Pro wrestling is as hot as it has been in years, making 2024 the perfect time for young stars to break out and become legitimate contributors to WWE and All Elite Wrestling television.

And that's exactly what has happened this year.

Some have emerged as legitimate main event-level competitors, while others have seen their stars rise, thanks to strong booking and undeniable connections with fans.

As we enter the second half of the year, relive the first six months of 2024 with this look at the 10 competitors who have broken out and are poised to establish themselves as the future faces of their respective companies moving forward.

Trending Backward

Before we get into the 10 stars who broke out in the first half of 2024, some saw their profiles diminish for one reason or another.

These talented young stars are not at the level they were a year ago or earlier when it appeared they may have been poised for major breakouts.

Austin Theory

A year ago, Theory was still riding the high from defeating John Cena to retain his United States Championship at WrestleMania 39. Fast-forward a year and he just lost the tag team championship and is preparing to feud with his teammate of the last 10 months, Grayson Waller.

It's a step back for a young star who looked ready to conquer the WWE Universe not all that long ago, but it's not one that cannot be erased with strong booking by Triple H and the creative team.

Theory will likely be the babyface in the story and it will up to the chief content officer to present him in a way that makes him appealing to those same fans who have spent the last two years disliking the 26-year-old.

Dante Martin

The high-flying babyface previously enjoyed a significant singles push that saw him looking like the next big thing in AEW. He was allowed the opportunity to mix it up against top stars, secure some big upset victories and build momentum as a popular young star.

While the return of his brother, Darius, and the resumption of the Top Flight tag team was inevitable and a significant compound fracture of his leg necessitated time away from the squared circle, it has never quite felt like management has been able to take advantage of the momentum Dante built for himself in 2022-23.

There was a flash of it again in the ladder match for the TNT Championship at Forbidden Door, but with no real signs of his performance thee being followed up on in any real way, it feels like 2024 may not be his year.

Giovanni Vinci

The competitor most in limbo is Vinci, who entered 2024 as one-third of Imperium with Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser. But following a beatdown at the hands of the latter, he has not appeared on television and is facing a future of creative uncertainty.

We have already seen the 33-year-old repackaged into an Italian playboy of sorts before returning to the Imperium faction that elevated his star in the first place.

Breaking out another new character on SmackDown would seem like another reboot for a performer who cannot really afford one at this point.

A skilled athlete and better worker than he is credited for, Vinci still has plenty of potential to break out in WWE, but it's difficult not to think that 2024 has represented a big step backward for him.

10. Lyra Valkyria

Lyra Valkyria made her main roster debut following the WWE draft and wasted little time breaking out.

The former NXT women's champion earned the attention of fans via her victories over Damage CTRL's Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane while establishing herself as an ally of her friend and idol, Becky Lynch.

The 27-year-old advanced to the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament and was a legitimate contender to win before running into an unstoppable Nia Jax.

Things have cooled down somewhat for the Irish competitor, but she impressed again at Money in the Bank and continued to prove she is one of the faces of the women's division for the future.

A product of Triple H's NXT UK and Shawn Michaels' incarnation of NXT, Valkyria has the right support behind her. It will be up to her to continue proving why she is one of the most gifted pure wrestlers on the women's roster, a trait that will open doors and ensure she continues to break out in 2024.

9. Konosuke Takeshita

Konosuke Takeshita can be the No. 1 entrant on this list, as evidenced by his Match of the Year candidate against Will Ospreay at Revolution in March.

A young star with great strikes, excellent timing and a resume that features matches against Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, MJF and Chris Jericho, he has already proved himself against former world champions.

The issue keeping Takeshita out of that top spot is his booking.

While the 29-year-old has remained a fixture on AEW television, he has been unevenly utilized. He has had the big matches but never wins them. He is not consistently featured in any meaningful way outside of being Don Callis' weekly villain de jour, and it has hurt his ability to build momentum.

Still, the contests he has had in 2024, against Ospreay and Moxley in particular, have reinforced the notion that he is a guy AEW can build around well into the future.

If he continues to bring the quality performances he has to this point through the rest of 2024, he will eventually rise to the upper echelon of stars.

