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2019 has been a great year for professional wrestling. The introduction of All Elite Wrestling seems to have infused new life into a business which has been dominated by WWE for the last two decades.
From AEW making huge waves with every passing day to promotions like IMPACT, ROH and MLW putting on quality shows on a weekly basis, there hasn't been a better time to be a wrestling fan. In addition to all of that, NJPW has been making huge inroads outside of its home base by holding events in The UK, Australia, and The US.
With so much wrestling happening around the world, there have a few stars who have caught the attention of wrestling fans worldwide.
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We have already seen Superstars like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Marty Scrull and Kazuchika Okada achieve superstardom and prove that you don't have to be WWE Superstar in order to succeed in the wrestling business.
Here are five non-WWE wrestlers whom you need to watch out for in 2019:
#5 Dalton Castle
One of the charismatic Superstars in Ring of Honor, Dalton Castle is a former ROH World Champion. Castle started his wrestling journey in 2009 in Rochester, New York in a promotion called Next Era Wrestling.
Castle has also worked for promotions like Chikara and TNA/IMPACT. He signed with ROH in 2013 and has been a staple of the promotion ever since.
Castle defeated Cody at Final Battle 2017 to capture the ROH World Championship. He would hold onto the title for the next six months before dropping it to Jay Lethal in July 2018. Castle suffered a series of major injuries while he was the ROH World Champion which was one of the major reasons why he dropped the title to Lethal.
Castle lost to RUSH in a matter of seconds at the G1 SuperCard at Madison Square Garden in April. After the match, Castle turned heel by attacking his Boys (two masked men who accompany Castle to the ring during his matches).
Castle's character of a flamboyant showman is reminiscent of Superstars of yesteryears like Ric Flair and Gorgeous George.
With several big names like Cody, SCU and The Young Bucks leaving ROH, we expect to see more of Dalton Castle on ROH TV.
Castle is one of those Superstars who has a great character and is an equally adept in-ring performer, a quality rarely seen in today's generation.
#4 Jeff Cobb
After a successful career in amateur wrestling which included representing his native country, Guam, in the 2004 Olympics, Jeff Cobb made his professional wrestling debut in 2009.
Cobb got his big break while working for Lucha Underground, where he worked from 2015 to 2018, under the ring Matanza Ceuto.
He won the Lucha Underground Championship in his very first match and would remain undefeated in the promotion for a long time before losing to Rey Mysterio.
Cobb currently works for PWG, ROH and New Japan where he is the current PWG World Champion and the former ROH World Television and IWGP Never Openweight Champion.
Despite his huge size, Cobb is a very athletic performer and can pull off some gritty aerial moves.
Cobb is one of the busiest wrestlers on the independent scene today and 2019 is shaping up to be a great year for the Hawaiian-native.
#3 Tessa Blanchard
Tessa Blanchard, is without a doubt, one of the best woman wrestlers in the world today. A third-generation wrestler, Tessa is the daughter of Tully Blanchard and the step-daughter of Magnum TA. Blanchard is one of the top stars in IMPACT and her match against Gail Kim at IMPACT's Rebellion pay-per-view was one of the best matches of 2019.
Blanchard is a former IMPACT Knockouts Champion and is someone whom the company has big plans for. She is currently feuding with Sami Callihan and the duo are currently scheduled to face off against one another at IMPACT'S upcoming pay-per-view, Slammiversary.
In addition to being a great in-ring performer, Blanchard is equally great on the microphone and is someone who catches your attention from the get-go. Apart from IMPACT, Blanchard also works for AAA and Women of Wrestling (WOW), where she is the reigning WOW World Champion.
#2 Hangman Page
Adam 'Hangman' Page had been under the shadows of his fellow Elite members like Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks for a long time.
Despite being a part of the most talked-about stable in wrestling, Page never really became a main event star during his time in New Japan and Ring of Honor. He was a good hand in the ring and couldn't get past the upper mid-card in both these promotions.
Page was one of the first Superstars to have signed with AEW and from the looks of it, he is going to be a major player in the company.
Although his match against PAC at Double or Nothing being pulled off the card at the last minute was a huge damper, Page's appearance in the Casino Battle Royale and him winning the match more than made up for it.
He is scheduled to face off against Chris Jericho for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at ALL OUT on August 31.
It is safe to say, at the moment, that Page is the overwhelming favorite to win his match against Jericho and become the inaugural AEW World Champion.
Hangman Page is one of the most talented wrestlers on the planet and someone who is going to carry the AEW brand for the foreseeable future.
#1 Maxwell Jacob Freidman (MJF)
One of the major criticism of the modern-day wrestling has been the blurring of lines between heel and babyface. In today's day and age where social media has become an integral part of our lives, it is impossible for wrestlers to stay in character while they are outside the squared circle.
There have only been a select few who have been able to keep the mystique of their in-ring character alive in the age of social media and MJF is one of them.
The AEW star was one of the MVP of Double or Nothing. His antics during the pre-show Casino Battle Royale was truly outstanding and his promo belittling Bret Hart during the main show was one of the best heel promos in recent memory.
MJF's cocky heel persona combined with his penchant for ridiculing people is something that catches your attention immediately, plus he is one of the biggest trolls on social media, which only adds to his persona.
One of the brightest young upstarts in the business, MJF'S stock is only going to rise in the coming months once AEW moves to TNT. The 23-year old is one of the best heels in the business and is destined for great things inside the squared circle.
