15 Wrestlers we MIGHT never see in the WWE

Fans want to see new talent in WWE, but for many of these wrestlers, that’s nothing but a pipe dream.
Fans want to see new talent in WWE, but for many of these wrestlers, that’s nothing but a pipe dream.

WWE is considered by most fans to be the top wrestling promotion in the world. It’s in that company that the athletes make the most money, travel to the most places, and reach the largest fan base. There’s a common saying among WWE fans and commentators: you haven’t truly made it in the wrestling business until you’ve wrestled for WWE.

That statement holds more merit nowadays than it ever has since WWE has reached the very top of the wrestling industry on the planet. The promotion that comes the closest to matching WWE is New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), yet their market is still very much domestic in nature.

But if it were all about the money and nothing else, then WWE’s roster would be composed of the very best on the entire planet...but they aren’t. Though WWE’s roster does indeed boast some truly impressive names, there are still plenty of wrestlers out there that have not performed for the world’s biggest promotion, nor do they have the intention of ever doing so.

Here are fifteen wrestlers that, for one reason or another, will never be seen in a WWE ring.


#15 Bad Luck Fale

He’s big, he’s menacing, he can talk...and he’s got job security in New Japan.
He’s big, he’s menacing, he can talk...and he’s got job security in New Japan.

The "Underboss" of the Bullet Club fills a very important role in NJPW. As the token ‘foreign giant’ Fale is booked frequently to be the monster that the resident babyface Japanese wrestlers need to overcome. He does his job well, and people are usually impressed with his feats of mammoth strength, even if that comes at the cost of genuine grappling skill.

At 35 years old, Fale is getting up there in wrestling years, and thus a change of promotion wouldn’t work in his favour. Due to the relatively shorter stature of most of his co-workers, Fale has relative job security in his role as the super-heavyweight threat. But if he were to switch to WWE, this wouldn’t exist, as Fale would be surrounded by wrestlers that tower over him, like Braun Strowman, Kane and even Roman Reigns.

As a result, we shouldn’t expect "the Underboss" to leave NJPW, especially since there’s still plenty of money to be made as a member of the Bullet Club.

#14 Naomichi Marufuji

The ace of Pro Wrestling NOAH would've been a great addition to WWE’s roster at any point over the past decade.
The ace of Pro Wrestling NOAH would've been a great addition to WWE’s roster at any point over the past decade.

Marufuji can be considered as the Seth Rollins to KENTA’s Dean Ambrose. While the latter is a no-nonsense, soft-spoken brawler, the former is a more artistic and dynamic grappler that uses more aesthetically-pleasing moves. Yet when WWE searched for foreign talent to sign, they chose KENTA over Marufuji.

This decision was likely based on KENTA’s history in Ring of Honor (ROH) and his classic feuds with many of their top guys (such as Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe, among others). Unfortunately, WWE passed on Matufuji, who would’ve been a better fit for WWE’s style anyway. KENTA/Itami’s extremely stiff striking style has made it difficult for him to adapt to WWE’s lighter style.

Even if WWE had any interest in signing Marufuji at this point, it would be far too late. Marufuji is 38, and isn’t likely to travel beyond his native Japan to perform. Add to the fact that he is the currently Vice President of Pro Wrestling NOAH, and you have a guarantee that this outstanding wrestler will never perform in a WWE ring.

#13 Christopher Daniels

You will never see the Best Moonsault Ever in a WWE ring.
You will never see the Best Moonsault Ever in a WWE ring.

Believe it or not, Christopher Daniels was employed with WWE as a jobber. But that was at the turn of the millennium, and a lot has changed since then. Daniels has become one of the best wrestlers on the independent scene and is considered one of the best wrestlers in ROH history.

With WWE’s new hiring strategy appearing to focus on hiring big stars from other promotion, Daniels would appear (at first, anyway) to be a sure-fire top choice for next big signing. Sadly, this isn’t likely to happen anytime soon, if ever. Daniels is 47 years old and has been wrestling for almost twenty-five years.

Even if WWE needed him to fill the role of ‘respected veteran that makes younger guys look good’ – which would be an ideal role for someone like Daniels – WWE have plenty of people to fill that role already. It simply wouldn’t make sense for WWE to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a contract for Daniels when their roster is bloated already.

#12 Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tanahashi is one of the best wrestlers alive today...despite being 40 years old.
Tanahashi is one of the best wrestlers alive today...despite being 40 years old.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Japanese John Cena, Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The comparisons between these two men are staggering: both men have insanely-chiselled physiques, are popular with multiple fan demographics, have main-evented the biggest shows of their respective promotions for many years, have had enormous merchandise empires built around them, and have carried their respective companies on their shoulders for years.

