7 WWE Champions you didn't know wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW)

#5 Kurt Angle

Angle faced his old foe Brock Lesnar for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after leaving the WWE.

One of the all-time greatest WWE Superstars of all time, Kurt Angle left the company in 2006 when he refused to go to rehab and the company feared he'd die on their watch.

Signing with TNA Wrestling that same year, Angle would end up working in New Japan Pro Wrestling, as part of a contracted deal between the two promotions.

Angle made his debut in 2007 when he teamed up with Yuji Nagata to defeat Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko. Angle ended up winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Brock Lesnar that same year before losing it to Shinsuke Nakamura in 2008.

After a successful run in the company, Angle had his last match in the Japanese promotion in 2009, where he came up short Hiroshi Tanahashi at their Resolution event