Age continues to be nothing but a number for Chris Jordan as 2018 saw “The Genuine Article” deliver more great performances. Primarily working in MIW, Jordan seems to be making it a point to work regularly with the young up-and-coming talent and the scene has benefited from it, particularly in his feud with Scott Story and Tomahawk Kid as proxy for Pete Huge in MIW. Jordan has taken occasional bookings elsewhere this year and can well against anyone he faces. While he dropped a bit in the rankings with an influx of young talent, 20 is also just a number for one of the best pure wrestling talents in Minnesota.
(Photo: Effie Stop)
Since making his surprise debut at F1rst Wrestling’s Rock Fest event, Sebastian Taylor has quickly become a regular on the Showtime and MAW roster. After suffering a number of setbacks on his way to graduating from The Academy, The Scene has exploded. Continuing to wrestle for F1RST and joining Lore and Darin Corbin in Heavy On Wrestling to form Settle for Nothing, 2019 is shaping up to be even bigger with a potential confrontation between the group and Sting at Heavy On’s FortuneBaynia 2 this Summer. The fact that he’s already being trusted by promoters to be in that type of prominent spot goes to show just how good this rising Scene already is.
(Photo: Knocked Out Entertainment)
Kal Creed continues to quietly put together one of the best resumes in the Midwest. A Tag Champion in both Pro Wrestling Battleground and Futures Clash and Heavyweight Champion in Showtime, Kal Creed was a gold standard bearer in 2018. The Suplexing Superman made appearances for F1rst Wrestling this summer as well as RCCW in Wisconsin. Along with the split bill of Showtime’s schedule his ranking presumably takes a hit from his regular schedule across the river, but Creed has certainly established himself as one of the top young stars in Minnesota and a trusted source of quality matches wherever he’s worked.
(Photo: Knocked Out Entertainment)
Another member of the second class of graduates coming out of The Academy, Kyle Pro has really come into his own in 2018. He’s continued to be involved in long-running feuds with The Firm in Showtime Championship Wrestling and had some impressive performances against the likes of Orin Veidt and Ryan Cruz in Midwest All-Star Wrestling and regular showings in Steel Domain Wrestling. He became the Showtime Championship Wrestling Future Clash Champion over the summer, marking the first championship of his young career. His clean in-ring work and willingness to get on the road and learn from new locker rooms may help him claim a loftier stake on this list in 2019.
(Photo: Trigger Happy Kitty)
Kara first showed up on our radar when participating in a seminar in early 2016 in the metro and has never stopped impressing. Easily outclassing the men in the seminar, she picked things up at a rapid pace and was always willing to jump in and take more reps. Last year she hadn’t made her debut in the voting period, but we put her in one of the banners while she reffed for Showtime Championship Wrestling. This year we saw her usher in the next generation of women’s wrestling in Minnesota. Starting in February, she competed against Leva Bates at Heavy On Wrestling’s No Love Lost event for their first Women’s Championship Match. She’s had great matches with the likes of Rylie Jackson, Brooke Valentine, JDX, Vanessa Azure, Sierra, and Marti Belle as well as becoming a fixture at IL promotion Kaiju Attack Wrestling. She is set to take on NWA and Heavy On Wrestling’s Womens Champion Jazz in February.
(Photo: Effie Stop)
WRESTLING 