Throughout 2023, it feels as though fans of any professional wrestling promotion have been exposed to many new faces. From debuts, to returns, to fresh up-and-coming talent, there has been no shortage of new fan favorites across the year. However, here at AOW, we thought it would be good to look ahead a bit to talent that has really burst onto the scene more recently. A mixed bag of new talent and those on the verge of having a breakout year within their respective companies. In today's piece, we will be taking a look at the next generation of wrestlers who are steadily rising through the ranks and could be major players in the future.
Jay Malachi
2023 would see a huge boom for the ever-growing independent promotion, DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling, and within its cast of mainstay talents there was one who seemed to stand out amongst the rest: "The Young OG", Jay Malachi. The 19-year-old competitor has five years of in-ring experience, being the youngest graduate of the Fire Star Pro Wrestling (FSPW) academy at just 14 years old. In his time on the independent scene, Malachi has won the FSPW Heavyweight Championship, FSPW South Eastern Championship, FSPW Tag Team Championship (with Jackson Drake), the DPW Carolina Classic, and the DPW Worlds Championship. The Young OG has also had many standout matches in DPW with the likes of Myron Reed, Calvin Tankman, and Lucky Ali.
Ignoring the obvious springboard cutter finisher similarity, Jay Malachi almost has shades of a young Will Ospreay. An agile high-flyer who also isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and lock into a more physical, hard-hitting match. His energy when he comes out is infectious, and he's a smack-talker who can back what he says up. All of these things have come together to create a fan-favorite wrestler that the big companies could ignore no longer. With Jay Malachi (unofficially at the time of writing this article) now signed to WWE, it is only a matter of time before the rest of the wrestling world is exposed to the brilliance of the Young OG.
Toga
On January 4, 2023, in Korakuen Hall, TJPW announced a new trainee to join their current crop of new wrestlers, Toga. It was also shortly announced afterward that her first match would be against the now four-time Princess of Princess Champion and ace of TJPW, Miyu Yamashita. While Toga was unsuccessful in the match, it was obvious what she was all about and would bring to TJPW. On a roster with mostly smaller and quicker wrestlers, Toga stands out with her height and strength when compared to most others in the promotion. This is notably seen with her patented forearm sending her opponents head-over-heels, and her rock-bottom finisher used to slam her opponents into the mat to finish off matches.
Toga was also able to successfully get her first singles win on September 3rd against her fellow rookie class member, Shino Suzuki, which typically TJPW first singles wins are not easy or quick to achieve. Currently, Toga is in the middle of TJPW's "Next Generation" tournament, where she beat Runa Okubo in the first round and will face Wakana Uehara next in the semi-finals. While she has less than a year of in-ring experience and is still very new to wrestling, in the most recent PWI Awards she was nominated for "Rookie of the Year". This just goes to show how much promise she has and what she could potentially achieve in the wrestling landscape.
Mariah May
At Stardom's Dream Queendom 2022 show, the promotion would be introduced to Mina Shirakawa's new faction: Club Venus. With this new faction, fans would soon come to know the name Mariah May. While she had built up her name on the UK indie scene for the first four years of her career, even getting a tryout with WWE just a few months into her career, it was here in Stardom where May would make a name for herself. Alongside faction leader, Mina Shirakawa, Mariah May would pick up her first title with the company as the duo won the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. Notching nearly 100 matches in less than 10 months with the company, Mariah May would win fans over by showing that she is much more than a pretty face.
May's dedication to learning and understanding the Joshi style during her time in Stardom paid dividends as she swiftly became a very strong worker capable of hanging with the best the company had to offer. If you need any convincing, check her 5 Star Grand Prix matches against Giulia and AZM as well as the Goddesses Title match against Cosmic Angels at Stardom x Stardom 2023. Her blend of charisma inside and out of the ring along with very solid work inside of the squared circle (and a splash of Tanahashi-ism) makes the 25-year-old a very intriguing star to watch over the coming years. Now that she has signed with All Elite Wrestling and has been immediately slotted into a program with newly-crowned Women's Champ, Toni Storm, it is quite apparent that the company already understands the potential Mariah May carries.
Yuma Anzai
In 2023, All Japan Pro Wrestling had a resurgent year where they had a big feud with Pro Wrestling Noah and incredible title reigns from Kento Miyahara, Yuji Nagata, Yuma Aoyagi, and now Katsuhiko Nakajima. Another major part of the year was the rise of rookie Yuma Anzai, who debuted in September 2022 against puro legend Yuji Nagata. Yuji Nagata would go on to be a major part of Yuma's first year, starting with the Real World Tag League at the end of 2022, where they would team together and finish with three wins. In March 2023, Yuma would take part in his first Champion Carnival in All Japan, where he would win three matches over the likes of Takao Omori, Shotaro Ashino, and the eventual Champion Carnival winner, Shotaro Ashino.
In his biggest moment of 2023, and only nine months into his career, it would be announced that Yuma would face Yuji Nagata for the Triple Crown title, the very man he debuted against. Yuma would come up short in the match, but he would put on a determination and heart-filled match against Nagata, where he would also tear his left triceps during the match. Since the Triple Crown match, Yuma has gone on to take part in Noah's N-1, where he would only pick up one win against Manabu Soya. Currently, in All Japan, he is taking part in the Real World Tag League again and is teaming with Ryuki Honda. It is very clear that All Japan has big plans for Yuma Anzai in the future, and it is a safe bet that he will be the face of the company in a few years' time and will lead the promotion into the future.
Gabe Kidd
Beginning his career nearly a decade ago on the British independent scene, Gabe Kidd has come a long way. The 26-year-old joined NJPW in 2019 after Katsuyori Shibata recommended him to higher-ups after watching him in a match against Clark Connors and Karl Fredericks. Since then, Kidd has worked his way up from the NJPW Young Lion system, returning to the promotion from excursion at Dominion 2023. This return would see him and Alex Coughlin attack IWGP Heavyweight Tag champs Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi (otherwise known as Bishamon), as they would form the new Bullet Club sub-unit: Bullet Club War Dogs. Though the pair would unsuccessfully challenge for the titles, they would successfully beat Bishamon for the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship.
Despite that, where Kidd would begin to really show sparks of a bright future was in the G1 Climax 2023. With very strong showings against Kaito Kiyomiya, Yota Tsuji, and Shota Umino, it is clear that the next generation of New Japan as a whole is in good hands. What makes Gabe Kidd so intriguing is that he encapsulates the vibe of a Bullet Club leader to a tee. He's an outright shit-talker who basks in the hate of the fans in attendance, taking cowardly actions like cheating and attacking his opponents before the bell. However, Kidd is more than capable of putting on an impressive match between the ropes. Though he is still a bit raw and can rely on cheap tactics a bit too often at times, it only seems like a matter of time before it all truly clicks for Gabe Kidd. One can only surmise that time is ticking before Gabe Kidd usurps David Finlay for leadership of the Bullet Club.