The current state of professional wrestling is marked by an abundance of talent, according to WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Layfield highlighted the depth of skill across various promotions, including WWE, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and Major League Wrestling (MLW), as well as independent circuits.
Layfield contrasted the current era with his own, noting that while the "Attitude Era" featured stacked rosters in WWE and WCW, the independent scene was less developed. Today, however, he observes a significant increase in the caliber of talent performing outside the major companies.
"I’ve never seen more talent in all over wrestling. Back when we had the Attitude Era, we had a really loaded roster. WCW had a really loaded roster. The independents didn’t have a loaded roster," Layfield said. "Now, you go to these independent shows and these guys are fantastic."
He attributed this rise in talent to improved training and the accessibility of wrestling schools. "It’s the amount of schools they have. The amount of learning that they can get. You look at now for wrestling, there’s so much freaking talent and it’s so freaking deep. It’s unbelievable the place the business is in right now," he added.
Layfield specifically mentioned a few wrestlers fans should watch, including "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Josh Alexander, both noted for their incredible talent. He also pointed to Will Allday, an independent wrestler from Texas, as someone who consistently ignites local crowds. "There’s a guy, Will Allday, down in Texas who works on the independents. I watched him down there. Every time he walks out, he ignites the local crowd – to my knowledge, no TV experience. I think there’s a lot of young talent."
The extensive schedule of top promotions further contributes to the visibility of professional wrestling. WWE and AEW each present shows up to four times per week, while TNA and MLW also have regular programming. This, combined with international and independent streaming shows, creates a vast landscape that Layfield believes makes it difficult for fans to consume all available content.
"The pro wrestling landscape is so vast, nobody can really watch all of it," Layfield stated. He also noted that professional wrestling's popularity is at an all-time high, with both male and female performers gaining significant interest even without being associated with the top-tier promotions.
![JBL during WWE WrestleMania 21 "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood" at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.]( "JBL during WWE WrestleMania 21 "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood" at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.")
