5 wrestling legends who never competed for WWE

WWE has a rich history of having the most famous personnel of the professional wrestling industry appear in their programming in some capacity or the other.

While most American wrestling legends have wrestled for the company, WWE also had the honor of having foreign legends such as Jushin Thunder Liger and Mil Mascaras on their promotion.

Nevertheless, some remarkable professional wrestlers have never stepped inside a WWE ring. A larger fraction of them were iconic puroresu or Lucha Libre stars who did not need to wrestle for Vince McMahon.

Here is a list of five such professional wrestling legends. The list shall not include wrestlers whose career took place before the creation of the company.

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#5 WWE Hall of Famer Nick Bockwinkel

Nick Bockwinkel's only appearance for the company came as part of a battle royal on an untelevised house show. While he even appeared for WCW at the tail end of his career, WWE was never an option for the legend.

Bockwinkel was noted as a tremendous villain, especially during the second half of his 34-year long career. He knew more about in-ring psychology than most wrestlers in the industry and was proficient in the art of promo.

He had exceptional in-ring skills and won championships at almost every promotion he wrestled for. Chris Jericho famously based his heel persona on Bockwinkel.

He was announced as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2007.

#4 Manami Toyota

Many great Japanese female wrestlers never wrestled in WWE. Widely considered the greatest female professional wrestler of all time, Manami Toyota started wrestling at 16. When she retired in 2017, she had nothing left to achieve, except for a match inside a WWE ring.

Toyota primarily wrestled for AJW. When the promotion closed its doors, she started wrestling in other Japanese all-female promotions, with rare appearances in the US.

Japanese female wrestlers changed the industry's landscape, innovating flashy moves and expanding the limit of in-ring psychology. Toyota was possibly the best among them, carrying her championships with pride and delivering fantastic performances in the ring.

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#3 WWE Light Heavyweight Champion The Great Sasuke

Former WWE Light Heavyweight Champion, The Great Sasuke, won the title twice, although WWE recognizes neither reigns. The title was rarely defended in the promotion.

The Great Sasuke was a daredevil with several flashy moves in his arsenal. He also changed his in-ring style according to the nature of the match or his opponent.

Sasuke never wrestled in WWE but created an interesting resume in Japan. He is an iconic professional wrestler and the first masked legislator in Japanese and perhaps world history.

#2 WWE Hall of Famer Rikidozan

Rikidozan never wrestled in WWE, and frankly, he never needed to. During his lifetime, he was one of the most popular personalities in Japan, acquiring the title of "The Father of Puroresu."

Rikidozan, although born in Korea, was a national hero for Japan in the aftermath of the second world war. However, he wrestled as a heel whenever he went to the US.

Unfortunately, his life suffered a premature end when a Yakuza member stabbed him to death in 1963. WWE inducted Rikidozan into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

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#1 WWE Hall of Famer El Santo

No other wrestler created a space for themselves in their cultural history as strikingly as El Santo. As a professional wrestler, he was widely supported by fans.

As a film star, he played his in-ring character, battling the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein, and aliens to preserve justice. A combination of Lucha Libre and movie fame made him an icon in Mexico, where statues of Santo are found to this day.

Santo never wrestled in WWE, but he is no stranger amongst the Mexican-American community. The Pixar movie "Coco" included a touching tribute to the icon, depicting his fame through a tiny cameo. WWE inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 2018.