Luke Jacobs is set to do battle with Michael Oku in Las Vegas in April. This will be one of the biggest all-British clashes in years and be a showcase for PROGRESS Wrestling in the United States.
It would be hard to say these two aren’t the gold standard of British talent at the moment. Standing at the top of both PROGRESS and RevPro, Jacobs and Oku are leagues ahead of the rest of the country and look destined for bigger nd better things in the near future.
While Michael Oku’s chance at signing for AEW seems to have passed, Luke Jacobs’ future looks bright.
At just 24, he has almost outgrown the BritWres scene and will be looking for pastures new soon enough. However, where he will go next is unclear, although there is one place which would suit Luke Jacobs to a tee.
Luke Jacobs Could Do Well In AEW or WWE
Given how extensive their scouting networks are, it is impossible that AEW and WWE aren’t keeping tabs on Luke Jacobs.
He is the PROGRESS World Champion and a former Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion, last year becoming the first and only man to hold both titles concurrently.
With appearances in WxW and GCW, he is adding more international experience and wrestling all the best wrestlers he can. This has shown in his ring work which has become some of the best the UK has seen in years.
With NXT’s disappointing men’s division at the moment, Luke Jacobs would be the perfect signing for the WWE. He could slot into a title chase straight away, after being given a stupid name like “Chomp Davies” or “Flange McManus” from the NXT name generator.
His promos have improved a lot recently and he has shown he can excel in singles wrestling or as a tag team with the Young Guns. The only issue would be WWE’s history of not pushing English talent in NXT, with the likes of Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate failing to get a foothold in the promotion.
Luke Jacob’s size may also affect his push in WWE. He is billed as six feet, which means he’s probably no more than five feet ten, if not smaller. However, he makes up for it with his sheer strength and in-ring ability, which may mean he is more suited to AEW.
Tony Khan is much happier pushing smaller wrestlers. In fact, the biggest wrestlers like Lance Archer often don’t get featured regularly, only coming in to make the smaller wrestlers look good by beating them.
Getting Luke Jacobs in AEW as part of a faction – maybe even in the Death Riders – would immediately present him as a threat and help him learn from experienced stars like Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli.
However, I don’t think either company is what’s best for Luke Jacobs.
Japan Would Be The Best Place For Luke Jacobs
While he would do well in AEW (although less so in WWE), New Japan would undoubtedly be the best place for Luke Jacobs to go next.
His hard-hitting style would fit perfectly there. Some of his clotheslines look like he’s Stan Hansen reborn, despite the fact Hansen is very much still alive. He has taken the heads of most of the talent in Britain, so Luke Jacobs will have to move to Japan to find more skulls to remove from shoulders.
Luke Jacobs has shown he can hang with some of the best Japanese wrestlers during shows in Britain. His matches with Tomohiro Ishii are some of his best as he effortlessly worked the Stone Pitbull’s style, which will have got some eyes from the New Japan office.
The Englishman works like somebody ten times his senior. Despite his experience as a top star in Britain, a stint in the New Japan Dojo would round him out into a potential top star in the promotion.
By following in the footsteps of people like Gabe Kidd, Luke Jacobs could earn the trust of Gedo and start a career in the top Japanese promotion. This would also allow him to make regular trips back to wrestle for RevPro, like Zack Sabre Jr and Will Ospreay.
It would give Luke Jacobs a chance to live his dream in Japan. He has admitted to being inspired by the likes of Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi so getting the chance to wrestle top Japanese talent in places like the Tokyo Dome would be a dream come true.
Luke Jacobs has a huge future ahead of him. Joining NJPW, getting through the dojo and joining the Bullet Club would be the ideal road for him. Teaming with Gabe Kidd in the War Dogs is a license to print money, although that does depend on Gabe Kidd’s contract situation.
Where would you like Luke Jacobs to go next? Let us know in the comments section below or Tweet us!
