The wrestling world is deeper than its been in many years with the emergence of many promotions looking to rebrand. WWE still dominates the wrestling world as the top promotion. AEW is thriving as another mainstream option with their TNT relationship working out. Impact and Ring of Honor are trying to rebuild with many talent changes in recent times.
Both companies have strong legacies in creating new stars and having a special place in wrestling. The ups and downs throughout the years have seen them each needing to switch things up. Impact’s working relationship with AEW and NJPW has helped them. ROH is gaining some momentum with strong recent shows. Find out which familiar talents from WWE work for Impact and ROH these days if looking to give them a chance.
10 Impact: Matt Cardona
Zack Ryder's WWE run endeared him to fans who enjoyed his underdog story. Ryder showed true passion and innovative thinking when coming up with his own vlog to create attention in the wrestling community.
Matt Cardona is now in Impact Wrestling working under his real name since getting released in 2020. The short AEW stint didn’t lead to a contract and Cardona found a new home in Impact. A recent program feuding with former tag partner Brian Myers aka Curt Hawkins established him as a player moving forward.
9 Impact: Rachael Ellering
WWE recently released Rachael Ellering following a short run in NXT. The daughter of legendary manager Paul Ellering made waves on the independent circuit before getting the Performance Center developmental contract.
NXT never spotlighted Rachael as a top star and fans often forgot she was even in WWE. Impact Wrestling signing Ellering has already found success winning the Knockouts Tag Team Championship with Jordynne Grace.
8 ROH: Mike Bennett
Mike Bennett having a failed WWE run saw him and wife Maria Kanellis returning to a familiar promotion. Ring of Honor previously pushed Bennett and Maria in the Kingdom faction uniting with Matt Taven, Adam Cole and Matt Hardy.
It was fitting that Mike returned to ROH to reunite with former partner Taven who was now in the main event scene. The run has seen Bennett happier than he’s been wrestling in years as he recently re-signed a longer extension with the promotion.
7 Impact: Big Cass
Life was tough for Big Cass following his WWE run ending in disappointment. The tag team stint of Cass and Enzo Amore made them among the most popular acts in NXT history. Things didn’t work out on the main roster with Cass’ eventual singles push flopping and backstage heat leading a release.
Cass reached a dark place following stories of being under the influence backstage at shows and even threatening to shoot Joey Janela. A road of redemption has seen Cass cleaning up his life and recently resurfacing in Impact Wrestling. The new name of W. Morrissey sees him working with Eric Young looking to fulfill his potential
6 Impact: Daivari
WWE recently employed their former wrestler Daivari as a producer. Daivari peaked in the 2000s when uniting with Muhammad Hassan before their run ended due to controversial segments. Producing seemed like the perfect role for Daivari until his release during the pandemic.
Impact Wrestling brought in Daivari for another run years after his X Division stint as Sheik Abdul Bashir. Daivari has been a secondary part of the Impact product and also contributes backstage using his WWE producing experience.
5 ROH: EC3
Everyone expected EC3 to end up in Impact Wrestling when he was released by WWE. It would have made perfect sense since EC3 was a former TNA World Champion and had the best run of his career there.
Ring of Honor ended up being the long-term choice of EC3 after a short Impact program with Moose. EC3 has feuded with Jay Briscoe and believes a strong ROH run would benefit both him and the company in the long run.
4 Impact: Tenille Dashwood
Anyone missing Impact Wrestling over the past year would be happy to see Tenille Dashwood as a fixture in the promotion. The former WWE star is still known as Emma to many, but she has changed her character in Impact.
Caleb Konley is her manager for a gimmick that plays into her other lifestyle as an influencer. Dashwood has channeled more of her heel persona which was always hit or miss in WWE. Impact has made Tenille an important part of their stacked women’s division.
3 Impact: Juice Robinson
The NXT run of Juice Robinson as CJ Parker pigeonholed him into a lower card spot. Robinson requested his release and took a big risk by moving to Japan to train at the NJPW Dojo with zero guarantees for a role in the company.
New Japan has witnessed Juice becoming a top face and it led to him to joining Impact Wrestling as the first step in their working relationship. Robinson and David Finlay won the Impact Tag Team Championship to cement their status as a top duo.
2 ROH: PJ Black
Former WWE star Justin Gabriel looked like a breakout star in the Nexus faction. The group flopping would hurt Gabriel’s future as WWE never gave him another fair shot at breaking out as a singles star.
PJ Black is the name he goes by now with a body of work all over the country. Ring of Honor became the full-time home of Black a few years ago when the company aimed to retool after losing Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks. PJ has become a constant in the mid-card picture looking to help rebuild ROH to a bigger place in wrestling.
1 Impact: Heath Slater
Many fans were shocked when WWE chose to release Heath Slater in 2020 with the budget cuts. Slater always made his limited opportunities in the comedic role work despite having the odds stacked against him creatively.
The release would see Heath joining Impact Wrestling hungry and looking to prove his worth. Slater was dropped due to WWE copyright with Heath as his sole name moving forward. An injury in late 2020 has kept Heath out of action despite still being on the roster for his eventual return.