For much of the 2000’s, most ex WWE stars would make an appearance in TNA/Impact at some point in their post-WWE-career, and while some would find success, many of them would quickly fade into obscurity.

It was a rarity, however, that the WWE would chase TNA stars. The company have always liked to focus on homegrown talent, which has been something that has kept them so far ahead of the competition for years.

The company has changed its recruitment policy in recent years, however, and we have seen several major stars jump ship from TNA to the WWE since the turn of the decade.

While a lot of stars have failed when they have made the switch to the WWE, several have gone on to be massive stars for the company. Let’s take a look at five such stars.

#5 Eric Young

While the early signs for Eric Young’s Sanity stable are not looking too good on SmackDown, most wrestling fans believe that the group have the talent to get over as one of the top acts in the WWE’s tag-team division.

A big reason for this is the previous success of their ring-leader, Eric Young. Young is considered a ‘TNA original’ and is one of the most successful stars in the company’s history.

Booked, rather transparently, as the company’s equivalent of Daniel Bryan during his later years with the brand, Young finally captured the world title in 2014, becoming one of the company’s most popular stars in the process.

Young’s success would later capture the attention of the WWE and he would leave Impact in March 2016, making his NXT debut just a few months later.

#4 Xavier Woods

Okay, so Xavier Woods didn’t technically leave TNA for WWE, but his inclusion on this list is down to the fact that he is a rare example of a released TNA star going on to become a megastar in the WWE.

Xavier Woods wrestled under the name ‘Consequences Creed’ during his time in TNA, but was released from the company in 2010.

After a very brief spell in NJPW, Woods signed a developmental deal with the WWE, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Woods made his main roster debut in 2013 as part of a team with R-Truth. Just over a year later, Woods would change his gimmick and become a member of The New Day alongside Big E and Kofi Kingston. Despite some growing pains, the group would go on to become one of the most successful tag-teams of the modern era and are the current SmackDown tag-team champions.

#3 EC3

The WWE admitting that they were wrong when it comes to a former star is a rarity these days, but former Impact World Champion, EC3, forced the WWE to do just that when they resigned him at the start of 2018.

Having had a forgettable run in the company at the start of the decade under the name ‘Derrick Bateman’, the now NXT superstar went to TNA and instantly made a name for himself as Dixie Carter’s entitled nephew, Ethan Carter III.

The gimmick would go on to become one of the company’s most successful, and after four years of working for the company, EC3 was rehired by the WWE at the start of 2018 and is now plying his trade in NXT.

#2 Bobby Roode

While he may be lost in mid-card obscurity on the WWE main roster at the moment, Bobby Roode leaving Impact in 2016 and joining the WWE only a few days after his contract had expired was considered quite the coup by the WWE.

The former TNA World Heavyweight champion had wrestled for the company for a total of 12 years, and along with the likes of Samoa Joe and AJ Styles, was considered to be one of the company’s key figures during their mid-2000s run.

Roode would go on to find success wrestling for the WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, winning the NXT title within nine months of making his debut in the company.

Roode has struggled to settle since coming up to the main roster though. The early signs were promising, with Roode winning the US title at the start of 2018, but he has failed to build on that momentum, and currently finds himself teaming with fellow wasted talent, Chad Gable, on Raw.

#1 Samoa Joe

Outside of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe has arguably been the most successful superstar to leave TNA/Impact and sign with the WWE.

Joe worked for the company for a total of 12 years, earning mass plaudits for his outstanding ring work and unrivaled presence, before leaving in February 2015.

Joe would then sign with the WWE, making his debut for the NXT brand in May 2015. Joe would capture the NXT title within a year of being in the company and has since moved up to the main roster, where he has become a key fixture of SmackDown’s main-event division.

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