#2 Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels may be one of the biggest names in the world of wrestling today, but he didn’t have it as easy a couple of decades ago. Daniels signed a developmental contract with WWE in 1998 and hoped to make it big in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.
The Fallen Angel was instead used as an enhancement talent and lost thrice as many matches as he won with the company, making things a lot more difficult for himself.
The bad booking led to Daniels leaving the company and returning to the independent circuit. He made the right decision as he worked far better out of the company, and signed some top deals with Ring of Honor (ROH) followed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Rivalries against men like AJ Styles, The Young Bucks, and Samoa Joe made Daniels the man he is today and helped him develop into a major name.
Aged 50, Daniels is now signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is still performing some insane moves and is now one of the most revered wrestlers in the business today.