Ten Wrestlers to Watch in 2008

The American wrestling scene isn't exploding, but it is healthy as we head into 2008. With three different brands of WWE wrestling, TNA and Ring of Honor all thriving on the national scene, there are several places to find upcoming wrestling talent.

1. MVP (Montel Vontavious Porter) - MVP's wrestling ability is rapidly catching up to his mouth. He has held the United States title (the No. 2 belt on Smackdown) since May, and he also enjoyed a long reign as WWE tag team champions with Matt Hardy before the team broke up. MVP plays the arrogant, spoiled athlete character perfectly, and he and Matt Hardy may steal the show if they face off at Wrestlemania 24 in March.

2. C.M. Punk - The ECW champion has already put together an impressive title reign since he finally captured the belt last fall from John Morrison. Punk connects with fans because of his credibility. In fact, he has the same versatile wrestling style and everyman appeal that made Bret Hart a superstar. He should enjoy a long title reign and then will probably graduate to Raw or Smackdown.

3. Mr. Kennedy - The loudmouth from Green Bay, Wisc., has had a few setbacks on his road to stardom. He has suffered two major injuries and sat out a 30-day suspension. However, Kennedy's size and charisma keep him near the top of the Raw pack. He scored a breakthough victory when he pinned Shawn Michaels on the New Year's Eve episode of Raw.

4. Beth Phoenix - "The Glamazon" has it all: size, experience and wrestling skill. She won the women's title last fall from Candice Michelle and has dominated the rest of the divas ever since. If she stays healthy, Phoenix could become one of the greatest American female wrestlers of all time.

5. Samoa Joe - The Samoan Submission Machine is not a new face in TNA, but this should be the year he reaches the top of the mountain. Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Booker T and Jeff Jarrett may all stand in his way, but Joe could be the next Goldberg if TNA will just give him the ball.

6 and 7. The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley) - Currently feuding with the Dudley Boyz (Team 3D), the Guns have speed, precision moves and aerial ability. They aren't just two guys on the same team, they actually wrestle as a team, which is a lost art. They should win the TNA tag team titles this year.

8 and 9. Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black) - Jacobs and Black started the year on MTV's Wrestling Society X show as an overly emotional tag team called DIFH (Do It For Her). Black later joined Jacobs in Ring of Honor, and the duo unseated Jay & Mark Briscoe for the ROH tag team titles on Dec. 30. With Lacey and the Necro Butcher backing them up in the Age of the Fall camp, Jacobs and Black should hold the belts for a long time.

10. "Classic" Colt Cabana - The longtime Ring of Honor star is currently in the WWE minor league system. Hopefully, he will get called up to ECW this year, where he could team or feud with his longtime stablemate, C.M. Punk. Cabana is big and versatile, and he's also hilarious in and out of the ring. Cabana also played Matt Classic, the masked old-school wrestler, on Wrestling Society X.