Matt Cardona has continually managed to rebuild his brand, reshape his image, and make HIMSELF relevant without having the big corporate machine behind him. You have to respect that.
I have always been impressed by Juice Robinson leaving NXT and pretty much starting over completely in NJPW as a young lion. Dude bet on himself and it really paid off.
I used to guzzle WWE's kool-aid for years, and I'm very grateful I stopped because I was able to see just how big the world of wrestling is and how talented some WWE alumni truly are, these days I don't even watch WWE anymore and mainly watch other leagues online like OVW, MLW, NWA, Championship Wrestling, New Japan Strong and others, I also wish I had actually given TNA/Impact a chance instead of purely sticking with WWE because I really missed out on a lot of great stuff
Or Homocide if you ask Tazz lol.. If you don't know, he done the ECW merchandise back in the 90s, & with Sabu, he put the Tshirts as Suicidal, Homocidal, Genocidal, & no-one could tell if he'd misspelt homicidal or if he was taking the piss out of Sabu, because to say they didn't like each other is putting it lightly
Drew's always impresses me. He was always a big lad but he went from "big young lad" to "big man' in his time away Amazing what a bit more size, hair dye, facial hair etc does lol Heck cody too for that matter
While not as notable as the ones in this list, I'd say Matt Hardy coming up with the ridiculous yet memorable Broken Matt gimmick during his run in IMPACT is worth mentioning too. Speaking of IMPACT, Steve Maclin (fka Steve Cutler of The Forgotten Sons) alongside wife Deonna Purazzo also prove that they're both great heel performers.
The thing about Callihan is that eventually he did bring the hacker gimmick to Impact, it wasn't used to it's full potential but it was way better than NXT.
Since he left WWE, Cardona had held countless indie titles, become a mainstay name in pro wrestling, and even got his own wine with his face on it while holding the GCW title (and it's a fairly decent wine to boot). That's a pretty good reinvention.
You missed the bit of Tanga Loa's career where he went to Impact and was part of the trio consisting of Eli Drake (LA Knight), Drew Galloway (Drew McIntyre) and himself know as Micah.
I remember that time in Impact Wrestling in the mid 2010s. Their stable was known as The Rising. They were feuding with the BDC(Beat Down Clan), which consisted of M.V.P(Montel Vontavious Porter), Bobby Lashley, Kenny King, Low Ki & Samoa Joe.
@@jodawa2504 Yeah me to. Think I stopped watching after Cody's little stint. I just thought the product was getting stale, it looked like an indie promotion with a low budget and there was either no storyline or the storylines were boring I cant remember.
@@TheNath87 Cody Rhodes' Impact Wrestling stint was surprisingly short. I didn't expect him to show up in Impact, let alone leave so soon after arriving. You sound as though you tuned out of Impact Wrestling post Aces & Eights' storyline, but shortly after WWE's former NXT superstar Derrick Bateman(renamed in Impact Wrestling as Ethan Carter the third or EC3, the nephew of then TNA president Dixie Carter) as people tuned out of WWE during the early PG Era, especially after the failed renegade faction Nexus storyline. I tuned in to WWE & TNA/Impact Wrestling every time as much as I could during that time. I enjoyed the The Rising/BDC(Beat Down Clan) feud. Eli Drake turned heel by turning on Drew Galloway & Micah. At times, you were right about Impact Wrestling lacking in compelling storylines during the mid 2010s. They weren't the same as the storylines such as the Main Event Mafia faction, Fortune/Immortal faction feud, ECW Originals vs TNA Originals feud or, as I already said, Aces & Eights storyline. It started to get good again in 2016, though. Jeff Hardy vs "Broken" Matt Hardy; the new L.A.X(Latin American Xchange, which consisted of Santana & Ortiz) vs The Ogz(The Original L.A.X, which consisted of Homicide & Hernandez, who were joined by Eddie Kingston) & EC3's multi-year undefeated streak being ended by Mike Bennett.
@@jodawa2504 I remember most of that so I must have been watching for longer. I remember Pentagon Jr as Impact World Champ. Think I stopped watching when they went to a red set.
