10 WWE Superstars Who'd Be Better Off In The Indies (Or Overseas)
6. Curtis Axel
In 2004, Jamie Noble wasn't one-half of Seth Rollins' security detail. Instead, he was a just-released ex-WWE cruiserweight champion who (by early 2005) went to Ring of Honor, and as James Gibson reinvigorated his career by putting on a slew of terrific matches and eventually becoming Ring of Honor Champion. By October 2005, Gibson was rehired to WWE, and has been employed by the company ever since. Similarly, Curtis Axel is an ex-Intercontinental Champion who could stand leaving WWE for a bit, heading to Ring of Honor, and jump-starting his career. Curtis Axel in NXT feels inorganic. Much like Noble in ROH, Axel needs to be a guy who just has solid matches every night, and gets over (and re-established) on the merits of his talent alone.
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.
