10 Indy "Veterans" Making WWE TV Very Watchable Right Now

Xavier Woods - WWE's new MVP.

There's a great argument to be made for the idea that pro wrestling is always best when done by those who are "career" pro wrestlers. The type of people who would engage in the grappling arts whether there were 10 or 10,000 people in the crowd, or making $25 or $250,000 for a match likely do it best, as their passion shines through in their performances. At present in WWE, moreso than the Roman Reigns and Rybacks of the world, there's a small clique of indy wrestling "veterans" on the roster really making it happen. Unfortunately, where WWE falls short is that instead of pushing these tirelessly working employees with prior non-WWE experience, the wrestlers wholly birthed and formed in their system get to grab the brass ring first. However, for as much as this notion is true, it's certainly changing of late. Bearly all of WWE's current champions are performers who are either aligned with or personally have a nearly a decade (or more) of indy experience. While not as voluminous and repetitive as the territories, the indy scene certainly provides talents with semi-regular work and the ability to have access to veteran performers, and in some cases money-making opportunities. Here's 10 wrestlers who have benefited from their time in the indies and are currently carrying WWE television because of it.

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Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.