@@TheNath87 Ok. I've been watching TNA/Impact Wrestling since I discovered Jeff Hardy was in TNA in 2004-2006 before he returned to WWE in August 2006 the Monday Night Raw episode after Summerslam. I haven't been able to watch an episode of Impact Wrestling since 2019 when Tessa Blanchard shockingly became the first female Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion. Of course, Tessa screwed up that shit & got stripped of the title & fired. As far as Pentagon Jr is concerned, I somewhat remember that time period, but I remember when Eli Drake was Impact Wrestling, at the time Global Force Wrestling, World Champion, lost it to Austin Aries on the night he returned. I remember EC3 beating Matt Hardy to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. I remember Brian Cage defeating Johnny Impact(formerly WWE's John Morrison/Johnny Nitro) for the Impact Wrestling World Championship. I remember the feud between Brian Cage & Sami Callihan, where Sami delivered a piledriver on Brian's wife Melissa at Brian & Melissa's wedding! That shit was hilariously shocking! Anyway, my comment is getting too long, but the last thing is I've been caught up on Impact Wrestling by watching videos & reading online articles to stay updated, along with WWE & AEW.
Jon Moxley will be so surprised to see himself on this list- because he’s so concussed and hurt he doesn’t know what day of the week it is. And good luck hoping the likes of Rick Knox try to protect him in the ring.
(saying this as a trans person myself) I'm partial, but no love for the Gabbi Tuft? Sure, she's a raging 45 supporter and trans-medicalist, but her post WWE trans-formation is proof that (with enough money!), changes can be made
Cody Rhodes was, is, and always will be nothing more than an over-hyped mid-carder. At least he had more sense than to pull a Vern Gagne or Jeff Jarrett and keep putting the world title on himself in AEW. I'll give the over-rated mid-card stooge that much.
Hmmm 100 %over rated or seeing over powers but my prediction after 5 yeare he retain a midcard vouch wrestler just like my enemy. My prediction after several years gone I'm become more rich person & they still lested a money hopper
@@williamseneyjr.6277 I don't see anyone saying he won the world title in AEW. In fact, I clearly said he had enough sense NOT to put the world strap on himself, when he was part of the booking team unlike Verne Gagne and Jeff Jarrett did in promotions where they had power. Maybe the person you were responding to deleted their comment and I didn't see it. If not, hopefully this clarified my comment a little more.
So...i am fully on board with Cody changing things, but with TKO Group, i really dont think they will let him take the reigns.....get it....the reigns....lol
cody rhodes was for me was always a good wrestler. currently, he repeats a lot of moves but before as for me he has a bigger assortment. currently cody rhodes looks a little better, have more strenght, less agility and is amazing on mic.
I do not think Jon Moxley should be on this list. He is the same character in AEW as WWE, just with a different name. By the end of his WWE run, he had even shaved his head like he wears it in AEW. His match with Brock had a death match aspect to it
@@six6thdisciple You never game a damn about Cody before... He had a forgettable IC run and an forgettable tag team run.. He was so dull that they teamed him up with his own brother and even Dustin couldn't make Cody interesting.. The guy is boring.. Boring tone deaf promos. Average in ring ability.. He dyes his hair, calls himself the "American Nightmare" and mentions his dad every opportunity he gets.. He's riding on his dad's name and gimmick.. Why?.. Because he failed to generate any attention on his own.. There is a reason why the "Natural" didn't work but "Golddust" did.. Quit being such a Cody stan.
Matt Cardona has continually managed to rebuild his brand, reshape his image, and make HIMSELF relevant without having the big corporate machine behind him. You have to respect that.
I have always been impressed by Juice Robinson leaving NXT and pretty much starting over completely in NJPW as a young lion. Dude bet on himself and it really paid off.
And now he’s part of a Bullet Club Gold playing a role that’s super entertaining. His unhinged scream during BCG’s entrance is great
Who?
Juice gives off massive Macho Man vibes, he’s so charismatic
ROCK HARD!!!
He also did something impossible and made, Jim Cornette his biggest fan.
Honestly, one that really goes under the radar is Mark Jindrak / Marco Corleone, he did so well for himself after leaving wwe for mexico
Juice Robinson just being maniac as hell is the best part about AEW Collision lol
Dean Ambrose and Jon Moxley honestly feel like two completely different people. It's like Hollywood Blondes Steve Austin vs. Stone Cold.
An alcoholic scumbag into a parody joke
Couldn’t agree more
Spot on analysis! The only difference is Austin never sucked and Moxley always has. Other than that, exactly the same.
@@kevinb8212you're so fucking objectively wrong, but then again, you're entitled to be.
