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An independent wrestler, no matter how talented, wishes at some point to join WWE. There are several reasons why a star would want to join WWE. WWE pays more than any other company. WWE is watched more than any other company. No matter how much success a star finds in the independent circuit, an offer by WWE can be hard to pass. Top Superstars like Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks are expected to join WWE next year.
Regardless of the fact that almost every superstar’s dream is to work for WWE, there are still some superstars who won’t be joining WWE in the next few years and will continue to enjoy the success they are getting by staying where they are right now.
#5 Brian Cage
Brian Cage had a bad experience working for WWE in the past. He was released without even being informed. After his release, Cage worked hard and signed with multiple promotions and became the star that he is today. He even rejected an offer by WWE and signed with Impact Wrestling, Lucha Underground and AAA.
Today, Brian Cage is a superstar to look out for. He has been improving continuously both on the mic and in the ring and it will just be a matter of time before he finds his way to the top.
Although Brian Cage has stated that he hasn’t completely closed the door on a WWE return, he still has much more to prove in the Independent circuit. He is currently feuding with Pentagon Jr. for the Lucha Underground Championship while in Impact Wrestling, he is currently the X Division Champion and is expected to enter the World Title picture by the end of this year. So, don’t expect him to jump ship anytime soon.
#4 Pentagon Jr.
Rumors of WWE showing interest in signing Pentagon Jr. have been circulating the web for the past week. Pentagon Jr. is a masked professional wrestler who is currently signed with many promotions, most notably Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling. Pentagon Jr. has been a part of some intense feuds this year with Austin Aries, Brian Cage, Sami Callihan etc. and his in-ring skills have improved significantly.
Pentgon Jr. has been pushed as the top star in nearly every promotion that he has worked for but there’s hardly any chance that he would make it out of 205 live if he signs with WWE. Moreover, if he ends up on either Raw or Smackdown, he will be treated as an upper mid-card talent at best. Pentagon Jr. will also be repackaged as his current violent gimmick won’t fit well with the PG audience.
That said and because of his contract with Lucha Underground which will be valid for 3 more seasons, Pentagon Jr. won’t be signing with WWE anytime soon and will continue to reign over the Independent circuit.
#3 Kazuchika Okada
The Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada is regarded as one of the best professional wrestlers alive. All 4 of his matches with Kenny Omega received a rating of 6 or higher (the highest being 7) on the Dave Meltzer scale. Okada’s 720 day reign as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion is the longest in company’s history. Okada is also the highest paid wrestler in NJPW earning nearly as much as a top star of WWE. Moreover, Okada can also reach the finals of G1 Climax 28 if EVIL defeats Jay White and Okada defeats Tanahashi. If Okada reaches the final, we can expect to see another Scale-breaker bout between Okada and Omega.
Taking all of the above points into consideration, there’s no need for Okada to leave NJPW for WWE. Okada is a millionaire and isn’t bounded or limited by the creative department. Almost all of his matches are appreciated. There’s no need for Okada to join WWE right now and although he has achieved almost everything in NJPW, there are still many untold stories to tell for the Rainmaker.
#2 Austin Aries
Austin Aries signed with WWE in 2016. He stayed in NXT for a brief amount of time before being injured. While being injured, Aries was called up to the main roster and he started doing commentary for the cruiserweight matches. He started a feud with the Cruiserweight Champion Neville and failed to capture the championship at 3 different occasions. Aries was very unpopular backstage and was released in July 2017. Aries made his return to the independent circuit later that year and started calling himself as the Belt Collector. Aries also returned to Impact Wrestling and captured the Impact World Title in his return match.
In less than a year, Austin Aries has established himself as one of the hardest working and most successful independent wrestlers. He has stated that he would consider a return to the WWE in the future but right now, Austin Aries is at the top of his game. He makes much more money than an average mid-carder in WWE and is respected and regarded in every promotion that he wrestles for. So, a WWE return shouldn't be on the horizon currently.
#1 Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes was released from his WWE contract when he became tired of WWE for not using his ideas and not letting go of the Stardust gimmick. Cody found immense success in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He became a member of the Bullet club and also won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship. Apart from being an excellent performer, Cody also proved himself as an equally smart promoter when he accepted Dave Meltzer’s challenge to sell out a show with 10000 fans and won that challenge after all the tickets were sold in less than 30 minutes.
Cody and The Young Bucks’ self-financed show “All-In” will take place on September 1st, 2018. If the show turns out to be a success, we could see more shows in the future promoted by Cody. Signing with WWE right now would be a step back for Cody as he’s not just a performer now, he is a promoter as well. WWE won’t use his creativity and won’t let him evolve. Cody must be well aware of it and thus, he shouldn’t sign with WWE anytime soon.
