Ring of Honor has shown to be a proven development territory for some of the most successful WWE superstars of the past few years. It started with CM Punk in 2011; continues with Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, and Cesaro today; and may provide the future of WWE in Sami Zayn. All of these ROH alumni either have made or will make significant contributions to the WWE. Punk was the trailblazer. An ROH alumnus from 2002 to 2005, he was the first major alumnus to receive a WWE contract, the first to win a major championship, and the first to head into Wrestlemania as the WWE Champion. Punks foot getting in the door helped pave the way for Bryan (Bryan Danielson in ROH), Rollins (Tyler Black in ROH), and Cesaro (Claudio Castagnoli in ROH) to make their mark at this years Wrestlemania. The top of the card in WWE right now is littered with ROH originals. And Sami Zayn (the former El Generico) is about ready to be called up to the main roster and make his impact. The influence of Ring of Honor in WWE is so prevalent that
WWE.com devoted an entire article to a company that could be seen as an indirect competitor. What makes ROH such a proving ground for future WWE superstars? It attracts the best talent in independent wrestling, who make themselves and everybody theyre in the ring with have to up their in-ring game significantly. The ROH fanbase has a bit of that ECW vibe to it, where theyll accept you if you perform well, and theyll chew you up and spit you out if you cant cut the mustard. If a wrestler can win over the learned and sometimes-fickle ROH fans and make it to the top of the company, that kind of success can translate over to the WWE Universe. So with four proven ROH success stories (and a possible fifth one to come), who currently in the company might join them? Lets take a look at the Top 10 current ROH wrestlers that could make a huge impact in WWE.