10 Indie Stars Who Were Supposed To Be The Next Big Thing

WWE have recently changed their hiring policy. Although their style looking at a diverse range of athletes with different backgrounds (such as fitness models, rugby players and gymnasts), they're hiring more talent from the independent wrestling scene than ever before. This has no always been the case and, in fact, at one point in time, it was seen as a serious negative if you had any sort of reputation on the indie scene, particularly if you were successful in Ring of Honor. See, WWE absolutely hated the internet, and 'internet fans'. To them, you weren't a star unless you were a star in WWE. Anyone who claimed otherwise, either wrestlers or fans, were wrong. It's why you got more guys like Nathan Jones, Snitsky and Luther Reigns, and less guys like CM Punk, Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan. Of course, some of those indie/internet darlings (like Punk and Bryan) were able to break through the glass ceiling and become genuine players against considerable odds. Other indie veterans from this period (the late 90s to mid-2000s) weren't so lucky. Despite the fact that they had fan followings and received rave reviews online and in the wrestling press, they weren't considered right for WWE. Some indie wrestlers were supposed to be the next big thing in wrestling but, instead, their careers either fizzled out or came to a screeching halt. Had NXT have been what it is now back then, these guys might have gotten their WrestleMania moments.