@@six6thdisciple for no reason at all dude 🤣🤣
Dude honestly I'm so happy matt is doing so amazing but I'll always be a broski woo woo you know it
I used to guzzle WWE's kool-aid for years, and I'm very grateful I stopped because I was able to see just how big the world of wrestling is and how talented some WWE alumni truly are, these days I don't even watch WWE anymore and mainly watch other leagues online like OVW, MLW, NWA, Championship Wrestling, New Japan Strong and others, I also wish I had actually given TNA/Impact a chance instead of purely sticking with WWE because I really missed out on a lot of great stuff
Sami Callahan runs an Indy company as well. Wrestling Revolver. Where many Impact and legends show up and perform.
Lance Archer is a good one too
I'd say Tyler Rex had the BIGGEST transformation since leaving WWE.
Ohnononono
Killed it my man
I was looking for this
You are NOT wrong. Not even a tiny little bit.
Haha came to post the same 😂
Matt Cardona has been amazing. Able to catch him defend his HOG championship title against Homicide on Friday. He truly is the "Indy God"
Or Homocide if you ask Tazz lol..
If you don't know, he done the ECW merchandise back in the 90s, & with Sabu, he put the Tshirts as Suicidal, Homocidal, Genocidal, & no-one could tell if he'd misspelt homicidal or if he was taking the piss out of Sabu, because to say they didn't like each other is putting it lightly
Cardona, Rhodes and robinson are my favorites on this list!!!
Drew's always impresses me. He was always a big lad but he went from "big young lad" to "big man' in his time away
Amazing what a bit more size, hair dye, facial hair etc does lol
Heck cody too for that matter
I'm currently in wrestling school training to become a wrestler and Raven is one of my biggest inspirations, Nevermore.
Goodluck you look like someone shaved Xavier woods
Okay the Luke gallows/Festus kinda hurt me cause I’m 22 and sing biscuits and gravy and a weekly basis 😂😂
I had no idea Tanga Loa was Camacho
neither did i
isn't Juice married to Toni Storm also? dude is winning
While not as notable as the ones in this list, I'd say Matt Hardy coming up with the ridiculous yet memorable Broken Matt gimmick during his run in IMPACT is worth mentioning too. Speaking of IMPACT, Steve Maclin (fka Steve Cutler of The Forgotten Sons) alongside wife Deonna Purazzo also prove that they're both great heel performers.
"Old and sad" if you remember a 2010 tagteam? Lol I started watching around 1990.
The thing about Callihan is that eventually he did bring the hacker gimmick to Impact, it wasn't used to it's full potential but it was way better than NXT.
Where’s Bobby Lashley? His impact wrestling run was amazing
No Hulk Hogan? Hollywood Hogan is arguably THE best post-WWE transformations
Nah, that dude that cut his dick off & got implants
genuinely surprised Brock didn’t make the list
Since he left WWE, Cardona had held countless indie titles, become a mainstay name in pro wrestling, and even got his own wine with his face on it while holding the GCW title (and it's a fairly decent wine to boot). That's a pretty good reinvention.
They say Derrick Baitman is a bad name, yet it is no worse than Daniel Bryan. Or Adrian Neville.
Adrian Neville
Are you guys not reviewing Netflix’s Wrestlers? It’s amazing, at least to me it is. I do hope to see some of them make it to either WWE, AEW or NJPW.
You missed the bit of Tanga Loa's career where he went to Impact and was part of the trio consisting of Eli Drake (LA Knight), Drew Galloway (Drew McIntyre) and himself know as Micah.
I remember that time in Impact Wrestling in the mid 2010s. Their stable was known as The Rising. They were feuding with the BDC(Beat Down Clan), which consisted of M.V.P(Montel Vontavious Porter), Bobby Lashley, Kenny King, Low Ki & Samoa Joe.
@@jodawa2504 Yeah me to. Think I stopped watching after Cody's little stint. I just thought the product was getting stale, it looked like an indie promotion with a low budget and there was either no storyline or the storylines were boring I cant remember.
@@TheNath87 Cody Rhodes' Impact Wrestling stint was surprisingly short. I didn't expect him to show up in Impact, let alone leave so soon after arriving. You sound as though you tuned out of Impact Wrestling post Aces & Eights' storyline, but shortly after WWE's former NXT superstar Derrick Bateman(renamed in Impact Wrestling as Ethan Carter the third or EC3, the nephew of then TNA president Dixie Carter) as people tuned out of WWE during the early PG Era, especially after the failed renegade faction Nexus storyline. I tuned in to WWE & TNA/Impact Wrestling every time as much as I could during that time.
