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WWE has for the last 20 years been the biggest game in town since the collapse of WCW. Independent companies have long been around to provide talent for future WWE use and also benefit from the WWE developmental system. NJPW, ROH, CZW and even Impact Wrestling have stars who were once in the WWE that you may not have known of. This list takes a look at those stars and what they were doing before their current runs.
#5 EC3 - Ethan Carter III
For 6 years, EC3 performed in OVW and FCW (the WWE developmental territories) as Derrick Bateman, and then went on to participate in the 4th and 5th seasons of NXT (when it was still a game show). Teaming with Johnny Curtis (Fandango) and his NXT mentor Daniel Bryan, Bateman was used mainly as a feeder wrestler for stars such as Ryback and Alberto Del Rio on both NXT and Smackdown. Once NXT changed into the brand we know today, Derrick was almost always on the losing side of matches versus the likes of Cesaro, Ohno and Big E.
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Once released from his WWE contract, Bateman reinvented himself as Dixie Carter's nephew in TNA (Impact) and within 2 years would be the TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
#4 Tanga Loa / Camacho
Between 2011 and 2014, Tanga Loa was part of the WWE both in FCW and then the new NXT. He also made appearances on Raw and SmackDown. As one part of a tag team with Hunico (who would later become the 2nd incarnation of Sin Cara), Camacho would be the enforcer type character for the more mobile Hunico. His time in WWE was short-lived however and was soon let go from NXT in 2014.
The son of WWE legend Haku has now reinvented himself with his brother Tama Tonga as one-half of the Guerrillas of Destiny. The duo competes in NJPW and have won the IWGP Tag Championships thrice and are a part of the infamous Bullet Club stable.
#3 Low Ki / Kaval
Low Ki has been an Indy star for most of his career. He has had celebrated runs in ROH and PWG, as well being a main part of TNA for many years. Low Ki, however, was in the WWE for 2 years in both FCW and then on SmackDown as Kaval. After participating in the 2nd season of NXT, Kaval joined SmackDown in 2010 and used a guaranteed title shot to challenge Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental title, which he lost. After 4 months, Kaval was released and he reverted back to Low Ki and rejoined TNA and NJPW.
Low Ki has been the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion three times, TNA X Division Champion 5 times and the ROH World Champion, but his time in WWE was always seen as a big disappointment.
#2 Colt Cabana / Scotty Goldman
Colt Cabana was an Independent star all the way back from 2002 and was one of the first stars to be able to make money on the scene. For 5 years, Cabana competed in Ring of Honor with his friend CM Punk and Bryan Danielson before accepting a WWE developmental contract in 2007 and wrestling on shows such as Heat and Velocity. Being given the character of Scotty Goldman, Colt was on SmackDown for only 6 months from August 2008 and was used a handful of times before being released in 2009.
Cabana would go back to the Indy scene and is known as the consummate professional and still wrestles all over the world.
#1 Kenny Omega
The holder of three 6 star matches and part of a generally accepted 'greatest match of all time' against Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega actually had a year in WWE's developmental territory, Deep South Wrestling in 2005. Training under the tutelage of Bill DeMott and Bob Holly, Omega had a selection of matches against Heath Slater and Matt Striker before ultimately asking to be released from his contract and allowing him to return to the Canadian independent scene.
Fast forward a few years and Omega was winning the PWG Battle of Los Angeles and becoming PWG World Champion, and then onto NJPW in 2010 becoming an IWGP Intercontinental Champion, IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion and currently the IWGP US Champion. Kenny is the leader of the Bullet Club and is known around the world as possibly the greatest in-ring performer.
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