10 WWE Stars Who Managed To Shake Off The 'TNA Stink'

9. Christian

Consequences Creed Xavier Woods
ImpactWrestling.com

Christian undoubtedly deserved a shot at being one of WWE's top guys, but with Vince McMahon having at one point wanted to put Christian under a mask because he hated his face, it seemed unlikely that he'd ever be involved in the WWE main event scene.

When he left WWE in November 2005, Christian's position within the company was that of a talented, versatile wrestler who could be found in the tag team ranks or hunting down one of the promotion's secondary championships. And not just did Christian sign with TNA, but he did so after he declined a contract offer to remain with WWE.

Returning to his Christian Cage name, the Instant Classic was instantly placed in the main picture upon signing with TNA, and he'd soon become the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Skipping ahead to his WWE return in 2009, many presumed that Christian would just fit back into the same sort of spot that he'd occupied for the company during his previous run, with those sentiments only further reiterated when he was immediately put on the doomed ECW brand.

It's testament to Jay Reso that he not only managed to shake off the TNA stink, but that he also managed to finally win Vince McMahon over and get that crack at becoming a main event talent for the company.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.