With the arrival of All Elite Wrestling as well as the presence of companies such as NJPW, WWE and Impact Wrestling, there is no denying that all these companies will be looking to sign the best possible talents that they can. However, WWE remains the number one company in the entire world.
The truth is, a contract with the WWE will mean more money and a better chance for exposure. But there is the chance that some wrestlers may not even be booked to their standards, as we've seen with the likes of Dean Ambrose.
This is a reason why The Young Bucks and Cody have decided to form their own path to success, by creating AEW with the Khan Family.
But nevertheless, here are 5 wrestlers who are currently wrestling in the independent scene that may sign with the WWE.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
#5 Kaitlyn
Funnily enough, Kaitlyn is the only wrestler on this list that has already competed on the WWE main roster in the past.
She had a successful run in the Divas division due to the fact that she had been Divas Champion, as well as the winner of Season 3's NXT, back when NXT was airing on television as a competition.
Kaitlyn was thriving back when the Divas Division wasn't being featured prominently as most of the matches at the time were just short or squash bouts.
She had left the WWE before announcing that she was retiring from wrestling on July, 24th 2014 to focus on her marriage, clothing brand as well as the fitness industry.
However, in 2018, Kaitlyn made her return to the wrestling ring as she competed in many matches in the independent circuit.
On July 11, 2018, it was also announced that Kaitlyn would be returning to the WWE to be one of the participants of the 2018 Mae Young Classic. Kaitlyn made it to the round of 16, but unfortunately, she fell short to Mia Yim in a match.
Despite returning to the WWE, she didn't sign with the company for reasons that are unknown. But during an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Kaitlyn had stated that she was looking to rediscover her "sports-entertainer" aspect of her personality.
The former Divas Champion also stated that she wanted to "hone my skills" as well as "turn into a great sports-entertainer."
It most certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see her officially sign with the WWE again due to the women's division clearly continuing to evolve.
#4 Shane Strickland
Rumors have been circulating in the wrestling world that Strickland may sign with the WWE in the future.
Shortly after he had left MLW, those rumors were gaining even more steam as Dave Meltzer had stated in the Summer of 2018 that Strickland was "another name WWE are looking at and will be coming in for a future look."
Despite Strickland clearly being interested in signing for the company, he has been unable to due to the reports from PWInsider of unknown "contract issues" with Lucha Underground.
LU is known to be a pain in the neck when it comes to wrestlers wanting to leave their company, as we've seen with the likes of Ricochet and Ivelisse Velez.
With Strickland competing for Evolve, an independent company who has a great working relationship with the WWE, this may fuel the rumors even more than the former Killshot is set to sign with WWE as ESPN had reported that Strickland was "one of the most in-demand stars" of the world.
#3 Allysin Kay
Allysin Kay is mostly known by her tenure in Impact Wrestling as she had competed as Sienna where she was a former GFW Women's Champion as well as a 2-time Knockouts Champion.
Kay made a name for herself as part of The Lady Squad along with the likes of Maria Kanellis and Lauren Van Ness (now competing as Chelsea Green), both who are currently signed with the WWE.
Kay isn't a stranger to the WWE at all, as she was another female competitor that competed in the second annual Mae Young Classic 2018 tournament, but she had lost to Mia Yim in the first round of the tournament.
However, Kay has previously spoken with the Wrestling Epicentre's Interactive Wrestling Radio where she had discussed her involvement in the Mae Young Classic tournament.
When asked if she would sign a contract with the WWE, Kay had stated: "I'm talking to a few people, but I just want to have fun."
This suggests that Kay is clearly interested in signing with the WWE, and NXT would seem like a fantastic destination for her so that she can get used to the WWE style.
She is currently competing in companies such as Shimmer Women Athletes and Shine Wrestling, where the likes of Toni Storm and Bayley had respectively wrestled in before coming to the WWE.
#2 Garza Jr
Garza Jr is a Luchadore that competes in Crash Lucha Libre as he is a fantastic high flying competitor. He is also part of the Garza Family as they are an established name in the Mexican wrestling scene. His cousin is none other than the former Ultimo Ninja, also known as Humberto Carillo who is currently on 205 Live and NXT.
The Mexican wrestler was rumored to sign with the WWE last year, but unfortunately, the signing didn't come to fruition after WWE had reportedly rejected him.
Dave Meltzer had confirmed the fact that WWE dismissed Garza, stating that "WWE reversed the hiring of Garza Jr. I think it was because of his problems on his shoulders."
It was then revealed that Garza had received a second chance to sign with the WWE despite having over 20 shoulder injuries after speaking to a Spanish Magazine called Pasala.
This is because he will receive another medical evaluation, and he will apparently sign with the WWE if he passes the test. Garza had stated:
"The WWE is not used to giving second chances, but I already had a meeting with them and they are going to do a final medical check of the shoulder."
This further boosts the idea that he will gain a contract with WWE if he does indeed pass the test. Therefore, this makes him a very likely choice to sign with the WWE.
#1 KUSHIDA
On January 7th, 2019, it was announced that KUSHIDA would be leaving NJPW. Kushida had then wrestled his last match at the Road To The New Beginning PPV event on January 29th, 2019 as he was defeated by Hiroshi Tanahashi, before becoming a free agent after that.
KUSHIDA was such a big name in NJPW as he had won multiple titles, such as becoming a 6-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion as well as winning the Best of the Super Junior tournament twice in 2015 and 2017. This is the main reason why Kushida is regardest as one of the best independent wrestlers in the world today.
It has been reported for a while now that KUSHIDA is set to sign with the WWE, with the Wrestling Observer stating that KUSHIDA's intentions for wanting to sign with the number one company are because "Jushin Liger told him he should go to WWE as part of his career experience."
With Jushin Liger being an influential wrestler in Japan, there is no doubt that KUSHIDA would listen to him.
However, many people in the wrestling world are worried about KUSHIDA joining WWE due to Hideo Itami's exit, as Meltzer also had stated that KUSHIDA wouldn't be a good fit for WWE or NXT as he "doesn't have the over-the-top charisma that Nakamura or Asuka have."
Do you agree with any of these choices of potential wrestlers who may sign with the WWE? If not, who else do you think will possibly join WWE? Let us know in the comment section below!