Ring of Honor Wrestling and WWE: Wrestlers who worked for both promotions

#22 CM Punk

Ask any die-hard ROH fan about their cherished memories of faithfully watching the promotion and the Summer of Punk would certainly be one of the most popular answers. After wrapping up a highly rated feud with ECW legend Raven, Punk rose up the ranks in ROH that lead to a push into the World Title scene against Samoa Joe in 2004.

What transpired next was an extraordinary three-match series between two of the most talented pro wrestlers at that time. Their second match, in particular, that ended in a 60-minute draw, is a showcase of wrestling of the highest order. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer gave the showdown a 5-star rating – the first in seven years after Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels at Bad Blood. Even though Samoa Joe ended up winning the feud and the title in the process, the feud did the world of good for Punk – who started gaining traction from the WWE.

Punk agreed to WWE's deal in 2005 and was set to wrap up things with ROH. But in a surprising turn of events, Punk beat Austin Aries at Death Before Dishonor II to become the ROH World Champion. Thus began a memorable heel run and the Summer of Punk that involved him threatening the ROH fans of walking away from the promotion with the title. He eventually dropped the belt in his final ROH match to close friend Colt Cabana with a two-out-of-three falls stipulation.

Punk was quite overwhelmed in his swan song and was crying while he posed in an ROH ring for the last time before the bout. The picture of a teary-eyed Punk standing in the middle of the squared circle, till date, would elicit an emotional feeling in every ROH and pro wrestling fan.

Interesting Fact: WhenTNA newly signed Punk’s initial days with ROH, Punk infamously got into a short brawl with Teddy Hart before a TNA show at a restaurant. Sabu had to intervene and break things up before the fight went out of hand. The issue is said to have emanated from an ROH event when Hart orchestrated three impromptu spots that could have been fatal for the wrestlers in a match.

While this was stated as the reason TNA let go off Punk, Punk later clarified that the real reason why TNA released him was his inability to get over with the fans as heels.

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#23 Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe’s expeditious rise in ROH is a brilliant example of the importance of a first impression. Joe’s MMA infused style got over with the fans in a jiffy as the Samoan Submission Machine soon went on to become the ROH Champion – later rebranded as the ROH World Championship.

His legendary trilogy against Punk is what ROH folklore is made of. He held the ROH Pure Championship after his World title run and put on a string of solid matches in his three-month reign that ended at the hands of Nigel Mcguiness.

Samoa Joe earned another envious accolade when his match against Kenta Kobashi – which was part of the Japanese sensation’s once-in-a-lifetime trip to the United States, got a five-star rating from respected wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. After making the right noises in ROH, TNA picked up the monster of a man and booked him like a beast. He went on to surpass his ROH achievements in TNA, and we all hope he does the same in the WWE.

Interesting Fact: Samoa Joe is the longest reigning World Champion in the company's history having held the title for 645 days. Joe made a one-off appearance to defeat Seth Rollins in 2008 at the Rising Above ROH event and again returned in 2015 in his ROH farewell match when he teamed up with AJ Styles to beat Christopher Daniels and Kazarian.

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#24 Colt Cabana

Colt Cabana’s name will forever by synonymous to CM Punk due to the recognised relationship between the long-time friends. Cabana broke into the scene at ROH as part of the Second City Saints stable along with his trainer Ace Steel and CM Punk. He will be remembered for his two tag team title reigns with Punk and the emotionally drenched match in Chicago against CM Punk -- which was his final match for the company,

Cabana’s WWE run didn’t pay any dividends as he couldn't break the proverbial glass ceiling and always ended up being booked poorly. Naturally, he didn’t get over despite being given his show called Gold as Goldman on WWE.com and eventually was released after his last match on SmackDown against Umaga.

Cabana recently returned to ROH on April 1st, 2016 to challenge Jay Lethal to an ROH World Championship match (that ended in a no-contest courtesy of a Bullet Club interference). He is currently contracted with the promotion.

Interesting Fact: Colt Cabana along with fellow ROH wrestlers Adam Pearce and Dave Prazak nearly lost their lives once in a car accident. It was October 2006 that Cabana, his close friend and fellow Chicago native Adam Pearce, and Dave Prazak were returning from an ROH show when Cabana lost control of the car due to inclement weather.

The trio walked away with minor bruises despite the fact that the car got completely mangled due to the impact. It was all because they were wearing seat belts that they lived to see another day. The three talented wrestlers would have lost their lives had they neglected basic safety procedures. Take note people.