I enjoyed the The Rising/BDC(Beat Down Clan) feud. Eli Drake turned heel by turning on Drew Galloway & Micah. At times, you were right about Impact Wrestling lacking in compelling storylines during the mid 2010s. They weren't the same as the storylines such as the Main Event Mafia faction, Fortune/Immortal faction feud, ECW Originals vs TNA Originals feud or, as I already said, Aces & Eights storyline. It started to get good again in 2016, though. Jeff Hardy vs "Broken" Matt Hardy; the new L.A.X(Latin American Xchange, which consisted of Santana & Ortiz) vs The Ogz(The Original L.A.X, which consisted of Homicide & Hernandez, who were joined by Eddie Kingston) & EC3's multi-year undefeated streak being ended by Mike Bennett.
@@jodawa2504 I remember most of that so I must have been watching for longer. I remember Pentagon Jr as Impact World Champ. Think I stopped watching when they went to a red set.
@@TheNath87 Ok. I've been watching TNA/Impact Wrestling since I discovered Jeff Hardy was in TNA in 2004-2006 before he returned to WWE in August 2006 the Monday Night Raw episode after Summerslam. I haven't been able to watch an episode of Impact Wrestling since 2019 when Tessa Blanchard shockingly became the first female Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion. Of course, Tessa screwed up that shit & got stripped of the title & fired. As far as Pentagon Jr is concerned, I somewhat remember that time period, but I remember when Eli Drake was Impact Wrestling, at the time Global Force Wrestling, World Champion, lost it to Austin Aries on the night he returned. I remember EC3 beating Matt Hardy to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. I remember Brian Cage defeating Johnny Impact(formerly WWE's John Morrison/Johnny Nitro) for the Impact Wrestling World Championship. I remember the feud between Brian Cage & Sami Callihan, where Sami delivered a piledriver on Brian's wife Melissa at Brian & Melissa's wedding! That shit was hilariously shocking! Anyway, my comment is getting too long, but the last thing is I've been caught up on Impact Wrestling by watching videos & reading online articles to stay updated, along with WWE & AEW.
How is it possible that WWE can get it wrong so many times???
As a hemophiliac wrestling fan, I can confirm mox is definitely not someone I wanna be😂
Love the Raven mention
Matt Cardona has probably held more belts than Cena and Flair combined 🤷🏻♂️🤣🤣🤣
Wow I actually forgot Sami Callihan was in NXT lol
I was really racking my brain on who you could put over Cody…well played
Jesse and Festus should’ve been tag champs
Thank you for putting these together
Drew Mcintyre was one of 3MB, now he's a top star
Jinder got to become a WWE world champion
Cody Rhodes left and had a mania return and won a rumble
EC3 would have been an absolute ace North American Champion.
Yes! My guy Raven at #1 😊
Since this video EC3 won the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship
Is it just me or does Juice Robinson look like a really crazed version of Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson (back from when he had hair anyway).
Damn imagine becoming the best version of yourself after you left WWE 😂
Is it part of Mox’s contract to bleed in every match?
Tryna get that Abdulla forehead.
Tyler. Reks. Commented during the intro lmao
KENTA could have made this list. Hell, even Chris Jericho if you think about it.
Thank For the Top 10 Video 🙊🤯🥰😍😁💗💐🌟🥇🏆
So Cultaholic... how did you know the news some days in advance??!
Mox should be no. 1
I always thought Derrick Bateman looks like Andy Samberg in Hot Rod
Tyler reks should be no 1😅
Vince needs to leave WWE
Isn't the wwe the only sports entertainment company in the world? The rest do wrestling l
4:32
15 year old me who randomly stumbled onto the NXT game show vids on YT: 🙋♂
If you don't know about IMPACT, don't talk about it. It's not "TNA" and yes, we remember Gut Check.
Control Your Narrative? More like Control- oh I ran out of time.
Speaking of the Straight Edge Society, Serena Deeb might be with a mention too.
I actually loved Derek Bateman can't lie
Sami Callaghan was amazing before WWE and after. They shit the bed hard with him.
Zack Ryder once heard the bell ring, ran at SHEAMUS, got Brogue Kicked and got pinned in 5 seconds on RAW - it was a WWE Championship match
So did Daniel Bryan.
@@akale2620 not the same scenario at all
What about Adam Rose
Jon Moxley will be so surprised to see himself on this list- because he’s so concussed and hurt he doesn’t know what day of the week it is. And good luck hoping the likes of Rick Knox try to protect him in the ring.