Did Takeshita break out even more in 2024 than he did last year? Sure. Does he belong on this list? Without a doubt, but is it further down the line than expected? Absolutely, though that is something AEW, Tony Khan and the rest of the creative forces can change with a few weeks of solid, consistent booking.

8. Hook

Hook has had an extraordinary 2024 thus far, thanks to booking that has kept him in the same universe as future Hall of Famers such as Samoa Joe and Chris Jericho.

The son of former ECW champion Taz has long had the aura of a future titleholder, but this year has seen his in-ring work and credibility take major jumps.

On the January 17 episode of Dynamite, he battled Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship in a match that was less about establishing the champion and more about putting over the defiant toughness of the young challenger.

From there, the 25-year-old found himself in a feud with Jericho in which he never let himself be fooled by the long-time heel's false promises of mentorship, though he did lose the FTW Championship to him.

Since then, he has partnered with Joe to battle Jericho's Learning Tree in a feud that has not been the hit officials may have hoped it would be, but it has still gone a long way in enhancing Hook's star.

One would have to assume the endgame is for Hook to beat Jericho and win back the title his father introduced to the wrestling world in 1998.

If so, there is little argument to be made against Hook's inclusion on this countdown as he has a greater profile in AEW than a year ago.

7. Daniel Garcia

Daniel Garcia has been one of the most talented young technicians in professional wrestling from the moment he debuted in AEW.

He has also thrived in big-match situations against the company's top stars, including Chris Jericho, Bryan Danielson, Swerve Strickland, Jon Moxley and Adam Cole.

Uneven creative has resulted in start-stop pushes to this point, but he appears poised to go on a run that finally establishes him as a top-tier talent in the company.

Garcia, 25, just stole the show on Dynamite against Will Ospreay in an extraordinary match for the international title. A post-match beatdown from MJF sets him up for a high-profile, high-intensity feud with The Wolf of Wrestling.

While a showdown between him and the former AEW world champion was teased for Wembley Stadium at All In, it may have to wait until after as MJF vs. Ospreay appears to be a more significant match for a show of that magnitude.

Still, make no mistake about it: Garcia is on the brink of being in the same stratosphere as top stars now and, based on his previous performances when allowed to rise to the occasion, there is no reason to believe he won't prove that he belongs there permanently.

6. Trick Williams

Trick Williams came from out of nowhere to become the face of NXT and the star around whom the immediate future of the brand will be built.

Once a former member of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, he emerged as the sidekick to Carmelo Hayes. He looked great, had tremendous athleticism, and pure charisma but was also incredibly green.

Throughout 2023, he worked hard, developed his in-ring skill set and won over fans to the point that his popularity eclipsed that of any other star on the roster.

In the first half of 2024, he broke out big time.

Williams proved himself against Ilja Dragunov, then found himself at the center of a rivalry with Hayes that began months earlier when the egotistical heel attacked him backstage.

Williams beat Hayes in the main event of Stand & Deliver and then bested Dragunov in their rematch to win the NXT Championship.

Though he controversially lost the gold to Ethan Page at Heatwave, Williams is still far and away the face of the brand and the babyface around whom the top of the card will be built.

That he has an incredible connection with the fans, who rain down on him chants of "whoop that trick," only makes it more obvious that he is not only a star here and now but will continue to be a breakout competitor of 2024 through the rest of the year and beyond.

5. Carmelo Hayes

Carmelo Hayes is Him.

The former NXT champion spent the first half of 2024 establishing his presence on SmackDown, where he made a few cameo appearances against Austin Theory and Grayson Waller before returning to the gold brand to combat friend-turned-enemy, Trick Williams.

After wrapping up that program at NXT Stand & Deliver, Hayes became a full-time member of the main roster as one of the top overall picks of the draft.

Since then, the 29-year-old has impressed in matches against Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, proving the dynamic performer belongs in the same ring as those industry giants.

A mini-feud with LA Knight, which appears to exist to keep them in the same universe and set Hayes up as a contender to the United States Championship if and when The Megastar wrests it from Logan Paul.

Hayes captured the attention of fans early in his NXT run, which helped him rise to stardom with that brand, and he's following a similar path on the main roster. More wins would be nice, but he steals the show every time he sets foot inside the squared circle, which is equally as important in terms of keeping fans invested in his work.