But the biggest difference between them is that, even though Cena has become a great wrestler in the past few years, Tanahashi has been an outstanding grappler for a much longer time period.

With WWE seeking to gain a bigger foothold in the Japanese wrestling market, it wouldn’t be farfetched to suggest they might want to sign Tanahashi, especially following the popularity that Shinsuke Nakamura has managed to cultivate over the past year.

However, this won’t happen because Tanahashi is a lifer in NJPW and is a certified legend over there. At 40 years old, Tanahashi is likely to be positioned in a veteran role wherein he helps younger guys get over.

The only way Tanahashi would ever work for any other promotion would be some kind of cross-promotional deal, such as the one NJPW has with ROH right now. Since WWE isn’t likely to do this anytime soon, you can be sure that Tanahashi won’t ever work for WWE.

#11 The Briscoes

So...apparently this is the wrong image for WWE’s fans...makes total sense, right?
So...apparently this is the wrong image for WWE’s fans...makes total sense, right?

The Briscoes are considered one of the best tag teams on the independent scene and have been one of ROH’s most prolific acts for years. They have had some excellent tag team match over the years, and with WWE appearing to be placing a greater emphasis on tag teams nowadays, the Briscoes would, in theory, fit right in with WWE’s other tag teams.

However, if WWE were interested in signing the Briscoes, they would’ve done so in 2009, when they had a tryout in WWE’s then-developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling. After that match, WWE turned down an offer to join WWE’s roster full-time.

The reason for this rejection came down to the fact that WWE officials didn’t find the Briscoes ‘cosmetically-pleasing’ for their programming. In other words, they felt that the Briscoes looked either too unkempt or too ‘mature’ for their shows, which tend to be geared towards children over all other demographics.

Mind you, I attended ROH shows live, and there were young children at these shows, and one of them even got to high-five the Briscoes as they passed by. That kid couldn’t have been more than ten, and he was enjoying the Briscoes as much as the other adults and I were.

So either WWE's logic is misplaced in this case, or they believe very much in the notion that everything on television needs to be sanitized and clean before it's presented to an overly-sensitive audience.

#10 Dalton Castle

Dalton Castle is one of ROH’s most consistently popular acts.
Dalton Castle is one of ROH’s most consistently popular acts.

Dalton Castle is another one of those gimmick wrestlers that managed to develop a healthy fan following through the outlandishness of his gimmick. His gimmick borrows elements from previous ‘pretty boy’ and oddball characters of wrestling past that have managed to turn fans’ heads (such as Gorgeous George, Goldust, and Adrian Adonis).

But unlike these earlier gimmicks, which were meant to elicit boos from the audience, Castle gets cheered for his wacky antics more often than not.

While some might think this gimmick would work perfectly in WWE, the truth is that ‘pretty boy’ characters no longer get the heat that they used to elicit. One need only look at the relative failure of the Tyler Breeze gimmick on the main roster. Even though his gimmick was very similar to Castle’s, Breeze didn’t get many strong reactions either way when he graduated to the main roster.

If it didn’t work for Breeze than it wouldn’t work for Castle as well, even if he was presented as a babyface instead. The "pretty boy" gimmick has, sadly, become antiquated in today’s WWE.

#9 Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta

Muta is a true legend in the professional wrestling business.
Muta is a true legend in the professional wrestling business.

Since Sting has now retired following two WWE matches, The Great Muta now earns the title for the greatest non-WWE wrestler to have never wrestled in a WWE ring (or at least, the one about whom fans knew enough to want to see him in a WWE ring).

Muta/Mutoh is widely considered to be the greatest Japanese wrestler to have ever performed in the United States. From his fantastic rivalries with the likes of Sting and Ric Flair in WCW in the late 1980s and early 1990s, to his creation of the ever-popular Shining Wizard and Muta Lock, Mutoh’s influence remains visible in WWE even though he hasn’t wrestled in Vince’s company himself.

That’s not to say he didn’t want to; he was reported to have wanted to do so in the early 2000s, but a no-compete clause in his WCW contract prevented him from doing so, and by the time he started discussing the matter with Vince McMahon a few years later, he was the president of AJPW and no longer had any interest in performing stateside.

Muta is now 54 years old and his body is incredibly worn-down (if you think the Undertaker’s body is in bad shape, just take a look at Muta). Even if there was an opening for someone to act as a trainer or as a mentor for younger talent (Muta is widely considered to be a master of ring psychology, and would, therefore, have a lot of wisdom to pass on to younger wrestlers), the barriers created by language and physical distance between Muta and WWE would make any potential signing impossible.

#8 Bram

Bram’s personal life has created many roadblocks should he ever want to sign with WWE.
Bram’s personal life has created many roadblocks should he ever want to sign with WWE.