Jesse is darker character after The Straight Edge Society
Festus was in The Straight Edge Society not Jesse
@@thecerebralkingofgames2563It’s implied that Jesse was Luke Gallows enabler
Where is Lashley, John Morrison, Matt Hardy… all of them became TNA world champs
Yea I don’t know how PCO only got a 3 second mention on this
In fact, if he goes to AEW I'd spread cheeks for him and moxley to reunite for the switchblade conspiracy group again
I enjoyed CJ Parker environmentalist NXT run
@@urbaindelva7869I loved that too 😂
I’m convinced glacier is mike chiota
Steve Maclin
(saying this as a trans person myself)
I'm partial, but no love for the Gabbi Tuft? Sure, she's a raging 45 supporter and trans-medicalist, but her post WWE trans-formation is proof that (with enough money!), changes can be made
Cody Rhodes was, is, and always will be nothing more than an over-hyped mid-carder. At least he had more sense than to pull a Vern Gagne or Jeff Jarrett and keep putting the world title on himself in AEW. I'll give the over-rated mid-card stooge that much.
Hmmm 100 %over rated or seeing over powers but my prediction after 5 yeare he retain a midcard vouch wrestler just like my enemy. My prediction after several years gone I'm become more rich person & they still lested a money hopper
@@urbaindelva7869 EVERYTHING!
Cody never won the world title in AEW, you're thinking of the TNT championship.
@@williamseneyjr.6277 I don't see anyone saying he won the world title in AEW. In fact, I clearly said he had enough sense NOT to put the world strap on himself, when he was part of the booking team unlike Verne Gagne and Jeff Jarrett did in promotions where they had power. Maybe the person you were responding to deleted their comment and I didn't see it. If not, hopefully this clarified my comment a little more.
@@RichWhiteUM Yeah, I just realized I misread, my bad.
Tyler reks would be the biggest
I remember TNA Gut Check
I didn’t expect Raven to number one
So...i am fully on board with Cody changing things, but with TKO Group, i really dont think they will let him take the reigns.....get it....the reigns....lol
cody rhodes was for me was always a good wrestler. currently, he repeats a lot of moves but before as for me he has a bigger assortment.
currently cody rhodes looks a little better, have more strenght, less agility and is amazing on mic.
i like this video
Does Hulk Hogan to WCW count!??💀😂😂
Commenting before watching... but if the former Tyler Reks ain't #1 then it's bs.
Solomon Crowe and CJ Parker would’ve worked better in NXT 2.0
Alright, #1 has to be that dude....I can't remember his name. You know...
Edit: Welp they got it wrong. Left him off the list all together.
It's FLAVOR-ADE
Instead of the big dub, why not call WWE the double-dub?
EC3 shouldnt have come back to WWE lol
You could argue Red and Yellow Hogan to nWo Hogan.
He went to WCW with the same gimmick for years before changing it
The real sentence is " 3 years later he pinned brock Lesnar for the world title IN AN EMPTY ARENA "
No Kurt Angle, or Chris Jericho...... Whatttttt
Tyrus should have been on this list
What did Cody actually change he was great in wwe he just never got the right spotlight
Jfc, this channel can't help but cream over anything AEW lmao
Hogan should have been number 1
I do not think Jon Moxley should be on this list. He is the same character in AEW as WWE, just with a different name. By the end of his WWE run, he had even shaved his head like he wears it in AEW. His match with Brock had a death match aspect to it
EC3 is terrible
Cody Rhodes is so overrated. If he weren't Dusty's son, he would be jobbing somewhere..
@@six6thdisciple You never game a damn about Cody before... He had a forgettable IC run and an forgettable tag team run.. He was so dull that they teamed him up with his own brother and even Dustin couldn't make Cody interesting.. The guy is boring.. Boring tone deaf promos. Average in ring ability.. He dyes his hair, calls himself the "American Nightmare" and mentions his dad every opportunity he gets.. He's riding on his dad's name and gimmick.. Why?.. Because he failed to generate any attention on his own.. There is a reason why the "Natural" didn't work but "Golddust" did.. Quit being such a Cody stan.
Dean Ambrose, or Moxley sucks. He needs a new character rather than just bleed in every match. He’s boring
Ehh, he’s not even approaching as lame as his former shield buddies
aew sux and impact is nonexistent for me so wwe it is lol
Ftr being left off this list is nuts
Wasn't Festus supposedly on psych meds that "his family made him take", and not booze?
You're gonna make fun of him being Named CJ Parker when his current name is literally "Juice"? 🤷♂️
That was his name before WWE
Seriously, Raven. Lmao