5 Independent Wrestlers We Would Love to See One Day Join WWE

Over the past decade or so, several wrestlers have made a big name for themselves on the independent circuit. Here are five such performers who could do well for themselves in WWE.

Back in January 2016, one of my first pieces for Daily DDT was titled “5 Non-WWE Wrestlers We Want to See Join the Company.” I wrote it in the wake of AJ Styles making a surprise debut at the Royal Rumble that year, plus the announcement of Shinsuke Nakamura joining NXT. Hey, those two have done pretty well for themselves in their WWE careers, huh?

Out of the five wrestlers I chose for that article two and a half years ago, three did end up in WWE in some fashion. Kota Ibushi was a semi-finalist in the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic, and he had a handful of matches in NXT. Kimber Lee signed to NXT under the name Abbey Laith and participated in the Mae Young Classic before being released earlier this year. And EC3 made his way to NXT during WrestleMania Weekend, and only competed in a 5-star match his first night in the ring.

With rumors of independent standouts like Keith Lee and Deonna Purrazzo heading to the Performance Center next month, as well as Stardom ace Io Shirai, why not think of some more names who would be a dream on the larger stage of WWE? With independent wrestling as strong as ever, there’s a ton of talent all across the globe with the potential to succeed in WWE, NXT, or 205 Live.

So here’s five competitors on the independent circuit we’d love to see join WWE one day. Oh, and before you sound off in the comments about someone from Ring of Honor or New Japan being left off the list, keep in mind that they aren’t “independent” promotions. They may not be as large as WWE, but they certainly aren’t indies, either. (Otherwise, Chuck Taylor would most definitely be #1 this time around.)