A dynamic, charismatic performer who has shined on every stage he has been booked on, look for Hayes' second half of 2024 to be even better than his start to the year.

4. Willow Nightingale

Willow Nightingale belongs in the conversation of best pure babyfaces in wrestling.

A lovable, smiling athlete, she offsets that general pleasantry with a ferocious, intense in-ring style.

Thus far in 2024, she has enjoyed her greatest prominence, thanks to a push that included a TBS Championship victory over Julia Hart at Dynasty and the resumption of her rivalry with Mercedes Moné.

The feud with Moné was essential for Nightingale in that the fans rallied around the uber-positive babyface, throwing their support behind her instead of the incoming star.

The result was a match at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas in which the 30-year-old was every bit as popular, if not more so, than her much higher-profile opponent.

Since then, she has been embroiled in a rivalry with former friend Kris Statlander while making it back to the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament finals for the second year in a row.

Win or lose, it is increasingly obvious that AEW sees a ton of potential in Nightingale, who has risen to the occasion every time she has had to. A great worker with a loveable personality and someone fans of all ages can get behind, she has the potential to be a legitimate star if the company plays its cards right.

3. Mariah May

Mariah May arrived on the scene in AEW on the January 3 episode of Dynamite and has been the centerpiece in one of the company's best ongoing stories since then.

Kicking her run off as an obsessed fan, a la Mickie James in the 2005-6 feud with Trish Stratus in WWE, she settled into the role of underling for women's world champion "Timeless" Toni Storm.

Her desire to impress her idol has always been greater than Storm's care for her, though, as evidenced by the number of times May has been there for the champion despite not always being afforded the same loyalty.

When her former tag team partner and best friend Mina Shirakawa arrived on the scene, May found herself in the middle of a battle for her attention and adoration. At Forbidden Door, though, she brought the feuding sides together for a group hug that seemingly put tensions to rest.

Competing in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament Wednesday on Dynamite, with a shot at the AEW women's title at stake, the 25-year-old finds herself in a position to combat Storm.

Winning the tournament would set her on a collision course with her idol and mentor and, more importantly, propel the storyline forward. With no other obvious opponent for Storm on the horizon, one would assume May is up next.

If so, that feud and championship opportunity would only further elevate the English wrestler's star and push her to the forefront of the women's division more than she already is.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that May will be champion before the end of the year and AEW will have a new star to build its packed women's division around.

2. Tiffany Stratton

Tiffany Stratton embraced the character of a spoiled daddy's girl. She knew exactly how to portray it, which allowed her to rise through the ranks of NXT as quickly as she did and then make an impact on the main roster following her call-up to SmackDown.

The 25-year-old has wasted little time ensuring 2024 would be her breakout year, emerging as one of the final four competitors in January's Royal Rumble and then stealing the show in the women's Elimination Chamber match where she was the clear favorite.

Fast-forward to Backlash in Lyon, France, where she had one of her best in-ring performances alongside Bayley and Naomi in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Women's Championship.

The constant improvement and growing connection with the audience culminated at Money in the Bank when she captured the same-titled briefcase, guaranteeing herself a shot at the women's title when and where she found fit and bringing WWE one step closer to Tiffy Time.

As she moves closer to achieving her goal of striking championship gold, Stratton will only continue to see her stature rise and her importance to the future of the women's division will become more obvious.

An uber-athlete, she has the world of wrestling in her hands and should be a top star for WWE as long as she wants to be.

1. Solo Sikoa

Solo Sikoa has graduated from silent enforcer to self-proclaimed Tribal Chief in a new, more dangerous Bloodline featuring Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Jacob Fatu in 2024.

Once content to stand by the side of Roman Reigns, he assumed leadership of wrestling's most powerful family. In the process, he enhanced his status within WWE and is as prominent as he has ever been in his young career.

Following a pinfall victory over Cody Rhodes in the six-man tag team main event of Money in the Bank, the 31-year-old is poised to challenge The American Nightmare for the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam.

Looking further into the future, he is also set for an inevitable showdown with the returning Reigns for the heart and soul of The Bloodline.

Now the top heel on SmackDown, Sikoa is the clear breakout star of 2024 and someone who figures to be at the top of the card for weeks, months and years to come.