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In the last several years, WWE has signed numerous wrestlers and Superstars from the independent scene to other promotions such as TNA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and others. Names like AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura have been huge signings for the company - strengthening their roster considerably.
While there used to be a time when WWE was single-handedly ruling the industry, the rise of All Elite Wrestling has changed the situation. Wrestlers all around the world no longer consider WWE to be their final destination and are more than happy to work for other independent promotions.
With that said, there are several wrestlers who the WWE Universe has always wanted to see perform join the company. Interestingly, some of them came pretty close to becoming a WWE Superstar. So let's take a look at five such stars you didn't know almost signed with WWE. Be sure to let us know in the comments section below which of them would you like to see in a WWE ring the most.
#5 James Storm
"The Cowboy" James Storm is best known for his time in TNA/Impact Wrestling where he is a former TNA World Heavyweight Champion. While he has also won numerous other championships in the promotion, fans remind him best as one half of the tag team Beer Money with current WWE Superstar, Bobby Roode.
While we all know that Bobby Roode jumped ships and joined NXT where he became the NXT Champion in 2016, many might not remember that James Storm also had a very brief run in the gold and black brand of WWE. James Storm made his NXT debut in late 2015 and had a couple of matches on the brand, defeating the likes of Danny Burch and Adam Rose. However, the Cowboy decided not to sign with the company and instead went back to TNA.
James Storm is currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and it would be interesting to see whether we'll see him in WWE in the future. Beer Money vs DX will remain to be one of the dream feuds for me!
#4 The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are considered by many to be one of the best tag teams in the entire pro wrestling industry. Having wrestled in most of the major wrestling promotions in the world, including ROH, NJPW, TNA, and others, Matt and Nick Jackson started All Elite Wrestling alongside Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega and are the Vice Presidents of the promotion.
One thing that many fans don't know is that the Young Bucks have appeared on SmackDown and ECW and have had a couple of matches on the shows in 2008. They also had tryouts with WWE in 2011 but didn't get a developmental offer.
The Young Bucks had an interview with Chris Van Vliet in 2019 and revealed how close they were to sign with WWE before Tony Khan offered the Elite to run AEW and they went ahead to start the new promotion.
"We talked to [WWE] endlessly. At one point, I remember me, Nick, and Kenny were in a room because all of our deals were up at the same time. We got off the phone one day and we looked at each other, and we said, 'I think we're all going to WWE.' It was that close. Tony came to us at the right time and he made the right offer. I'm not talking financially, I'm talking, 'Hey, you guys can run this thing and I want you guys to hire your people.' It's like someone saying, 'I want you to make a movie and you can hire all the cameramen, you can hire all the writers, all your friends to be with you.' He gave us the keys to this thing. You can't say no to this."
They also mentioned a big reason for them not signing the contract with WWE as the hectic schedule that the Superstars have to go throughout the year.
"One thing that took us out of the race for going to WWE was the amount of dates that they wanted us to do. We have young families. Even with the limited schedule, it was like, 'God, I can't imagine being home [just] for 2 days for my kids.'"
#3 The American Wolves
Another Tag Team that earned praises and reputation all over the world was that of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, the American Wolves. Having started their career with Ring of Honor, they were a two-time ROH Tag Team Champions. The two are also known for their time in TNA/Impact Wrestling, winning the TNA World Tag Team titles on five occasions.
The two have also had a successful singles career with Eddie Edwards being the first ROH World Television Champion and the first Triple Crown Champion in ROH. Both Edwards and Davey Richards have held the ROH World Championship as well.
Interestingly, the American Wolves had a week-long tryout with WWE in 2013 at the Performance Center. They also appeared on NXT as "The American Pitbulls" and took on the then NXT Tag Team Champions, The Ascension in a losing effort. The two were named Derek Billington and John Cahill on their WWE NXT debuts.
While there were many rumors of the two signing with WWE, the American Wolves ended up signing to TNA in 2014. While Edwards continues to perform for TNA, his partner Richards has taken some time off from the world of pro wrestling.
#2 Abyss
Abyss was one of the TNA/Impact Wrestling originals who had a huge role to play in the success of the promotion. Having an interesting gimmick plus his hardcore wrestling style, "The Monster" Abyss worked with some of the biggest names in the industry and went on to win every major title in the promotion, becoming a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion.
Interestingly, Abyss was made a huge offer by WWE in 2006 where the company wanted him to have a feud with none other than The Undertaker. When being inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018, Abyss revealed about the above incident during a media conference call.
"No, I'm not going to say I wish it would have happened. If it would have happened, obviously it would have been a career highlight, no doubt, but it wasn't in the cards." (H/T: WrestlingInc.)
"I chose to stay with TNA, TNA was and is my home. Impact is my home...This company gave me a home...They gave me the platform to show the wrestling world and the fans what I can do."
What many might know is that Abyss aka Christopher Joseph Park is currently signed to WWE as a producer and has also been seen on WWE programming a few times over the last year or so. A program between "The Monster" Abyss and "The Dead Man" Undertaker would've been a must-watch had it happened, but I guess the WWE fans will have to live without it!
#1 Moose
There are many examples of wrestlers and WWE Superstars started their career as Football players and later became pro-wrestlers with the likes of Roman Reigns being a prime example. Quinn Ojinnaka is another such former American Football player who started his professional wrestling career in 2012. Before turning to this industry, he has played for teams like Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, and others.
During the early days of his training to become a professional wrestler, he attended the WWE training camps in 2012. Quinn joined Ring of Honor in 2014 and changed his ring name to Moose. After a couple of years, Moose left ROH and thus began the rumors of him coming to WWE.
Instead, he chose to join Impact Wrestling and made his debut for the promotion in July 2016. Throughout his stint with TNA/Impact Wrestling, Moose has been a two-time Impact Grand Champion and has competed against some of the top Superstars of the promotion including the likes of Eddie Edwards, EC3, Drew Galloway, and many others.
Recently, at Impact Wrestling's Rebellion brought back the old TNA World Heavyweight Championship title and declared himself the new champion after defeating Hernandez and Michael Elgin. It would be interesting to see where that storyline is headed!
