6 Current WWE Superstars you may have forgot worked with IMPACT Wrestling

By Vatsal Rathod
Modified Sep 20, 2020 02:15 IST
Some of the current top WWE Superstars once appeared in TNA/IMPACT Wrestling
Some of the current top WWE Superstars once appeared in TNA/IMPACT Wrestling

Many consider the current WWE roster to be one of the best iterations the company has ever had. While one could argue there are fewer megastars in WWE now compared to The Attitude Era, the level of in-ring talent on the current roster is surely better than ever before.

Notably, many of these current WWE Superstars came from the independent wrestling scene, working for various promotions before they signed with WWE. One of those promotions was IMPACT Wrestling, formerly known as TNA. Superstars like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe are two of the more popular wrestlers who were once a huge part of TNA/IMPACT.

However, there are several other top WWE Superstars on the current roster who many fans may have forgot appeared for TNA/IMPACT Wrestling once. Let's take a look at six of them.

#6. Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the most exciting pro-wrestler to watch. While he made a name for himself with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Nakamura also made a brief appearance for TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in a match at TNA Explosion. Afterward, he continued his journey with NJPW where he became a three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion before he signed with WWE.

Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE

Shinsuke Nakamura officially signed with WWE in 2016 and unlike most other Superstars he didn't change his ring name. He won his debut match against Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. During his nearly one-year stint with the black and gold brand, The Artist won the NXT Championship twice.

Nakamura joined the main roster on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 33. He then went on to win the 2018 men's Royal Rumble match and challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34. Unfortunately, their highly anticipated match didn't live up to expectations, and Nakamura's heel turn after their WrestleMania encounter didn't work out that well.

While many fans are not satisfied with Nakamura's booking on the main roster, he does have a decent resume. The former United States and Intercontinental Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura is one half of the current SmackDown Tag Team Champion alongside Cesaro. Some fans hope that he will eventually win a world title and become a grand slam champion in WWE.

#5. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins is currently one of WWE's biggest Superstars. Many fans might not remember or might not even know that Rollins made a brief appearance for TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in October 2006. He teamed up with Jeff Luxon and took on LAX, Homicide and Hernandez, getting squashed as seen in the clip above.

Rollins later revealed during an appearance on Edge and Christian's podcast of how he was very close to signing with TNA where Dixie Carter wanted to make him the face of the promotion. But he later decided to sign with WWE, and thankfully so.

"Terry (Taylor) calls me and offered me a three-year deal to come to TNA for substantially more money and far less dates than what I was having to do in ROH and a much easier style. I was like, ‘Oh, this sounds fantastic.’ Dixie Carter is calling me and is like, ‘You know Tyler, we want to have you, we’re looking to revamp the whole division and the whole company and we want to make you the face of TNA."

Seth Rollins in WWE

Seth Rollins signed with WWE in 2010 and went on to become the inaugural NXT Champion in 2012. He later made his main roster debut as part of The Shield at WWE Survivor Series that year alongside Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Many consider the trio to be one of the best factions in WWE history.

After turning on his stablemates, Rollins started his singles career and became one of the biggest stars of the company. He is a four-time world champion, Money in the Bank winner, Royal Rumble winner, and Grand Slam Champion. The Architect has amassed many other accomplishments in his relatively short WWE career.

Currently, Seth Rollins performs on WWE RAW as the self-proclaimed Monday Night Messiah. He is notably helping the company build its next generation of Superstars.

#4. Sami Zayn

If one followed Sami Zayn's career before WWE, he famously worked as the masked wrestler, El Generico. While there are many hilarious stories about what happened to Generico, the truth is he just dropped his mask and ring name when he came to WWE.

Before that, El Generico/Sami Zayn wrestled a couple of matches for TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in 2011. He lost to Amazing Red and later picked up a victory over TJ Perkins in the two dark matches for the promotion.

Sami Zayn in WWE

Sami Zayn signed with WWE and joined NXT in 2013. He is considered as one of the greatest Superstar in the brand's history, becoming the NXT Champion when he defeated Neville in 2014. His long-time rival, Kevin Owens, ended his reign 62 days later.

Sami Zayn made his main roster debut in 2015 to answer John Cena's US Title open challenge. Later, he entered the 2016 Royal Rumble and had several feuds on the main roster.

He finally won his first WWE singles title earlier this year when The Artist Collective defeated Braun Strowman in a three-on-one handicap match at Elimination Chamber 2020. At the event, Zayn pinned The Monster Among Men to become the Intercontinental Champion.

#3. Xavier Woods

Unlike the previous names mentioned on this list, current WWE Superstar, Xavier Woods, actually had a decent stint with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. He signed with the promotion in 2007 and formed a tag team with Ron Killing, better known as R-Truth. Initially billed as Consequences Creed, he also teamed up with Jay Lethal and was a part of the Frontline or TNA Originals. He won the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice before he was released in 2010.

Xavier Woods in WWE

After his tenure with TNA/IMPACT, Xavier Woods had a brief run in NJPW before signing a developmental contract with WWE. He made a few appearances for NXT prior to joining the main roster in 2013. After settling in the mid-card for a while, he allied with Big E and Kofi Kingston as The New Day, and the rest is history.

The purveyors of positivity went on to become one of the best factions in modern-day WWE, taking part in amazing feuds against the likes of The Usos and winning the tag team titles eight times. Woods is also one of the most educated WWE Superstar as he has a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Capella University. He also has a successful Youtube channel called UpUpDownDown.

#2. Angel Garza

Many fans see Angel Garza as the modern-day iteration of the late WWE legend, Eddie Guerrero. The up-and-comer had a brief stint with IMPACT Wrestling from 2017 to 2018. During that time, he competed alongside Laredo Kid as a tag team and challenged for the IMPACT Wrestling World Tag Team Championship. Garza also competed for the IMPACT X-Division Championship.

Angel Garza joins WWE

Angel Garza signed a contract with WWE in 2019 and joined NXT where he became the NXT Cruiserweight Champion later that year. He made his main roster debut in early 2020 as Zelina Vega's newest client with Andrade on Monday Night RAW.

#1. Zelina Vega

Speaking of Andrade's manager, Zelina Vega signed with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in 2011. Vega wrestled under the ring name, Rosita, and debuted as Saritas's kayfabe cousin. The two went on the win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship. After a two year stint with the promotion, Vega was released in 2013.

Before she officially signed with WWE in 2017, Zelina Vega made several appearances for the company including a cameo as one of Adam Rose's rosebuds.

As a member of the WWE roster, she joined NXT where she managed Andrade "Cien" Almas. The two later moved to the main roster in 2018 as SmackDown Superstars. Recently, she ended her alliance with both Andrade and Angel Garza as she is set to embark on her journey as a singles competitor.

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