Black History Month 2024: 5 Wrestling Stars On The Rise Fightful by Lyric Swinton

February 2024 has been one of the most eventful Black History Months in recent wrestling memory. From the historic announcement of Big Bu$iness to unforgettable matches worldwide that we won’t stop talking about any time soon, Black wrestlers are taking their place across the industry as some of the brightest stars in the galaxy.

This year continues to fly by and it’s expected (and highly anticipated) that top stars like Mercedes Moné, Swerve Strickland, and Bianca Belair will reach higher heights in their already impressive careers. Many other Black wrestlers around the world are bubbling just underneath the surface and are destined to break out in a major way in 2024, but there are five in particular that you shouldn’t take your eyes off.

Michael Oku

Promotion: Independent

Years Pro: 6

This is written mere hours after Michael Oku wrestled Will Ospreay in Ospreay’s last independent match at RevPro High Stakes. Heading into the match despite being the reigning champion, Oku was the clear underdog. In their previous match in January 2022, Michael Oku had not only been unable to defeat Ospreay, he was left staring at the lights of York Hall in a humiliating fashion. On February 18, 2024, Michael Oku rose to the occasion in a 47-minute war, forcing the Billy GOAT to tap out to Oku’s famous Half-Crab submission, retaining the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship and accepting the torch as British wrestling’s new leader. Oku’s star has been on the rise for some time now. He had a head-turning showing at the 2023’s PWG Battle of Los Angeles and later in the year, he ended Great-O-Khan’s undefeated streak in the United Kingdom to become the first Black wrestler to hold the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship.

Michael Oku is Black History in the flesh. He’s talented, tough, resilient, and continuously breaking boundaries for a U.K. wrestling scene that’s been historically predominantly white. Despite his impressive list of accomplishments, the sky is the limit for the Master of the Half-Crab at 30 years of age and only 6 years of wrestling experience. Don’t be shocked to see him featured prominently during AEW All In Weekend either for RevPro or a cameo on Zero Hour…maybe both.

Trish Adora

Promotion: ROH

Years Pro: 7

Long touted as a standout of the independent scene, Trish Adora already had all of the traits of a great pro wrestler: strong, powerful, charismatic, & passionate. Then the former Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling World Champion decided to elevate her already impressive game by joining NJPW Academy in 2023. Throughout the year, she showed up and showed out around the world in promotions like TJPW, ROH, AEW, and more. She faced the likes of Athena, Utami Hayashishita, and Aja Kong, not looking out of place against women considered some of the world’s greatest wrestlers. Adora has made Ring of Honor her primary home, joining fellow U.S Armed Forces veterans Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo in The Infantry.

One of Adora’s biggest opportunities came in the form of challenging Giulia for the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship at Battle In The Valley 2024, less than a year after her NJPW Academy graduation. Despite falling short of a win, the Afropunk once again proved that she can hang with the world’s best. As the Ring of Honor women’s division continues to grow with the addition of a new TV title and the NJPW Strong women’s division looks to find its identity, Trish Adora remains an untapped source of potential. Expect 2024 to be the year that she puts it all together and finds her way to the top of the mountain.

Kevin Knight

Promotion: NJPW

Years Pro: 4

Watching Kevin Knight wrestle is an experience that must be seen to be believed. His moniker of “The Jet” isn’t just a nickname, it’s a lifestyle. Knight seems to touch the heavens when he jumps and he glides through the air with an ease that doesn’t quite register as human. As the first Black graduate of the NJPW LA Dojo, with every tour and match, he leaves NJPW fans wanting more. In his first full year post-excursion, Knight became one-half of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team champions with Kushida, competed in his first Best of the Super Jr. tournament, and made it to the finals of the All Star Jr. Festival USA tournament. In a time where it’s more imperative than ever that New Japan Pro Wrestling builds new stars, 27-year-old Kevin Knight is ready for his next step into superstardom. The junior heavyweight division is in desperate need of fresh faces to excite fans and no one invokes oohs and aahs with their high-flying style quite like The Jet.

Knight has been hard at work preparing for his next major tour in Japan, sharpening his skills regularly in TNA, both as a singles wrestler and alongside his Intergalactic Jetsetters tag team partner, Kushida. It’s not a matter of if Kevin Knight can be a future singles champion in NJPW, it’s only a matter of when. For a man who seems to have trampolines embedded in the soles of his feet, expect Kevin Knight’s 2024 leaps to be his best one yet.

Leon Slater

Promotion: TNA

Years Pro: 5

Konosuke Takeshita. Mike Bailey. Lio Rush. Zack Sabre Jr. Will Ospreay. This is the caliber of opponents that 19-year-old Leon Slater has faced during his young career. And make no mistake, he’s not just in these matches keeping up, he’s excelling. If you aren’t familiar with TNA’s youngest new signing, prepare to have your mind blown. Known as the Youngest In Charge, Slater is known for having talent and charisma well beyond his years. Unlike many other wrestlers his age, Leon Slater seems to have a firm grasp on who he is and what he wants out of pro wrestling. His top 3 wrestling influences are Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, and Shelton Benjamin so it should come as no surprise that he’s an athletic daredevil. He’s only been wrestling for 5 years but his expertise for in-ring innovation is impressive, even down to his Swanton 450 finisher.

By the end of 2023, Leon Slater became the youngest ever winner of the RevPro British J-Cup tournament at 18 years old, signed a contract with TNA Wrestling, and captured the RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship. 2024 is primed to be even bigger for the Youngest In Charge. As TNA looks to solidify its new identity post-rebrand, Slater is uniquely positioned to help restore the X Division to its former glory. With TNA having strong partnerships in both Japan and Mexico, it’s not far-fetched to someday see Slater compete in the Best of the Super Jr. tournament one day or add some firsthand lucha libre experience to his high-flying arsenal.

Queen Aminata

Promotion: AEW

Years Pro: 6

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Queen Aminata has been the undisputed MVP of the AEW women’s division in 2024 (so far). The African Woman Wrestler returned from injury on January 3rd to face Mariah and since has faced stars like Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida, Willow Nightingale, Serena Deeb, and Thunder Rosa in strong bouts. With every outing, Aminata has dazzled the audience with her regal presence and hard-hitting style. She was a talent who was a regular at AEW Dark/Elevation and built a reputation of being dependable both in the ring and behind the scenes. In recent years Aminata has done multiple tours in Japan wrestling for Marvelous. Watching her work in AEW & ROH, it’s easy to see those Joshi influences on her stiff strikes and sharp in-ring IQ.

This past week, Queen Aminata picked up her first televised win in AEW and earned her official All Elite graphic.  She had already stolen the hearts of fans through her in-ring work but her recent Close Up interview with Renee Paquette shined a light on her inspirational personal journey to becoming All Elite. As a talent on a run similar to Konosuke Takeshita in the summer of 2022, Aminata effectively stole the show while making all of her opponents look outstanding and it’s only a matter of time before she earns gold in AEW & ROH.