STATE OF THE 'E: Indy/International Talent + WWE = Interwebz EXPLOSION!!

Posted By: Robert Woodward Jr.

It's an interesting time to be a fan of THE 'E. We're currently in the midst of them trying to find their way through the slew of new talents trying to make their way through FCW, and then going to NXT and now Tough Enough. Not to mention, there's already a lot of people on the MAIN roster trying to Jockey for position. "What does it all mean, Basil?" THE 'E has been very intricate with the acquisition of many Indy/International/Internet darlings. Let's look at some of their signed talent...

Bryan "Daniel Bryan" Danielson: American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan. He is also known by his ring name, and later nickname, the American Dragon.

In professional wrestling, Danielson is a four-time world champion, having won the ROH World Championship in Ring of Honor (ROH) once, the PWG World Championship twice in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and the wXw World Heavyweight Championship once in westside Xtreme wrestling. In addition, he has won the FIP Heavyweight Championship once in Full Impact Pro, the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship once in Pro Wrestling Noah and is officially recognized as the final ROH Pure Champion, as he unified the Pure title with the ROH World title in 2006. He also won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling with Curry Man.

Until 2009, Danielson primarily competed on the independent circuit. ROH was generally regarded as his home promotion, but he also worked in FIP, PWG, and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He has also worked internationally, most notably in Pro Wrestling Noah through ROH's involvement in the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance, a global organization of cooperative promotions that allow their competitors to travel abroad to other companies. He also competed in a handful of matches in WWE before signing an actual contract with the company in 2009.

In June 2010, shortly after the end of the first season of the WWE NXT show in which Danielson participated, WWE announced that he had been released from his contract. He returned to WWE in August at SummerSlam, and won the WWE United States Championship the following month.


Alberto "Dos Caras Jr./Alberto Del Rio" Rodríguez: Mexican professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE, performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Alberto Del Rio. He is the 2011 Royal Rumble winner, outlasting 39 other participants to win the largest Royal Rumble match ever.

Before working for WWE, Rodriguez used the name Dos Caras, Jr. as both a mixed martial artist and luchador in mostly Mexico and Japan. He worked in both of Mexico's main wrestling promotions and achieved success in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where he is a former World Heavyweight Champion.

Son of noted luchador Dos Caras, nephew of Mil Máscaras and Sicodelico, and cousin to Sicodelico, Jr. and Hijo de Sicodelico, Rodríguez is part of one of the most well known Mexican wrestling families. The name Dos Caras translates to Two Faces, referring to the symbol of a double headed eagle on his mask.


Colby "Seth Rollins/Tyler Black" Lopez: Is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is one-half of the reigning Florida Tag Team Champions with Richie Steamboat and the current FCW 15 Champion. He is best known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion.

He has competed in Scott County Wrestling, AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, the National Wrestling Alliance, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and Wrestling Society X. In several promotions, Black was the tag team partner of Jimmy Jacobs, with the team known as Doin' It For Her.

He was once a member of The Age of the Fall along with Jacobs, and several other wrestlers. Black is also a three-time world champion having won the MCPW World Heavyweight Championship once, the FIP World Heavyweight Championship on one occasion, and the ROH World Championship once


Kia "Awesome Kong/KHARMA" Stevens: She is a three-time World Champion having held the WWWA World Championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling as well as the women's versions of World Championships in the NWA and AWA Superstars of Wrestling. She also held the TNA Women's Knockout Championship twice which was originally named a world title.

Her success is not limited to singles wrestling, as she frequently teamed with Aja Kong to form the tag team Double Kong who held tag team championships in four different promotions, along with winning the TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship with Hamada. She was also ranked first in the inaugural list of Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 50 Females.


Ignacio "Mistico/Sin Cara" Almanza: He is best known for his time in the lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ringname Místico, where since 2006 he was the main técnico (fan favorite) in CMLL and the biggest box office draw in all of Mexico. Místico is Spanish for "Mystic", a religious ring character who is the storyline protege of the wrestling priest Fray Tormenta.

Ignacio Almanza is the son of Manuel Almanza, who wrestled under the ring name "Dr. Karontes", and the brother of wrestlers Astro Boy, Astro Boy II and Argenis and the nephew of CMLL booker Tony Salazar.


Matthew "Sydal/Evan Bourne" Korklan: Before signing with WWE, Korklan wrestled on the independent circuit for promotions such as IWA-Mid South, Ring of Honor and the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate under the ring name Matt Sydal. Korklan also had a tenure in the short-lived Wrestling Society X promotion and was featured on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's early pay-per-view (PPV) events. Korklan is known for his high flying, lucha libre-inspired style of wrestling.


Austin "Consequences Creed/Xavier Wood" Watson: merican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Consequences Creed. He is signed to WWE, and works in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Xavier Woods. He was formerly one-half of the FCW Florida Tag Team Champions with Wes Brisco.

He previously worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was a former World Tag Team Champion with Jay Lethal as Lethal Consequences. He has also worked for NWA Anarchy and other independent promotions under the ring name Austin Creed. His wrestling persona is based on Apollo Creed from the Rocky movie series.

And just recently signed...

Jonathan "Jon Moxley" Good: American professional wrestler known by his ring name Jon Moxley. He is signed to WWE, and will soon be wrestling in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). Moxley is best known for his work in Heartland Wrestling Association, CHIKARA, International Wrestling Association, Combat Zone Wrestling, EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA.

Moxley is also a five time World Champion as he has held the CZW World Heavyweight Championship twice, the IPW World Heavyweight Championship twice, and is currently holding the FIP World Heavyweight Championship which is his first reign. In April 2011, Moxley signed with the WWE

And the man who started the trend? What of him? Although he may be leaving THE 'E soon, he has started something that no one could have predicted...


Phillip "CM Punk" Brooks: American professional wrestler and wrestling color commentator currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand, where he is the leader of The New Nexus.

In professional wrestling, Punk is a five-time world champion having won the ROH World Championship once, the ECW Championship once and the World Heavyweight Championship three times. In addition to these championships Punk has also won the World Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston), and the WWE Intercontinental Championship making him the nineteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion. He was also the winner of the 2008 and 2009 Money in the Bank ladder matches, the only Superstar to win the match twice in a row.

Punk initially came to prominence through his career on the professional wrestling independent circuit, primarily as a member of the Ring of Honor (ROH) roster, where he won the ROH Tag Team Championship, ROH World Championship, and was the first head trainer of the ROH wrestling school. In 2005, Punk signed a contract with WWE and was sent to its developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won every championship available in the promotion. Throughout his career, Punk has consistently used the gimmick of being straight edge, a lifestyle he follows in real life.


With all of that amazing talent from around the Indy/International scene, it would seem that THE 'E has a great future.... if THE 'E trusts them. Now a days it seems to hard for them to distinguish who may or may not be in it for the long haul.

It seemed so easy in the past... maybe that's because they had a different way of approaching things. Maybe because VKM is becoming more and more insane, or maybe he's not. With all of this new talent and not one new star being made TRULY, one has to wonder how long it's going to be before the new John Cena, Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold emerges. Like I said in a previous article, this Spring/Summer is definitely a leary one but on the upside, in a couple years, we may have our new guy. John Cena is still young enough to carry that banner for a while... but he can't do it forever.

Keep looking to the local talent, the Indy talent, the International talent. Don't let other companies close up shop. Support Dragon Gate, CMLL, ROH, JAPW, anything. These places are where your talent is coming from. The territories may be dead in every sense of the old school way. But this is a new generation. Things will find a way.