6 Wrestlers That Deserve To Be The Stars Of Summer 2022

Summer is here and wrestling is getting hotter than ever, with the impending change of age ratings on WWE RAW, as well as the build towards AEW’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year, All Out. With so many wrestlers either out with injury or tending to their part-time schedules, there’s plenty of room for fresher faces to take the stage and steal the summer.

2022 has already seen some unexpected wrestlers step up in a huge way, and with so many eyes now on the product, it’s time for them to take advantage of the buzz and ascend to the next level. This year could be the start of a new era in wrestling should the major players start dealing their cards right.

So let’s run down some wrestlers that deserve to become major players over the course of the summer season. These wrestlers will be from both WWE and AEW’s extensive rosters, three from each brand, just so we’re playing fair.

 

 1. Riddle

‘The Original Bro’ has been killing it as one of WWE’s top babyfaces in 2022. His partnership with Randy Orton has elevated him to main-event status, going as far as being in a championship bout against ‘The Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns. Riddle has been on fire both in the ring and outside of it, so if there’s ever a time for WWE to pull the trigger on a fully-fledged new hero, then it’s now.

Riddle has been able to connect with fans of all demographics, children and adult fans are screaming the word ‘Bro’ whenever Riddle hits the stage. Now, it’s likely that WWE will eventually pull the fast one on us and have ‘The Viper’ turn his back on his former unlikely BFF, as goes all friendships in pro wrestling. If WWE are serious about pushing Riddle, then that’s your time to solidify him with a major victory over a veteran star.

In the meantime, Riddle is scheduled to wrestle Seth Rollins at SummerSlam at the end of the month. Rollins is equally firing on all cylinders at the moment so this should be one heck of a match. Riddle absolutely needs the win here, giving him that extra bit of momentum to carry him through the rest of the summer and into superstardom.

 

2. Eddie Kingston

The cold-hearted Eddie Kingston has been one of AEW’s MVPs since debuting in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Kingston has since become one of AEW’s top babyface stars, blurring the lines between a hero and a sadistic villain, taking on some of the company’s very best in the likes of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley and Miro. Unfortunately for Eddie, he’s yet to pick up any championship gold but has done more than enough to warrant a run in the near future with at least the TNT Championship.

Kingston is set to compete against his rival, Chris Jericho, in a barbed-wire deathmatch at Fyter Fest’s second week. This will hopefully set Kingston up for a pop at one of AEW’s champions during the course of the summer, maybe even in time for All Out in Chicago, which would be a massive career highlight for Eddie.

Eddie has spilled blood and conducted some of the most intensely emotional promos we’ve seen in wrestling for many years, give this man a shot at the top spot and watch him make money.

 

 3. Rey Mysterio

If anyone deserves to have a mighty summer in 2022, it’s Rey Mysterio, who’s celebrating his 20th anniversary with WWE on next week’s episode of RAW. Since returning in 2018, Mysterio hasn’t really hit the pinnacle of the twilight of his in-ring career, as the best he’s really achieved is an already-forgotten tag championship run with his son Dominik. Rey could have easily scored at least one more major title win, rather than just being the token veteran on the card.

With the feud against Judgment Day likely coming to a head at SummerSlam, Rey could do with a big victory over a big player like Finn Balor to give him a bit of a boost up the card. It seems that WWE are leaning towards him and Dom having some sort of Father-Son spat in the near future, so maybe this could be one of WWE’s top feuds coming into the latter half of the summer?

Mysterio’s 20th year with WWE should absolutely be given the same pageantry as if they were to do the same for a guy like John Cena. He’s undoubtedly a legend and probably one of the most-able of the signed vets who can still hang. So let’s see a bit more Rey-Rey shall we?

 

4. PAC

AEW’s inaugural All-Atlantic Champion, ‘The Bastard’ PAC, has done more than enough during his active stint on the AEW roster to deserve a successful summer. Already, PAC has scored a successful defence against NJPW standout, Shota Umino, as part of RevPro’s visit to Sheffield. This was a huge draw for the BritWres promotion and even made it onto the live broadcast of Dark, really elevating the external company as well as the title itself.

If we’re to assume that the All-Atlantic title will be defended across the globe in a variety of different promotions, then PAC could easily become one of the most talked about champions in wrestling today. By partnering with the likes of RevPro, NJPW and other promotions like PROGRESS, AEW could open the door to new breakout stars in time for 2023.

PAC is a great champion to represent the company and also put the All-Atlantic title on the map. He’s been on the cusp of great success since debuting with the company in time for their first round of shows, this is a long overdue run for ‘The Bastard’.

 

5. Gunther

The current Intercontinental Champion, Gunther, has been making some waves on SmackDown Live. There’s definitely a reason to believe that WWE see something in the former longest-reigning UK Champion, and considering how much of a dramatic physical change Gunther has undergone since debuting on the main roster, he absolutely deserves all the success coming his way.

‘The Ring General’ is seemingly being put into a feud with Shinsuke Nakamura, which judging by their match during the most recent UK tour, we’re definitely in for a treat if it makes it to pay-per-view. Gunther will likely walk away with the win in this feud, much like he did against Ricochet, but by cementing himself as a solid in-ring hand who can put together exciting title matches will only bode well for his impending future.

Gunther is easily one of the most talked about and fun aspects of SmackDown right now, so let’s hope that he continues to ride that wave of success rather than going down the route of becoming the generic foreign monster heel that loves to hate America.

 

6. Jon Moxley

So this may be a bit of a given, but I personally think that Jon Moxley deserves one of the best championship runs of his career in 2022. Technically, Mox isn’t a ‘true’ AEW Champion right now, only interim, but I think the world is willing to consider him the most vital cog on the AEW roster nonetheless. After defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door in what was an excellent display of pro wrestling, Moxley has gone on to defend his interim title against House of Black’s Brody King, putting the spotlight on him in a big way.

Moxley’s tenure so far has made the most of his star attraction value, keeping the AEW Championship prestigious in CM Punk’s absence. Now, rumours are that Punk will be out for a little longer than originally expected, so with Mox at the helm once again, he deserves to once again be looked to as the leader of the brand. With the Blackpool Combat Club stable now behind him, this could make for a really interesting championship run, perhaps leaning into heel territory a little more than before.

Mox will certainly have a big match on his hands come All In, but before then he should have more of these exhibition title matches to keep interest high and allow Moxley to continue to show off the fact that he’s one of the best brawlers in the business.

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