersham Heat(Scott Mayson & Austin Jordan) - Jeremy Vain's APW in Royston, GA is the perfect place for young guys to learn their craft before branching out for bigger opportunities. There's veterans there and a lively crowd that actually had a man jump Jordan from behind recently, only to find out what it felt like to be pummeled by Mayson. These young guys know how to stir a crowd up and it will be interesting to see what they do as singles and as a tag team. Jordan also competed in the Scenic City Futures Showcase Tournament.
6. Leon Ruff - WWA4 guy who travels with AR Fox. Enough said, right? He's super athletic and fun to watch. He's already out there networking and when he begins creating his own identity, it'll be a lot of fun.
7. Movie Myk - This Carolinas guy has the entertainment part down of Sports Entertainment. When the Sports part catches up, he'll be even more fun to watch. He's wrestling Arik Cannon for Showtime Championship Wrestling in Wisconsin in a couple of weeks so he's already getting out there.
8. Patrick Scott - Another Carolinas guy. This guy has a great look and a lot of athleticism and personality. I'm really interested to see how he develops. He's yet another really exciting up and comer associated with PWX.
9. Bobby Flaco - Flaco is a tiny guy that's fearless and has tons of personality to mix in with some of his lucha style. He and Kavron Kanyon have been entertaining crowds as the Rednexicans. He recently debuted at Action Wrestling in Tyrone, GA.
10. Kevin Ryan - This Alabama guy doesn't have a lot of size but everyone talks about his heart. He's young (to the point he turned down a booking this year to attend his prom) but he is a guy that a lot of my peers are saying good things about.
11. Jordan Kingsley - Talented newcomer who's been working more and more shows. He's also got a lot of athleticism and has been announced as being a part of the new Southern Honor Wrestling that debuts soon on Fridays in Canton, GA.
12. Mickey Midas - The OTHER half of The Brotherhood tag team with Myron Reed. Reed has gotten some higher profile bookings as a single at this point but Midas already has at least one tour of Mexico under his belt and is equally as gifted athletically as Reed.
13. James Bandy - Bandy has some size to him but also has a lot of athleticism. He's Atlanta based and coming more and more into his own recently with some good matches at Action Wrestling.
14. Xander Morgan - This Alabama guy has some size and strength to go with his developing ability. He is garnering praise from several people for his start at Southern Legacy Wrestling and is a guy that looks the part.
15. Dawson Devine - Another Alabama guy that looks the part. He's a Pro South(Piedmont, AL) guy that's off to an impressive start.
16. Hoss Michaels - Georgia guy who also competes at Royston and has recently joined the Cult of Cash at Anarchy as Chop Top. He has potential and is a guy that I've heard has been improving a lot recently.
17. Adam Priest - dynamite in a small package competitor who is also Alabama based. He earned a spot in the 2018 Scenic City Rumble by being the standout of a Joey Mercury seminar.
18. Brian Pillman Jr - the Kentucky based son of a superstar gone too soon, and the Rip Rogers trainee is venturing out more and more after overcoming an injury. He'll get a foot in the door with his name but he's putting in the work to be more than just that name. He has an exciting opportunity to work with Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr(Harry) at MLW.
I encourage everyone to look these guys up!
Thanks for reading - Questions? Comments?
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