When we become accustomed to a wrestler and one particular promotion, we often forget that they spent time in other promotions. Those stints may have been long or short but their careers were built or extended with matches outside WWE, AEW, TNA/Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), WCW, or ECW.

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One of the biggest independent promotions is ROH (Ring of Honor) which started in 2002 and has seen partnerships with some of the aforementioned promotions and although not all the relationships were great, they have had many names step between their ropes.

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9 Abyss

TNA Abyss Looking Puzzled

Signing with WWE as a producer in 2019, "The Monster" Abyss was one of the greatest workers and most sought after big men in the industry before retiring in January 2019. Although he worked independent shows, Abyss was incredibly loyal to TNA/Impact Wrestling, being one of their stars for almost 17 years, starting off as "Justice."

Abyss stopped by Ring of Honor for occasional matches in 2005 and 2006, only wrestling one singles match defeating Jack Evans. Better known now as "Chris Parks," in his other ROH matches, Parks tagged with Prince Nana, Jimmy Rave, and Alex Shelley.

8 Christian

ROH Christian Talking Into A Microphone

After his 2005 release from WWE, Christian signed with TNA Wrestling where he broke out as a singles star under the name "Christian Cage." Christian would become a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion before returning to WWE in 2009 where he notably won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship.

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Christian stayed wrestled with WWE until sustaining a concussion in 2014 and would officially announce his retirement in 2017. In ROH, Christian and Colt Cobana defeated Christopher Daniels and Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) at How We Roll in May 2006 and lost to Christopher Daniels at Generation Now in July 2006.

7 Dusty Rhodes

NWA Dusty Rhodes

The Bunkhouse match was re-modernized and by AEW's Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall in November 2020. 17 years prior, Dustin's father Dusty was part of an I Quit Bunkhouse Riot at ROH The Epic Encounter in April 2003. This was not Dusty's first Bunkhouse match or brawl for that matter.

Dusty was on the winning side of the multi-man match and it would not be a Dusty match without Rhodes throwing Bionic Elbows on his opponents. The match was an all-out war that ended with the using of a fork in the mouth which Rhodes was not part of.

6 Terry Funk

WWE Terry Funk Making His Entrance

A worldwide legend that was notorious among the territories and overseas in Japan for his brutality, Terry Funk was another legend that made various mainstream stops. Funk wrestled in the NWA, WCW, WWE, TNA, ECW, NJPW, and although not mainstream, he did wrestle once at notable independent promotion PWG.

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Terry had one fight in ROH and it was against CM Punk. The match came at Glory By Honor 2 in September 2003. Funk took Punk to town with chair shots and a suplex through a table and got the win by disqualification after Punk refused to break a submission hold on Funk.

5 Ruby Riott

WWE Ruby Riott Making Her Entrance

Although it was not televised, a year before debuting on the WWE main roster, Ruby Riott wrestled her one and only match in ROH. While working under the name "Heidi Lovelace", Riott worked a dark match for an ROH TV taping in late November of 2015, losing to Veda Scott.

Riott signed with WWE just over a year later and would begin working NXT live events in early 2017, eventually debuting on the main roster that November. Riott won several championships on the independents in the singles and tag divisions but has yet to win any in WWE.

4 Jon Moxley

AEW Jon Moxley Looking Outwards

Other than WWE and AEW, Jon Moxley is best known for his time in the independents, most notably in the promotion CZW. Moxley also worked a dark match in TNA Wrestling in November 2008 that has been posted online by Impact Wrestling. This match came before Moxley had much of a reputation.

Before and after wrestling for TNA, Moxley stepped foot in an ROH ring. In February 2007, Moxley and Alex Payne lost a dark tag match to Bobby Dempsey and Rhett Titus. In June 2007, Jon lost a dark match to Mitch Franklin. In June 2009, Moxley and Aaron Scott lost a dark tag match to Lance Lude and J-Sin and would win also win a dark singles match.

3 Eddie Guerrero

ROH Eddie Guerrero Making His Entrance

During the time he was released from WWE in the early 2000s, Eddie Guerrero worked the independents and would begin to re-build himself professionally and personally. Before returning to WWE, Guerrero would work a very early ROH show. In fact, it was their very first show called The Era Of Honor Begins.

Guerrero fought Super Crazy in February 2002 in an attempt to become the inaugural IWA Intercontinental Champion, which Crazy won. Though Eddie returned to WWE in April '02, he worked another ROH show later in the month at A Night Of Appreciation, teaming with The Amazing Red to defeat Joel and Jose Maximo.

2 Shinsuke Nakamura

ROH Shinsuke Nakamura Making His Entrance

The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura was a major star in Japan before joining WWE in 2016. Like Jon Moxley, Nakamura also worked a single match for TNA Wrestling in January 2008. Representing NJPW, Nakamura was part of numerous Global Wars and War Of The Worlds events in association with ROH.

While still under contract to NJPW, Shinsuke wrestled a pair of matches that were exclusive to Ring of Honor in August 2015. Shinsuke defeated Adam Cole (BAY BAY!) in a singles match at a TV taping and main evented Field of Honor 2015 in a tag match with Jay Lethal, defeating Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly.

1 Kenta Kobashi

ROH Kenta Kobashi Holding Up Samoa Joe's Arm

Japanese wrestling legend Kenta Kobashi began his career in the late 1980s and retired in 2013. Kobashi was part of the AJPW exodus, in which over 20 wrestlers left the company in order to form the promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH. Kobashi did not wrestle many matches in America, but two came for Ring of Honor.

It may not have been the first match but his second and third fights in North America were in an ROH ring in October 2005. Kobashi defeated Samoa Joe at Joe vs Kobashi and would compete the next night at Unforgettable, teaming with Homicide in a winning effort against Joe and Low Ki.

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