Ranking All 9 Former ROH World Champions Who Came To WWE
5. Samoa Joe
Although Samoa Joe had a significantly longer stay in TNA than he did in Ring of Honor, ROH will always be considered his home. It was there that he made a name for himself as the longest-reigning ROH World champion in the history of the promotion, holding the gold for a whopping 21 months.
He had his fair share of highlights during his tenure in TNA, including his incredible battles with Kurt Angle and AJ Styles, but by and large, he was not used to his full potential. He left the company in February 2015, and it was mere months later that he shocked the wrestling world by showing up in NXT at the end of TakeOver: Unstoppable.
Joe was the first notable name WWE brought in to "add to the momentum" of the black-and-yellow brand, seemingly signed to put the talent of tomorrow over. However, he ultimately exceeded all expectations in becoming the first two-time NXT champion and headlining more TakeOver specials than anyone else.
In early December, he dropped the belt back to Shinsuke Nakamura and hasn't been seen since, leading to speculation that he could be bound for the main roster before long, possibly as soon as the 2017 Royal Rumble match. If you thought his time in NXT was successful, just wait and see what he will do once he joins the ranks of Raw and SmackDown Live.