In recent months, WWE has been making all the right noises. From bringing in AJ Styles to announcing the debut of Shinsuke Nakamura during the next NXT special, NXT TakeOver: Dallas, WWE has been recruiting some of the best talents available in the world.However, there have been instances when WWE wasn’t successful in getting their target man. Although WWE is the undisputed leader in sports entertainment, certain stars have once again proved that going to WWE necessarily isn’t the pre-determined route for every aspiring pro wrestler.Whether it was the call of the wrestlers, or WWE changing their minds regarding giving them contracts, certain superstars in the past almost signed with WWE, but the deal didn’t go through.In this article, we give you five such stars who nearly signed with the company.
#5 Muhammad King Mo Lawal
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King Mo isn’t technically a wrestler, but did train at OVW to enter the business. If you’re not an MMA/TNA fan, you probably have never heard of King Mo. The former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion was a huge professional wrestling fan while growing up, and got to live his dream when he briefly worked for TNA.
Although he never competed actively for TNA, because of the Spike – TNA agreement, he at least, appeared on TNA programming and was briefly involved in major storylines. However, during an appearance on a podcast, King Mo revealed that he had the opportunity to sign up with WWE in 2004 after the Olympic trials.
Although he wanted to sign with the company, Mo revealed that Shad Gaspard advised him to chase his dreams of becoming a Light Heavyweight champion in an MMA organization, and that professional wrestling would always be there as an option.
Mo turned down the offer, but later said that he wished he had signed up with WWE when he had the opportunity.
#4 The Young Bucks
The professional wrestling industry is stacked with great tag teams at the moment. From ReDragon to the American Alpha, the amount of talent in the tag team division is unbelievable.
However, if you list the best tag teams on the planet at the moment, it can be argued that The Young Bucks would, at least, nine times out of ten, top the list.
Matt and Nick Jackson have traveled all over the world, and have put on some of the greatest spectacles the fans can ever dream of witnessing. Their charisma, chemistry in the ring and their move set have for long engaged the masses, and they’ve made a name for themselves through their body of work in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Back in 2008, The Young Bucks, especially Matt Jackson received multiple WWE try outs, and was involved in a couple of matches on SmackDown. The duo then participated in dark matches, as well as in segments on SmackDown, but weren’t offered a contract.
The tag team was once again given tryouts in 2011, but it was reported that the duo received a lot of backstage heat due to their demeanor. Booker T, in particular, was vocal against the duo, and although it was believed that the WWE would offer them developmental contracts, that never came to fruition.
#3 The American Wolves
Much like The Young Bucks, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards earned the reputation as one of the best tag teams on the planet. The American Wolves brought in a unique dynamic of technical wrestling, and the high flying, high octane action, and were often compared to the old school Hardy Boyz.
The duo earned a lot of praise for their work in Ring of Honor, and although they disbanded briefly to pursue singles careers, different promotions wanted to bring them in as a tag team.
One of the aforementioned promotions was none other than WWE. In 2013, the duo received a week-long tryout in WWE’s performance center, and the team was brought to NXT to face the then NXT tag team champions, The Ascension.
Reports surfaced online that WWE had signed them up on a developmental contract, but The Wolves soon dispelled the rumors, and signed up with TNA in January 2014.
#2 Nigel McGuinness
Nigel McGuinness’ story is equally inspiring and disheartening. Considered to be this generation’s greatest English wrestler (the honor now given to Zack Sabre Jr.), everyone believed Nigel was destined for great things.
Nigel’s rivalry with Daniel Bryan in Ring of Honor is considered to be one of the greatest rivalries of this era, leading to a series of universally praised matches. Nigel is also considered to be one of the founding fathers of Ring of Honor.
Nigel was offered a contract by WWE in 2009, which was the same time when Daniel Bryan was also offered a WWE contract. However, unlike Bryan, Nigel decided to be honest about his injuries, including a shoulder/spine injury he recently suffered.
The WWE doctors advised Nigel to undergo a surgery – something Nigel’s physician said wasn’t necessary. Nigel decided not to undergo the surgery, which was expensive, and would also put Nigel on the shelf for a considerable amount of time.
With Nigel failing the pre-screening physical test, WWE decided not to sign Nigel, and he instead signed up with TNA. However, Nigel’s injuries, as well as him testing positive for Hepatitis B prematurely ended Nigel’s career.
#1 James Storm
During the mid-2000s, the TNA roster was filled with talented individuals. However, their tag team division could’ve made every other promotion envious, and had some of the best young talents available.
One of those individuals was James Storm, who was a part of the America’s Most Wanted tag team. Storm later partnered up with Bobby Roode, as Beer Money Inc., which was considered to be one of the best tag teams in the world.
Storm then proved that he was just as good as a singles’ competitor, and went on to win the TNA World Heavyweight championship. Storm’s rivalry with Roode for the title generated a lot of interest, and both the wrestlers were seen as the future of TNA.
However, WWE was also monitoring Storm, and last year when Storm decided not to renew his contract with TNA, WWE jumped on the opportunity and brought Storm down to NXT.
Storm debuted on NXT in October 2015, and continued to make appearances up until December. During this time, it was revealed that Storm hadn’t signed a contract yet with the company, and in December, Storm chose not to sign with WWE.
roIt was later reported that Storm was offered a developmental contract with very less financial compensation, and wasn’t allowed to work other dates with independents. Storm then resigned with TNA in January 2016 and has reprised Beer Money Inc. alongside Bobby Roode.
