5 WWE Superstars you probably didn't know worked with NJPW

NJPW is one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world at the moment. Over the years, countless wrestlers have worked for the promotion and most of them have attained a lot of success there. A run in the Japanese company has helped boost the careers of many talented wrestlers who have gone on to sign for WWE later on.

The likes of Hulk Hogan, Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor attained a lot of success during their time in NJPW. These are some popular WWE Superstars whose tenure at NJPW is extremely popular. However, there are plenty of WWE names left whose work with the Japanese company many people aren't still familiar with. With today's list, let's take a look at those few WWE Superstars that you probably didn't know worked with NJPW. Without further ado, let's get started.

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#5 Brock Lesnar

Lesnar fought Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono in a three-way match to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Brock Lesnar had a rather brief run at NJPW, but it was more than enough to capture a major title. He first stepped foot into the Japanese ring following his failed NFL run in 2004. In his debut match, Lesnar fought Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono in a three-way match to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

As the champion, Lesnar successfully defended the title against the likes of Giant Bernard (better known as Matt Bloom), Akebono, and Shinsuke Nakamura. However, his title reign came to an end after he didn't show up for an NJPW show. As a result, the title was stripped off him.

With this, Lesnar's run at NJPW also came to an end, and he would go on to fight his last wrestling match against none other than Kurt Angle at Inoki Genome Federation before turning his attention to MMA and joining the UFC.

Working at the Dana White's promotion, Lesnar would win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. With this title win, he'd also become the only man in history to ever hold the UFC and WWE Championship.

#4 The Viking Raiders

Erik and Ivar made their last appearance at NJPW when they competed in a gauntlet match

The Viking Raiders are one of the most prominent teams in WWE's Tag Team division and are currently on RAW. Erik and Ivar did have a good run with NJPW before making their way to Vince McMahon's company.

The duo made their first appearance for NJPW when they competed in the World Tag League tournament 2016. With a score of four wins and three losses, the two men advanced to the semi-finals, where they were defeated. As a result, Erik and Ivar were eliminated from the tournament, and with this, the two men bid farewell to the Japanese company, though not for long.

A year later, Erik and Ivar made their return to NJPW when they defeated the duo of Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. The two men held the title for 63 days before they lost them to the team of Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. Following this, Erik and Ivar tried to get the hold of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, but the two men didn't succeed.

Erik and Ivar made their last appearance for NJPW when they failed to win a gauntlet match at the Wrestling Kingdom 12. With this loss, the two men said their adieu to NJPW and went on to sign a contract with WWE, where they spent a year or so working at the company's developmental territory NXT before making their jump to the main roster.

They have attained a lot of success on WWE's Black and Gold brand before joining RAW. They have held the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships once and are currently in a feud with The Street Profits.

#3 Xavier Woods

Woods made his next appearance for NJPW when he teamed up with Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma

Xavier Woods has been an integral part of WWE's main roster for a long time now. As a part of the New Day, Woods has attained a lot of success in his WWE career.

Following his walkout from TNA in 2010, Xavier Woods made his NJPW debut, when he teamed up with Kota Ibushi to compete in the Super Junior Tag Tournament. With Ibushi as his partner, Woods fought the duo of Gedo and Kushida but lost the match to them. As a result, the two men were eliminated from the tournament in the first round.

A month later, Woods made his next appearance for NJPW, when he teamed up with Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma to participate in the J Sports Crown Openweight 6 Man Tag Tournament. The three men defeated the team of Tamon Honda, Kentaro Shiga, and Makoto Hashi to advance in the second round, where they were defeated by the team of Masato Tanaka, Tomohiro Ishii, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

With this loss, Woods parted his ways from NJPW and went on to sign with WWE, where he spent a few years working on the company's developmental territory NXT before he was called on to the WWE main roster. He joined forces with Big E and Kofi Kingston to form the faction--The New Day.

Currently, Woods is out injured and the fans are anxiously waiting for him to return to action.

#2 Andrade

Andrade challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship but lost the match to him

Andrade is one of the brightest prospects in WWE at the moment. The former NXT Champion had a great run as a part of NJPW as well.

Andrade made his first appearance for NJPW under the name La Sombra. He competed in the Best of the Super Juniors in 2010 but failed to advance to the finals. A few weeks later, he teamed up with Máscara Dorada to compete in the Super J Tag League, but the two men came short. With this loss, Andrade continued to make sporadic appearances for NJPW, but he didn't do anything major in the Japanese company until 2013.

During the Fantastica Mania 2013 PPV, Andrade unsuccessfully challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. A few months later, Andrade again fought Nakamura for the title, but this time, he managed to grab it from him. Following this, Andrade competed in multiple NJPW tournaments, but he didn't win any of them.

The former WWE US Champion made his last appearance for the Japanese company during the Fantastica Mania 2015 PPV, where he defeated his former tag team partner Máscara Dorada. With this win, Andrade wrapped up his NJPW career and went on to sign a contract with WWE.

#1 Ric Flair

Ric Flair participated in the NJPW G1 Climax tournament in 1991

Ric Flair is truly an icon of the pro wrestling industry and the two-time WWE Hall Of Famer will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.

While holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1991, Ric Flair made his first appearance for NJPW. In his debut match, Flair unsuccessfully defended the title against Tatsumi Fujinami--the IWGP Heavyweight Champion--in a title vs title match at WCW/New Japan Supershow.

Four months later, The Nature Boy made his next appearance for NJPW when he participated in the G1 Climax tournament. Flair, though, scored a win over Shiro Koshinaka and a draw against Masahiro Chono, he failed to advance further in the bracket.

Following this, Flair stayed absent from NJPW for about a year or so before making his return and unsuccessfully facing Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. With this loss, Flair wrapped up his NJPW career and continued working with WCW until the company ran out of business.

Flair made his return when WWE offered him a contract in 2001. In his first storyline, Flair played the role of co-owner of WWE as well, started a feud with Vince McMahon.