Bram has been one of TNA’s most promising wrestlers for a long time, as seen through his numerous title wins and accomplishments in that tournament. He definitely has the look of a pro wrestler, which is what WWE’s always looking for, and has the extra benefit of having worked for their developmental territory many years ago.

There’s just one problem with a theoretical WWE signing for Bram: Charlotte.

Bram was once married to Charlotte, but they divorced in late 2015. There were also reports of domestic abuse against Bram following the actions he took against another woman (not Charlotte).

With WWE wanting to promote its wrestlers as having squeaky-clean records (and with WWE and Triple H especially wanting to protect their top wrestlers, which includes Charlotte), WWE signing Bram doesn’t seem like an eventuality at any point in the future.

#7 Dragon Kid

Dragon Kid
The Japanese Rey Mysterio would’ve been a license to print money.Watching Dragon Kid wrestle is like watching a Rey Mysterio match on fast forward. He moves so quickly and demonstrates such unbelievable agility that it almost looks like he’s a living wrestling cheat code.

Dragon Kid was a stape of the Dragon Gate and Toryumon promotions for many years and had a high-profile 6-man tag team match at ROH Supercard of Honor in 2006 that won that year’s Match of the Year award.

Dragon Kid was a true master of daredevil aerial acrobatics, which would’ve made him a shoe-in to be signed by WWE at some point.

Sadly, this never came to fruition, and Dragon Kid never signed with WWE when he was in his prime. He’s 41 years old now and isn’t likely to be replicating his cruiserweight antics in any ring anywhere at this point. It’s a shame that WWE never looked into signing this guy; he’d have fit into the Cruiserweight division perfectly.

#6 The Young Bucks

These two are the very image of independent wrestling outside of WWE.
These two are the very image of independent wrestling outside of WWE.

The Young Bucks are widely considered to be the greatest tag team active today. While some fans and observers might not be fans of their ‘spotty’ wrestling style and tongue-in-cheek references about wrestling history, one cannot deny that they are beloved wrestlers that have a catalogue of excellent matches under their belts.

However, the Young Bucks aren’t likely to ever wrestle in WWE for a number of reasons. First, they’re very small; both in terms of height and weight. Even if they were to be signed, they’d probably be dwarfed by many of the smallest wrestlers in WWE already, including those in the Cruiserweight Division.

Second, their style doesn’t mesh well with the one that Vince McMahon and the company want their wrestlers to adopt. The Young Bucks are often labelled as ‘spot monkeys’ that excel in high-risk and dangerous moves.

There’s no way that Vince would allow such moves as the Meltzer Driver to be allowed in his company (not only because piledrivers are still banned in WWE, but also because Vince likes to pretend nothing exists outside of his company, including Meltzer and his Observer).

Thirdly, the Bucks’ recent video mocking the DX invasion of WCW from the 1990s was said to have angered him greatly. So greatly, in fact, that WWE issued a very real cease-and-desist order against the Bucks for their ‘Too Sweet’ gesture that has been a staple of their for years.

The fact that the Bucks are looking into going to court over this matter only further precludes them from ever entering a WWE ring, thus putting an end to many fans’ dreams of seeing the Young Bucks vs. the Revival in a dream tag match.

#5 Kharma/Awesome Kong

Kharma was once a devastating force in WWE
Kharma was once a devastating force in WWE

There are few women’s wrestlers out there more impressive than Awesome Kong. Considered the very antithesis of WWE’s former ‘Divas-centric’ attitude towards women, Kong was a big woman that could wrestle well and was also surprisingly agile. In many respects, she was the "Big Van Vader" of women’s wrestling.

This didn’t go unnoticed by WWE, as they signed her for a brief period during the early 2010s. Unfortunately, that run ended in disappointment (and later tragedy) when she took a sabbatical due to a pregnancy and then later was said to have miscarried.

Since then, Kong has reappeared here and there on the independent scene, with her most recent high-profile signing being with TNA. Sadly, that too ended in disappointment, as she was fired following a high-profile backstage altercation with Reby Sky, the wife of Matt Hardy.

Kong/Kharma appearing in WWE in the future is highly unlikely for two main reasons. First, Matt Hardy is now in WWE, and there’s always the possibility that his input on the Kong/Reby backstage issues might preclude Kharma from being offered a chance to return.

Secondly and more importantly, WWE’s women’s division is growing, and they already have their own resident ‘monster’ woman in Nia Jax, whom they appear to be pushing all the time. It wouldn’t make sense from a booking perspective to bring in another woman to fit the role of giant monster given how much time and effort they’ve put into making Nia Jax into a credible monster.

