AEW World Champion MJF has named independent wrestler Leo Sparrow among the up-and-coming Long Island talents he believes can make an impact in the business.
MJF made the comments in a May 2026 interview with Forbes, conducted by Rob Wolkenbrod ahead of his Double or Nothing AEW World Championship match. Asked which up-and-coming Long Island wrestlers he viewed as future difference-makers, MJF replied, “Off the top of my head, VSK, Leo Sparrow and Bryce Donovan are the three names I would throw out there.” He also credited WWE ID talent Aaron Rourke. MJF, a Long Island native, has repeatedly argued the region produces a superior class of wrestler.
Sparrow, who performs as “The Son of the Sun,” is a graduate of the Create A Pro Wrestling Academy on Long Island. He was coached there by Pat Buck, Brian Myers and Max Caster, and is also a graduate of business college. He debuted in 2021 and works as a heel, using a vegan gimmick under the banner “No Steak All Sizzle.”
Sparrow’s most prominent match to date came against MJF. On May 13, 2023, at Create A Pro’s sold-out “Homecoming” event in Melville, New York, Sparrow cut a heel promo on the crowd that borrowed MJF’s “I’m better than you, and you know it” catchphrase. MJF’s music then hit, and the reigning AEW World Champion, himself a Create A Pro alum, came out for an impromptu match, his first independent appearance in years. MJF won by crossface submission. Reviewers noted it was a competitive bout rather than a squash, with Sparrow landing offense and using heel tactics before tapping out. Pro Wrestling Dot Net’s review called it a “fun match.”
WrestlingNews.co flagged Sparrow as a prospect at the time, telling readers to keep an eye on him because he would likely turn up in a major promotion within a couple of years. On the same night, MJF credited Create A Pro and trainers Pat Buck and Brian Myers, saying there would be no MJF without the school, the same program Sparrow trained in.
Sparrow has also appeared for WWE. He worked a match on RAW under the name Nick Sanders, losing to Omos. Speaking afterward on Jofo in the Ring, Sparrow put Omos over, saying the giant “absolutely will become World Champion” and that he had “never been manhandled like that ever.”
MJF’s Forbes endorsement marks one of the higher-profile mentions Sparrow has received from a top national star, grouping him with VSK and Bryce Donovan as Long Island names to watch. Sparrow continues to compete across the independent scene. A video from his Instagram is featured below.
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