10 Times The Independent Scene Met The WWE Machine
A fantasy pay-per-view of past WWE vs. Indy matches? Don't mind if I do!
The landscape of WWE has changed somewhat in the last few years. A decade or so ago anyone who had managed to make a name for themselves outside of WWE was unlikely to be given a fair shot in the biggest sports entertainment company in the world, and the old adage of 'Vince McMahon wants to make his own stars' ran wild.
2016 is a very different world however, and now the upper echelons of the company are dominated by some of the best non-WWE performers of that decade. Men such as Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn made their name on the indy scene before coming to WWE, and before them Daniel Bryan and CM Punk paved the way.
One interesting thing to note from the WWE runs of most of these men is that some of their best matches came against those who have spent the majority of their career in the WWE system. The experience of the former indy vets brought the best out of the WWE-created stars.
With this in mind, I have created a PPV card featuring Indy Star vs. WWE Star matches that have already happened. Individuals can only be used once. In order to avoid pedantry, we all know what we mean by 'indy stars'. It basically means anyone who made a name for themselves outside of WWE so, yes, Samoa Joe is an indy star.
He's not on the card though. Who is? Read on to find out.
10. The Club Vs. John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass - Battleground 2016
Some cheating to start off, as John Cena and AJ Styles will feature twice on this card. Also, by no means am I insinuating that New Japan Pro Wrestling is a 'minor league'. Not only is it the biggest pro wrestling promotion in Japan, it also happens to be one of the finest on the planet.
Still, the point is those from outside against those from in, and this six-man match from last month's Battleground perfectly encapsulates that idea.
On one hand you have the club. AJ Styles, an 18-year veteran who worked all around the world, primarily for TNA, ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Alongside him you have Karl Anderson (14 years) and Luke Gallows (11 years). Gallows certainly got his start with WWE, but he has rebuilt his career outside of the company. Anderson was best known for his time in New Japan.
Going up against them you have 'Mr. WWE' John Cena teaming up with Enzo Amore & Big Cass. Cena has been wrestling almost as long as Styles at this point, but he is as WWE as it gets. Big Cass was signed to WWE within a year of making his debut, and Enzo had never stepped foot inside a ring before heading to NXT. Enzo and Big Cass are two true WWE Performance Center products.
On this day the company won out, as Cena pinned Styles following an Avalanche AA.