While certain wrestlers in WWE have never worked anywhere else, such as Randy Orton and Roman Reigns. That isn't the case for the majority of the roster. Most talents have competed in other places before being signed by Vince McMahon, getting the chance to compete against other people first.
Many of the wrestlers who have worked elsewhere have been able to put together some great storylines and rivalries before ever entering the world of WWE. While not every fan is aware of that because of the fact they don't watch other products, many of these feuds were brilliant to see.
10 Damian Priest (Silas Young)
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Before joining WWE, Damian Priest was best known as Punishment Martinez, who grew into a top name within Ring Of Honor. He worked hard in the company and built his way up, which gave him the chance to work with a lot of great wrestlers.
One of those was Silas Young. Their pairing made sense, with ROH placing the experience of Young with Priest. They were able to work together excellently and they had some great matches which helped to make Priest a star.
9 Bobby Lashley (Bobby Roode)
Bobby Lashley had to leave WWE to build himself up and prove his main event quality. That is something that worked for him during his time in TNA where he got to work with a lot of experienced names who helped him a lot.
Bobby Roode was one of those people. They got to compete several times for titles and that brought the best out of Bobby Lashley. He had to step up in terms of is promo work here and that was something that he needed to do at the time.
8 Finn Balor (Kota Ibushi)
Kota Ibushi is often seen as one of the greatest wrestlers in the world and his matches with Finn Balor are a great example of that. The two men competed plenty of times during Finn's time in New Japan Pro Wrestling as the leader of Bullet Club.
They worked well inside of the ring together, which is always the key to a good rivalry. They had a level of respect and put together some great moments which helped build both of their values up within the company.
7 Rey Mysterio (Dean Malenko)
Rey Mysterio is a WWE legend and he's had a great career with the company. However, outside of that, he has also put together some iconic rivalries elsewhere. WCW was a great promotion for him and he put together some of his best matches for the company.
Many of those were against Dean Malenko for the Cruiserweight Championship. They had excellent chemistry together inside of the ring and that led to many great encounters which helped to build their legacies.
6 Doudrop (Kay Lee Ray)
Doudrop is one of WWE's newest main roster stars, but she has a lot of experience working elsewhere. On the British independent scene, Doudrop was one of the top stars in the women's scene and her greatest rival just so happens to be someone else who has made it to WWE.
Kay Lee Ray is somebody that she has competed against countless times for a variety of promotions. They've had title matches, gimmick bouts, and straight-up wrestling contests. But their rivalry is one fans loved, and there is a chance it could be brought back to life in WWE down the line.
5 Drew McIntyre (EC3)
During his time away from WWE, Drew McIntyre worked against a wide variety of stars. A lot of that worked well for him as it made him one of the most valuable wrestlers in the industry. One of those just so happened to be with EC3.
They worked together on a few occasions and they had great chemistry together and that is something that allowed them both to capture the attention of the wrestling world and WWE, which led them back to the company.
4 Ricochet (Will Ospreay)
Ricochet had a lot of great rivalries before joining WWE, especially during his time as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground. However, the one that put him on the map was his feud with Will Ospreay. They competed all around the world, but primarily in New Japan and on the British independent scene.
Because their in-ring styles were so similar, they were often put together as rivals. The two of them had amazing matches that were unlike everything else that has ever happened in wrestling, which is what made their rivalry so iconic.
3 Seth Rollins (Austin Aries)
By the time he joined WWE, Seth Rollins was already a well-known and respected professional wrestler. He is somebody who made a name for himself in Ring Of Honor where he was able to put together some tremendous matches.
Rollins often worked with Autin Aries, who was one of the top stars in the company at the time. They competed over the Ring Of Honor World Championship which was a huge moment for both of them that led to some tremendous encounters.
2 AJ Styles (Christopher Daniels)
While AJ Styles will likely be best remembered as a WWE Superstar at this point, he spent a large chunk of his career with TNA. This is where he made his name and throughout that time he was able to have some legendary matches and storylines.
One of the best rivalries that he had during that time was with Christopher Daniels. Some of the best matches of AJ Styles' career took place against the Fallen Angel, with the two men having had some epic moments together.
1 Shinsuke Nakamura (Hiroshi Tanahashi)
Shinsuke Nakamura had a brilliant career before joining WWE, becoming one of the biggest names in wrestling. His hard-hitting nature helped him to get over massively with wrestling fans, especially since his charisma was off the charts.
One man that he had multiple matches with throughout his career was Hiroshi Tanahashi. They shared the ring plenty of times over the years, putting together some excellent encounters which always entertained audiences.