10 Times Wrestlers Worked Their Way Into A Job

Professional wrestling is at an all-time high in terms of quality. Plus, with every promotion now producing weekly content, it's also at an all-time high in employment opportunities. However, due to the before-mentioned high quality of wrestling talent to go around, jobs in the world's best promotions are hotly contested. In these modern times, in order to secure the job you want, you must prove yourself first. Not everybody can be the star signing with a multi-million dollar guaranteed contract, after all.

It isn't uncommon for favoritism to run rampant within the industry. This is why it becomes extra impressive whenever a certain talent is able to force their way into the spotlight on sheer work-rate alone. Veterans of the business need to show that they're worth keeping around and young stars need to demand the attention of potential employers in order to snag the job of their dreams. Maybe a previously released star needs a second chance, or a workhorse of the industry deserves to be at the top but is hindered by a weight division.

Either way, it takes a special effort to make it to the top in today's wrestling world, and luckily for fans, the grind always results in some magic within the ring.

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa both worked their way through the Indies and as a result, Triple H rewarded them for their efforts. Gargano faced Apollo Crews on an episode of NXT and quickly after was paired with Ciampa for the upcoming Dusty Classic. Throughout the tournament, the pair impressed the right people, earning themselves one of the first-ever 'Tier 2' contracts with NXT. The contract allowed the two to continue working independent dates while remaining on the NXT roster on a trial basis.

The pair entered the Cruiserweight Classic and the whole Gargano-Ciampa Saga commenced. The storytelling ability, combined with their amazing in-ring chemistry was enough to net them full-time contracts with the company. Triple H realized that the duo were just too talented to let go and immediately made them exclusive to the black and gold brand.

As they say, the rest is history. Their incredibly successful trial period led to an even more successful career at Full Sail. The tandem produced magic both as a tag team and when going head to head, resulting in the company's best rivalry in years. Good thing they worked so hard to get their NXT careers up and running, because if they hadn't, maybe they would have never been upgraded from 'Tier 2'.