8 Superstars who could have signed with WWE earlier than they did

There are several WWE Superstars today from the independent scene. Given how the independent wrestling scene evolved from 2010 onwards, several Superstars were WWE-ready well before they were signed.

This list focuses on many such Superstars who could have actually been with WWE longer before they actually ended up signing with the promotion.

#8. Daniel Bryan - signed with WWE in 2000 and 2009

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Daniel Bryan was technically signed to a WWE developmental deal in 2000 and even had a match against John Cena before his departure in 2003. After that, he became one of the pillars of Ring of Honor, where he helped take the relatively new promotion to new heights.

At its peak, Ring of Honor had the best in-ring product in wrestling, and Daniel Bryan (then called by his real name Bryan Danielson) was also one of the most highly-touted stars in the independent scene.

In 2009, Daniel Bryan signed with WWE again, being a part of NXT in its infancy stage. He was a part of the famous Nexus invasion angle in 2010 but was infamously fired by WWE after choking announcer Justin Roberts too hard in the segment.

It didn't take too long for WWE to re-hire him, and since then, he has been one of the most integral stars of the company. A consistent main-event-level star, Daniel Bryan was one of the people credited for WWE changing their perception about smaller-sized wrestlers.

While Daniel Bryan may have been hired by WWE in 2000 at first, it didn't seem like the right time. The six years he spent on the independent scene is what made him one of wrestling's top talents. Daniel Bryan was ready for WWE even by 2005 when he had begun his 15-month reign as ROH World Championship.

But in hindsight, it's good that he wasn't signed by WWE then. Being ready for WWE doesn't mean that he would have thrived, especially in the midst of the Ruthless Aggression era, where big men still dominated the main event scene.

#7. Shinsuke Nakamura - signed with WWE in 2016

Shinsuke Nakamura has largely been considered a disappointing WWE signing, but from his perspective, it has likely been anything but that. Signed in 2016, Shinsuke Nakamura was perceived as one of WWE's greatest international signings.

His run with NXT was a big success, where he became the first-ever two-time NXT Champion. On the main roster, he became a Royal Rumble winner just nine months after his SmackDown debut. Nakamura even challenged for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34 (in a losing effort).

Given his relative downfall since then, people have easily forgotten how good his run with New Japan Pro Wrestling was. He is still the youngest-ever IWGP Heavyweight Champion (winning it at the age of 23) and had achieved everything there was to in the promotion.

He was always an elite-caliber talent and could have easily been signed years before. Thankfully, he stuck to his guns in New Japan Pro Wrestling and became a legend in the process.

Despite his disappointing WWE run, Shinsuke Nakamura is a Royal Rumble winner, a former two-time United States Champion, Intercontinental Champion, and a SmackDown Tag Team Champion. It's hard to call his run an unsuccessful one, even if he didn't become the main event star that everyone hoped he would be.

#6. Robert Roode - Signed with WWE in 2016

Robert Roode had an incredible 12-year run with IMPACT Wrestling/TNA. He was a key tag team figure, but he also won the World Championship twice, with one reign being the longest in the IMPACT Wrestling World Championship lineage.

He was signed by WWE in 2016 at the age of 39. It was a bit late, and Robert Roode could have had a longer WWE run had he signed in his prime. However, he had a very noteworthy run with IMPACT Wrestling.

#5. Adam Cole - signed with WWE in 2017

Adam Cole's NXT debut seemed like a long time ago. It's been over three years and he has remained a staple feature of WWE's third brand. He's still only 31 years old and we don't doubt that he will be a part of WWE's main roster (and a key figure at that).

He remains one of the few Superstars on this list who could have signed with WWE at an incredibly young age. He was with Ring of Honor from the age of 19, until 2017 where he signed with WWE.

Adam Cole was always viewed as an exceptional talent for years, and in the eyes of many, he would inevitably become a big star in WWE. However, signing at the age of 28 turned out to be far better than jumping ship while he was younger.

#4. Ricochet - signed with WWE in 2018

Ricochet signed with WWE soon after turning 29 and he was still relatively young given the average age of the WWE male roster. Ricochet was always viewed as one of the most entertaining in-ring performers in the wrestling business, whether it was with PWG, NJPW, or even Lucha Underground.

Ricochet could easily have signed with WWE in his mid-20s. Had he done so, he likely would have had a longer run in NXT in its early stages as a developmental territory.

#3. Keith Lee - signed with WWE in 2018

Keith Lee had a WWE tryout in 2008 but didn't make the cut. It was only 10 years later that he signed with WWE. Now touted as a potential future WWE World Champion, Keith Lee's career is on an upward trajectory.

But there was a period between his rejection and signing where he was tearing it apart in the independent scene. Keith Lee was WWE-ready years before he was signed, but perhaps in this and many cases, timing is everything.

#2. Kevin Owens - signed with WWE in 2014

Kevin Owens signed with WWE in 2014 and he was an instant success in NXT. His rivalry with popular babyface Sami Zayn made him a bonafide star right from the start, and it was clear that he always had it in him.

Not the prototypical WWE star, Kevin Owens has been able to move past that, proving that he is one of the company's best all-round stars. He even has a Universal Title to his name and has been a constant World Championship challenger getting regular TV time.

Kevin Owens had nearly a decade-and-a-half of wrestling experience before signing with WWE, and he was ready for the big time long before he was signed.

But he entered WWE in a good period, especially with NXT gaining considerable momentum at the time. He had the perfect WWE debut, confronting and beating John Cena in his first pay-per-view on the main roster. In over five-and-a-half years, Kevin Owens has proven that he belongs in WWE as a top-tier talent.

#1. AJ Styles - signed with WWE in 2016

There is no better example of perfect timing in WWE than AJ Styles' arrival. He had received a WWE contract early on, but he opted not to sign and went to TNA instead. It turned out to be the best decision he could have made, as the platform allowed him to prove himself as one of the best in-ring talents of his generation.

He had a falling out with the company and opted to sign with NJPW in 2014. While he was there for only two years, he was already viewed as one of the best in the world, taking little to no time to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

His two-year run in NJPW was so impactful that it helped establish AJ Styles as arguably the biggest star in wrestling not signed to WWE. That all changed in 2016, and to some initial surprise, it took him only a few months to prove to WWE higher-ups that he was the best in-ring talent of his generation.

He's now a two-time World Champion in WWE and has been a consistent main event star in his five years with the promotion. WWE will be his final destination, and there were even rumors that Vince McMahon wished that he had signed AJ Styles years before.

AJ Styles could have signed with WWE in the early 2000s, but 2016 proved to be the perfect time to begin what is shaping up to be a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Edited by Zaid Khan