Every couple of months, AEW descends on sunny Orlando, Florida, to film a chunk of content at Universal Studios for their original YouTube wrestling program, AEW Dark. Filmed in the same sound stage that TNA used to record in back in the day – as the Young Bucks pointed out when they appeared on the show earlier this year on Being the Elite – roughly a quarter of the roster takes part in matches filled-out with regional talent, enhancement performers, and former stars from other promotions on a massive, multi-session megacard designed to supplement Dynamite and Rampage, set early breadcrumbs for Pay-Per-Views, and maybe, just maybe, pad out the win-loss records of stars in order to set up opportunities.

And the best part? Sometimes fans even get a glimpse of a future AEW star who catches someone's eye and parlays that exposure into a bigger chance down the line.

Case and point Action Andretti, who technically got his start working on Dark Elevation at the January 5th taping versus Dante Martin in Newark, and then again in tag team action in losses to Private Pary and then the Varsity Athletes alongside Myles Hawkins at the Washington DC show in January and October, but really came onto folks' radars – see Chris Jericho – in October for his Dark match against QT Marshall. He parlayed that exposure into a win over Jericho on Dynamite, an AEW contract, and *spoiler alert* two wins at the Dark tapings over (Bear) Bronson and Invictus Khash. Did this round of Dark tapings have a similar breakout star or the formation of a new stable a la The Trust Busters last time around? Only time will tell, but other than the emergence of the Spanish Announce Project, aka Chaos Project plus Angelico, these three stars could play bigger roles in AEW down the line, especially if their matches garner positive reactions.

1. Billie Starkz – AEW Debut

Billie Starkz is one of the hottest names on the independent wrestling scene right now, and for good reason; a four-year pro who just turned 18 back in October, Starkz has largely been working local indie shows around the northeast before catching on with GCW and becoming a fixture of their programming, with 40 of her 318 matches – per Cagematch – coming within the promotion. Starkz was one of the rare performers at this round of Dark tapings to take part in a pair of matches, first losing to Red Velvet and then Britt Baker, with the latter match, according to folks in attendance, being both very good and another opportunity to see DMD with a bloody nose, which has practically become a yearly tradition in AEW. Though she may be young, if AEW likes what they see from Starkz, they could sign her up and begin the process of making her one of their performers NXT next in line for a big opportunity in a few years time.

2. Hagane Shinno – Orlando AEW Dark Debut

After making his debut for AEW in a win over Michael Nakazawa at the Tokyo Game Show in Tokyo, Japan, back in September as part of the promotion's um, promotional campaign for their Fight Forever video game, Shinno has been a steady part of AEW Dark Elevation roster since mid-November, losing to Angelico in his American debut for the company in Newark, beating Nick Comoroto Indiana, losing to Juice Robinson in Cedar Park, Texas, and then to Eddie Kingston and Ortiz in a tag match with Steven Andrews on the December 14th edition of Elevation.

Tasked with the rare treat of wrestling none other than the “Best Bout Machine” in his first singles match of 2022 ahead of a Wrestle Kingdom 17 showdown with Will Ospreay, Shinno, who was likely handpicked by Omega due to their shared history in DDT, ultimately lost the match but took part in a contest that will surely draw huge viewership from fans across the industry. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening.

3. Tony Deppen – First AEW Win

Tony Deppen is having himself a moment in the greater Tony Khan Galaxy; a former Ring of Honor Television Champion who was dubbed the “Schmuck from Shamokin” by Ian Riccobanni during his run with Violence Unlimited – Brody King, Chris Dickinson, and Homicide – Deppen was a guest of honor during the Wheeler Yuta-Daniel Garcia match at Final Battle, a participant in a trios match with Blake Christian and Alex Zayne during Death Before Dishonor Zero Hour, and has since even worked seven matched on Dark or Dark Elevation, including one on the most recent Dark tapings in Orlando.

So why, you may ask, is Deppen on this list? Well, because his most recent AEW Dark match, facing off against Surpentico, actually ended in a victory for the pride of Eastern Pennsylvania, which isn't too surprising in matches against Mr. 100 losses, but is cool nonetheless. Could this be the start of bigger and better things for Deppen in AEW? Could he become one of those Dark regulars who are biding their time until Ring of Honor television returns? Or was this instead just a nice way to give a vet a W after a solid year of putting others over? We will hopefully see soon enough.