Koda Hernandez

[5.0] "NOTE: 5 points is the highest rating I give to regional Indy wrestlers who are unproven on television. 5 points for a regional indy wrestler indicates that they are among the best in the territory. The ceiling I place on my ratings of regional indy wrestlers has nothing to do with talent, but with them being unproven on a grander scale than their normal audiences ... I've been seeing a lot of Koda Hernandez the past few years, and I've watched him develop into one of the top stars in Chicago. He's got a special charisma and connection with audiences, (specifically the Freelance Wrestling faithful, ) that can't be taught. The next step I'd like to see Koda take is to really flesh out his character and expand his arsenal of moves. He's got the crowd thing down, which will allow him to always have work in Chicago for the rest of his life, but to really make it to the next level, he's going to need to be a bit more impressive with the physicality and character. There are tens of thousands of wrestlers just as impressive between the ropes, but not many on the planet who have the crowd connection down. From what I've seen from him in multiple promotions over the past several years, there's not a whole lot to his character. There's not much different between his gimmick and any member of LaX. If he combines his natural charisma and crowd connection with a good character and some more impressive ring-work, he'll surely be able to get signed to a bigger promotion. Also, he's gonna have to improve his physique. There are exceptions to the rule, but very few guys with dad bods make it big. This past year in Freelance has been huge for him, and he was easily the top wrestler in Chicago in 2024. That being said, I think he's ready to take these next steps and show a wider audience what he's made of. I'm very excited to watch this kid grow in the wrestling business. He certainly has huge potential, he just needs to keep improving. I look forward to raising my rating a couple points over the next few years."

[6.0] "Koda has quickly become a very serviceable indy wrestler, particularly in a tag team environment. He is finally developing his character to be more than just "Latino guy". His in-ring work is very solid and he's capable of exciting spots but he doesn't wow you bell to bell like the top wrestlers his size and style. He needs to continue improving his look, his in-ring storytelling, and developing his character skills to make the jump to regional Indy main eventer/national Indy mid-carder. I see his ceiling being a TNA or ROH Tag Team contender."