Published: 11 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 11 hours ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
AEW
Nick Wayne lost his necklace on this week’s AEW Dynamite thanks to Chris Jericho, but what’s the plan for “The Prodigy” beyond that?
The September 16 episode of Dynamite marked the fourth match for Nick Wayne on the AEW show this year, with no victories to date.
This isn’t to say he’s been completely absent from AEW television, having also competed on Collision and featuring in the World Championship number one contendership gauntlet at All In: London and the International Championship number one contendership six-way ladder match at Redemption back in July.
Wins, however, have not been a regular feature in the record of The Prodigy, and it does beg the question: What’s the plan for Nick Wayne?
Tap Back Into The Matriarchy
Offered a contract in February 2022, Nick Wayne wouldn’t make his AEW debut until after he turned 18 in July of the following year.
His alliance with Christian Cage saw the young star’s real-life mother brought into The Patriarchy, which also saw Luchasaurus (rebranded as Killswitch) and Kip Sabian as members.
With Cage off doing other things, The Patriarchy became The Matriarchy, with Killswitch eventually abandoning the name and the faction.
Wayne engaging in singles competition saw The Patriarchy disbanded, but perhaps it’s time to bring back Mama Wayne as his manager and Kip Sabian as the charismatic core of the faction, while still allowing Nick Wayne to grow as a talent in his own right.
Tap Into The Potential
The son of the legendary Buddy Wayne, Nick Wayne has the potential to excel as a multi-generational star wherever he lands.
Two runs in New Japan Pro-Wrestling has seen the AEW star compete in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, with Nick Wayne hoping to return in the future. Allowing him to expand his wings beyond AEW has benefitted a star who is only 21 years of age, exposing him to a broader fanbase and to talent he may not otherwise have encountered.
He may have a patchy record on AEW television, but matches over in NJPW and CMLL, along with his work in ROH and the independent scene will all give him the reps that he needs to build up a reputation as a future title contender.
Championship Potential
A former World Trios Champion, Nick Wayne is a singles competitor and a past ROH World Television Champion.
As it currently stands, it’s difficult to see Nick Wayne as a contender for a singles title in AEW, let alone challenging for Will Ospreay for the World Championship, but there’s plenty of opportunity in the future by building him up for such a spot.
One of the Four Pillars of AEW, Jack Perry was in a similar position in his Jungle Boy persona, with many doubting the idea he would ever reach the top of the mountain. The AEW star may now be “Jungle” Jack Perry, but, more importantly, he’s set his sights on the World Championship.
Rebuilding Nick Wayne with a solid and meaningful feud or two could lead to the day when he finally takes aim at the top title, with many years ahead for him to do just that.
Find Fortune Elsewhere
Jade Cargill, Ricky Starks, Ethan Page, Powerhouse Hobbs and Brian Pillman Jr. are all former AEW stars who parted ways with the company, going to sign with WWE.
Name changes may have happened (with Starks now Ricky Saints, Hobbs now Royce Keys and Pillman Jr. as Lexis King), but the stars underneath still have the same qualities that they had in AEW, refined under the WWE system.
Despite the perceived competition between AEW and WWE, Tony Khan was supportive of Cargill opting to sign with the rival company, and there’s every likelihood that, should fortunes change, she could return in the future, as could any of the other names mentioned above.
Nick Wayne is just 21 years old and has years, if not decades, ahead of him to become the star that he could be. Spreading his wings further than AEW when it comes to televised companies would only serve him well in honing that talent into something greater.
The Future Of Professional Wrestling
Whether it’s AEW or WWE, both companies have a number of young stars who could go on to be the future of professional wrestling.
Working in front of a live audience is one thing, working in front of cameras for a live television audience on a worldwide scale is an entirely different beast.
Nick Wayne was an independent wrestler before signing with AEW and has risen to the challenge of televised wrestling in the years he’s been under contract. There’s still a long road ahead for the star and many opportunities to excel.
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