Predicting the Breakout AEW and WWE Stars in 2026

Every year in professional wrestling, new stars emerge to tell the defining stories of a business that never slows down.

As 2025 winds down, questions begin to mount for what fans can expect in 2026, especially when there is so much talent waiting for an opportunity.

Could 2026 be the year where Bron Breakker or Carmelo Hayes fully break out? Will Hook or Daniel Garcia find that missing piece to make them household names?

WWE and All Elite Wrestling want these names and many more to make the most of their opportunities, but only so many stars can pull off that breakout.

The following are the names that most stand out to make that breakout in WWE and AEW in 2026.

Few men have been labelled the future of the business more often since 2021 than Bron Breakker.

He was the first man presented when NXT rebranded to its 2.0 version, defeating LA Knight in less than four minutes.

His NXT run was largely a success, holding two NXT Championships for an impressive 424 days along with a fun run with the NXT Tag Team Championships over 55 days alongside Baron Corbin.

He did not easily translate to the main roster, taking a while to find his footing. Two reigns with the Intercontinental Championship helped him.

However, nothing was more important to Breakker than pairing up with Paul Heyman. Since joining The Vision, he has become one of the most destructive forces in WWE.

He still stands in the shadow of Seth Rollins for now, but 2026 is likely to be when he starts truly matching up to the biggest names in the business.

He took out Roman Reigns at SummerSlam to set up a huge singles match with The OTC. Brock Lesnar and Rollins may even be in his future as Heyman must choose between his clients.

It would not be a surprise if Breakker wins a world title in 2026 and becomes the new face of Raw or SmackDown.

Daniel Garcia declared he would become one of the greats in AEW when he re-signed with AEW in October 2024.

While he started strong by winning the TNT Championship, he spent much of the year trying to figure out where he fit on the roster.

He only seemed to figure it out in September when he turned on Darby Allin to join The Death Riders, becoming Jon Moxley's new project.

Whatever happens next, Red Death heads into 2026 with a much better foundation as a rising heel connected to AEW's best established group.

Where can this lead Garcia? All signs point to him rising further up the ranks, perhaps becoming Mox's top lieutenant in his battle for AEW's soul.

He will remain in conflict with Allin, "Hangman" Adam Page, Samoa Joe, Will Ospreay and more who will push him in the ring and outside of it.

As long as Moxley can help him take that next step as a promo, Garcia could soon be seen as one of the true pillars of AEW going forward.

While many struggle in their transition to the main roster, Lyra Valkyria has thrived since her NXT Women's Championship reign ended at Stand & Deliver 2024 and she got drafted to Raw.

The Valkyrie became the inaugural women's intercontinental champion and made a name for herself especially through her feud with Becky Lynch.

In some ways, Valkyria has already broken through, but she remains outside of the world title picture, passed up by Stephanie Vaquer on Raw, who left NXT months after she did.

What will help The Valkyrie take that final step to the top picture in the women's championship scene? She may just need an image boost.

Valkyria is still not someone presented on WWE's main posters and is working more of an elevated mid-card role in a rising feud with Bayley.

This story could help her become one of those names people bring up first in the women's division if her character works grows in tandem with The Role Model's fresh persona.

Bayley knows what it means to be on top of the business, but she has also fallen down the ranks many times. If anyone can help The Valkyrie find what she is missing, it's The Role Model.

When two of the Four Horsewomen have put their time into elevating a female wrestler, it's only a matter of time before she fully breaks out.

While Willow Nightingale first starting working in AEW in 2021, she was officially signed in October of 2022.

Since that time, she has established herself as the heart of the women's division, an unabashed babyface who can work with anyone.

She won the women's Owen Hart Foundation tournament in 2023 and the TBS Championship in April of 2024.

However, it still feels like she has not had a defining reign in AEW, waiting her turn to shine.

Kris Statlander is the latest breakout star in AEW after winning the Women's World Championship at All Out then turning on The Death Riders on the Dynamite that followed.

Willow should also get her time with the Women's World Championship, but that may not come soon, even with her former friend and rival holding the gold.

What may be more vital to her breakout is Willow's interest in intergender wrestling. AEW has mostly avoided intergender wrestling, but Willow and Marina Shafir were able to join Anarchy in the Arena, the first women to do so.

Jon Moxley has sold for and wrestled against Willow in mixed tag action, and she has now stepped up to FTR on behalf of Beth Copeland.

Willow may genuinely break down the gender barriers in AEW and become a defining star beyond pure championship success.

Giulia's arrival in WWE at NXT No Mercy 2024 set the stage for a new top name to enter a stacked women's division.

She quickly captured the NXT Women's Championship before she was called up to the main roster where she won the Women's United States Championship.

She still holds that title, approaching 100 days with the gold, but she has not found a strong rival to elevate her on the SmackDown roster.

Given her history in Stardom and Marigold, Giulia has the potential to be a top name in the business.

WWE simply has not given her the platform to prove it. If she continues to run with the women's US title, she will need an established name as a rival, especially by WrestleMania season.

While WWE has struggled to define the hierarchy in the SmackDown women's division, Giulia stands out as a name that needs to be highlighted more.

She could easily be one of the top world title challengers in 2026, and if she delivers at the highest level as she did in Japan, she will become one of the company's most important female stars.

No one has burst onto the scene in AEW quite like Thekla. Her unique style and energy has made her an instant top woman, even if the booking is still lagging behind.

The Poison Spider could have been the woman to dethrone "Timeless" Toni Storm, but she will need to go after Kris Statlander now to take the Women's World Championship.

Of all the top heels in the women's division, Thekla comes off most clearly as the one to watch in 2026.

She has the speed and ferocity in the ring to deliver at the highest level. She has delivered so far with limited mic time but will need more.

At a time when the AEW women's division has never been better, it will take a confident reliance on stars like Thekla to keep the momentum going.

Jacob Fatu arrived with immediate excitement on the June 21, 2024, edition of SmackDown, laying out Randy Orton, Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes.

Since then, he has impressed in the ring and gotten through his natural charisma, but he has awaited a real opportunity.

His United States Championship victory was over too soon, but WWE has put the focus on him even more since, including the start of a rivalry with Drew McIntyre.

Fatu vs. McIntyre is likely the story that will push The Samoan Werewolf into the main event scene in 2026.

How far he climbs is likely just down to how fast WWE is willing to push him. The crowd already loves him, and he has the talent to make the most of the opportunities he is given.

It would not be a shock if he was the one to dethrone Cody Rhodes as undisputed WWE champion.

The Don Callis Family has a few strong contenders for breakout years. Kyle Fletcher arguably already broke out with his show-capping spectacle match with "Hangman" Adam Page at All Out.

Josh Alexander is continuing to push his way up the card while carrying forward a strong legacy from his time in TNA.

Hechicero is getting over more than anyone could have expected from the AEW-CMLL partnership, helped by his wild technical style and Callis' memorable introductions.

Beyond all the other options, though, Konosuke Takeshita is on an astronomical rise. He won the G1 Climax in 2025 but has yet to cash in that opportunity for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

He is also in conflict with unified champion Kazuchika Okada, which could lead to the two stablemates colliding soon, perhaps connected to the 2025 Continental Classic.

It is hard to tell if The Alpha will fully break out just at the end of 2025 or at the start of 2026, but once Takeshita has arrived, he will be one of the top men in AEW.

A likely face turn will help in that regard, taking him to a spot where he can genuinely stand in the spots that Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland have taken while they heal up.

By the time both men recover, though, The Alpha is unlikely to relinquish his place among AEW's true elite. He might even be the ace of NJPW at the same time if he wins the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.