#4 Tetsuya Naito

The leader of LiJ is a major star in NJPW and abroad as well.
The leader of LiJ is a major star in NJPW and abroad as well.

Tetsuya Naito managed to become one of the biggest international draws in NJPW by being the leader of Los Ignobernables de Japon. Japanese fans love his cocky, disrespectful attitude, as do many fans around the world.

Even though there might be a noticeable language barrier between Naito and North American fans, his gimmick is one that transcends such problems. Simply put, Naito is an arrogant wrestler that spits on tradition and respect, much like how Randy Orton was when he was the Legend Killer back in his early years.

This popular gimmick has led to not only a huge fan base in both Japan and around the world but a lot of in-ring success as well. Naito won the 2017 G1 Climax tournament in a match against Kenny Omega (which got rated a whopping 5 ***3/4 stars) and has thus earned the right to challenge the IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 12.

Though Naito has been flirting with the main event scene for many years, there were some who thought that he might never grab that final brass ring, as it were, and main event NJPW’s biggest show of the year. Now that he’s virtually guaranteed to be doing so in a few months’ time, there’s no way that he’d ever appear in WWE going forward.

Even if they offered him a lucrative contract like they did to Shinsuke Nakamura, Naito has been given a huge incentive to stick with NJPW for the long term by winning the G1 Climax.

#3 Jeff Jarrett

Few people have been blackballed from WWE as heavily as Jeff Jarrett.
Few people have been blackballed from WWE as heavily as Jeff Jarrett.

Jeff Jarrett is one of the few people that are still considered as persona non grata in WWE. He managed to achieve this status by doing several things that must’ve irked WWE to no end over the years. First, he’s alleged to have exorted WWE of an estimated $300,000 from Vince McMahon in 1999.

Secondly, and more importantly, Jeff Jarrett was the founder of and served as an influential force in TNA Wrestling/Impact Wrestling. In a way, Jarrett was the one who founded the promotion that served as the closest thing to direct competition for WWE for many years.

And as you know, dear reader, Vince McMahon and his family despise competition and see red with anyone that tries to – in his mind - put his family out of business.

In this respect, you should never expect to see Jeff Jarrett in WWE ever again. The man has effectively blacklisted himself by WWE through all of his backstage dealings and business decisions to the point that enough people in WWE consider him their true enemy in the professional wrestling business.

#2 Kazuchika Okada

WWE must be wishing for this to become more than a photoshopped image so badly, given Okada’s talents.
WWE must be wishing for this to become more than a photoshopped image so badly, given Okada’s talents.

Many people consider ‘Rainmaker’ Kazuchika Okada to be the best wrestler alive today. He isn’t even 30 years old, yet he has already taken the entire wrestling world by storm with his radical transformation from a forgettable midcarder to a top babyface, and through his massive and ever-growing collection of outstanding matches.

New Japan Pro Wrestling realizes this, and their decision-makers are determined to ensure Okada never leaves NJPW for any other promotion. But to be honest, they don’t really have to try that hard, because Okada himself stated that he will ‘never’ go to WWE.

Okada has stated several times in the past few years that he has no interest in leaving Japan and wants to do whatever possible to help NJPW grow. It’s likely that these comments stem from his negative experiences while working in TNA.

Okada, you might recall, was shoehorned into a cheesy sidekick gimmick à la Green Hornet, and didn’t get many opportunities to wrestle. NJPW was furious over the whole fiasco and ended their working relationship with TNA, while Okada was determined to never work for any American promotion unless it was through some cross-promotional deal with NJPW.

Since that too isn’t likely to happen, it’s safe to say that we will never see Okada in WWE.

#1 Kenny Omega

With 3 6-star matches in 2017 alone, Omega is arguably the best wrestler alive today.
With 3 6-star matches in 2017 alone, Omega is arguably the best wrestler alive today.

WWE has made overtures to Kenny Omega several times in recent years, as they have wanted to sign him to their roster. However, Omega refused them each time, seemingly for good reason.

Omega is convinced that should he sign with WWE, his character, booking and persona would be modified heavily by WWE’s own creative forces, which is something Omega opposes vehemently.

At the same time, Omega has stated that one of the few ‘dream matches’ he himself wants to have is one against A.J. Styles at WrestleMania. However, given his explosive rise in NJPW and his incredible international popularity, Omega isn’t likely to go to WWE anytime soon, if ever.

Kenny Omega was heavily rumoured at the start of this year to be at the #30 spot at the Royal Rumble 2017 after news of his contract with NJPW being over came up.

He still plans on becoming the greatest wrestler to never wrestle for WWE, and given his recent string of matches, he’s well on his way to achieving that goal.

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Edited by Shruti Sadbhav
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