Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
It may be difficult to believe for a few, but the WWE is not the be all and end all of pro wrestling. I mean sure, it is by far the largest and perhaps the most successful….but wrestlers didn’t just magically appear there. (Although, I’m sure Vince McMahon would like his audience to believe that.) This piece is a list of wrestlers who you may or may not know wrestled for other big time organizations ie WCW, ECW and TNA. We also threw in a few you may not realize actually worked for the WWF/E. I won’t even count the time Eric Bischoff had a tryout with the WWF as an announcer in 1990. A few years before he became the head man in WCW. 😉
Glenn Jacobs in WCW
Before he was the “Devil’s favorite demon Kane…” Jacobs wrestled briefly for WCW back in 1993 as ‘Bruiser Mastino.’ He even had the luxury of wrestling WCW’s franchise player….the man they call Sting.
Owen Hart in WCW
After Owen’s first stint in the WWF as the Blue Blazer in the late 80’s, Owen briefly wrestled for WCW in 1991. He wrestled mainly in squash matches against preliminary talent.
Rob Van Dam in WCW
Yes indeed, before RVD became the whole F’N show for ECW and later the WWE and TNA…he wrestled for WCW as Robby V in 1992.
Barry Windham in the AWA
In 1986, in between stops between the WWF and the NWA…Barry Windham briefly wrestled for the AWA (American Wrestling Association) along with tag team partner Mike Rotunda.
Vader in the AWA
Okay, so technically….the character of Big Van Vader never wrestled for the AWA…but the wrestler who portrayed the gimmick…Leon White….did. As a matter of fact, that is where Leon White got his start as a pro in 1985 under the name of ‘The Baby Bull.’
Bob Holly in WCW
Bob Holly wrestled for WCW in 1990 and was used primarily as enhancement talent for other stars. His biggest notable WCW match was against Ric Flair….Holly lost.
Tony Schiavone in the WWF
The former “voice of WCW” during the Monday Night Wars…did have a cup of coffee with the WWF/E back in 1989-1990. He mainly was a backstage interviewer, but slowly worked his way up to play by play announcer with Jesse Ventura.
Arn Anderson in ECW
In 1994, ‘The Enforcer’ Double A Arn Anderson wrestled for ECW. He teamed with Terry Funk to take on Sabu and Bobby Eaton.
The Iron Sheik in NWA/WCW
After being fired by the WWF in 1987, the Iron Sheik wrestled for WCCW, the AWA and the NWA/WCW. He feuded with Sting over the NWA TV title.
Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers in the WWF
Many WCW fans will remember the tag team of the Wild Eyed Southern Boys AKA The Young Pistols. They were WCW US tag team champions in 1991. Individually, both Smothers and Armstrong went to the WWF. First, Steve Armstrong in 1992 under the name Lance Cassidy and Tracy Smothers in 1995 under the name Freddie Joe Floyd.
Adam ‘Edge’ Copeland in WCW
Before his stellar ‘Rated R Superstar’ Hall of Fame career…Adam Copeland briefly wrestled as ‘Damon Striker’ for WCW in 1995. He was used primarily as a jobber.
Rick Rude in ECW
The ravishing one did make a few appearances for ECW in 1997….while still employed by the WWF. He was on a pay per basis so Rude appeared in both promotions although he never wrestled for ECW.
Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley in TNA
Yes indeed, before Jonathan Good aka Dean Ambrose signed with the WWE…he wrestled as Jon Moxley in a dark match for TNA wrestling in 2008. Needless to say, TNA didn’t sign him.
Boni Blackstone in the WWF
Old school wrestling fans may remember Boni and her husband Joe Pedicino hosted syndicated wrestling shows as well as announcing for territorial groups and the GWF. (Global Wrestling Federation) In 1993, Boni was hired by the WWF as a backstage interviewer. She didn’t last very long.
Paul Heyman in the AWA
Before going to WCW, taking over ECW and making waves in the WWE….Paul Heyman aka Paul E. Dangerously was a manager in the AWA in 1987. He managed the likes of the original Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose) and Adrian Adonis.
The Honkytonk Man in WCW
After a successful run with the WWF, Honky was hired by WCW in 1994. He didn’t last very long as Eric Bischoff was not a fan of the wrestler Wayne Farris or the gimmick and was subsequently fired.
David ‘Gangrel’ Heath in WCW
In truth, David Heath had a couple of stints in WCW. The first was in the late 80’s to early 90’s where he wrestled as part of a masked tag team called the Blackhearts. The second came in 1997, under his real name as enhancement talent. A year later, he became Gangrel as a part of the WWF’s ‘Attitude era.’
Terry ‘Rhino’ Richards in WCW
Before he was Rhino for ECW, WWE and TNA….Terry Richards wrestled a match for WCW as enhancement talent in 1995.
The Godwinns in WCW
In 1993/1994, Dennis Knight and Mark Canterbury wrestled for WCW as Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce respectively. It wasn’t until ’94 that Canterbury went to the WWF as the pig farmer Henry O. Godwinn and his tag partner Knight later joined him as Phineas I. Godwinn aka Mideon aka Naked Mideon.
Scott Hall in ECW
After being let go by WCW in 2000…Scott Hall showed up for a couple of non televised appearances for ECW at house shows.
CM Punk in TNA
CM Punk wrestled for TNA starting in 2003 where he was a member of Raven’s flock….Known as the Gathering in TNA.
AJ Styles in WCW
AJ Styles wrestled a couple of preliminary matches for the WWF…but actually got a push in WCW as a member of the tag team ‘Air Raid’ with Air Paris in 2001. Since it was during the dying days of WCW…not much came from his time with the company.
Bill Alfonso in the WWF
Bill Alfonso was a referee long before he was a manager in ECW. He was even an official for the WWF and refereed matches at Wrestlemania 9.
Stan Lane in the WWF
‘Sweet’ Stan Lane is known mostly for his career as a tag team specialist with teams like The Fabulous Ones, The Midnight Express and the Heavenly Bodies…also appeared briefly for the WWF back in 1993. Not as a wrestler, but as a color commentator alongside Vince McMahon.
John Cena in WCW?!?
Okay, admittedly this one is a bit misleading…because while John Cena never actually wrestled a match in WCW…he did in fact appear in their movie ‘Ready to Rumble’ back in 2000. He was seen very briefly in a gym scene with actor Oliver Platt and Bill Goldberg.