10 Current WWE Superstars Who Won Titles In TNA
A lot of fans make fun of promotions like AEW and Impact Wrestling when they bring in former WWE superstars, calling them WWE retreads. However, what those fans seem to ignore is the fact that WWE is full of former TNA Impact Wrestling stars, some of them as the top names in the company.
RELATED: The 10 Worst Tag Team Names In TNA History
TNA Impact Wrestling stars have moved to WWE and become world champions, NXT Champions, tag team champions, and held both mid-card titles. Some have become even bigger stars than they were in Impact Wrestling, although others have languished since arriving in WWE. Here is a look at 10 current WWE superstars who used to be TNA Impact Wrestling champions.
10 AJ STYLES
One of the best wrestlers in WWE today was the backbone of TNA Impact Wrestling for a decade. AJ Styles made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble after a successful run in New Japan and has since won two world titles in WWE. He was even more successful in TNA.
One of the TNA originals, AJ Styles was a three-time NWA World Champion and a two-time TNA World Champion. That only scratched the service. He was also a six-time tag team champion and a six-time TNA X-Division Champion, the face of that division.
9 SAMOA JOE
Before he made his way to WWE, Samoa Joe was the longest-reigning Ring of Honor World Champion in history, holding it for 21 months. However, what made that most impressive was that he was also working in TNA Impact Wrestling during part of that time.
In TNA, Joe was just as successful, where he remained undefeated for 19 months. He ended up winning the world title once, the TV championship once, and the tag team titles five times. Joe also was a five-time X-Division Champion. Since coming to WWE, he is a two-time NXT Champion and two-time U.S. Champion.
8 JEFF HARDY
While Jeff Hardy made his name in WWE during the Attitude Era, he moved on to TNA Impact Wrestling and was successful there as well, although he ended up falling on his face there. Before he went to TNA Impact Wrestling, The Hardy Boyz were multi-time WWE tag team champions.
In TNA Impact Wrestling, Hardy won several titles, including two tag team titles with his brother Matt Hardy. Hardy was also a three-time world champion in TNA. However, his time there hit a rough patch when he showed up for a match with Sting intoxicated.
7 EC3
Before he went to TNA Impact Wrestling, EC3 worked in WWE developmental under the name Derrick Bateman. He even got to work with John Cena at one point. However, once he went to TNA and took on the name EC3, he broke out.
RELATED: 10 Things That Happened In Impact Wrestling This Decade (That We Totally Forgot About)
While he started as a spoiled nephew of the TNA President, he soon established himself as a top star. He won the TNA world title twice and the Impact Grand Championship once. Since coming to WWE again, he hasn't done much of anything outside of a short 24/7 title reign.
6 ERIC YOUNG
While it took him over a decade to become a main event player, Eric Young is one of the TNA originals. At the start, he was part of Team Canada, a faction managed by Scott D'Amore. That faction included Petey Williams, Bobby Roode, Eric Young, and Johnny Devine.
As part of Team Canada, Young won two tag team titles with Bobby Roode as his partner. Later in his career, he won two more tag team titles, the TV title three times, the X-Division title once, and was also a one-time TNA World Champion. Eric Young is now enhancement talent in WWE.
5 JOHN MORRISON
John Morrison was a star in WWE for several years. After starting at the bottom as a lackey for Eric Bischoff named Johnny Nitro, he changed his name to John Morrison and won the ECW World Championship. He was also a huge tag team star, winning titles with The Miz and with Joey Mercury.
Morrison left after years in WWE and tried to become an actor. Soon, he refound his love for wrestling and returned to Lucha Underground. Then, Morrison went to TNA Impact Wrestling, where he won their world championship one time before returning to WWE.
4 DREW MCINTYRE
Drew McIntyre was supposed to be a massive star when he arrived in WWE as a young man, but it was too much too soon. The WWE fans chose to reject The Chosen One, who was stuck as a mid-card champion. Things got worse when WWE made him a comedy jobber as part of 3 Man Band (3MB).
RELATED: 5 Wrestling Promotions That Will Rise This Decade (& 5 That Will Fall)
McIntyre left and went home. However, after reinventing himself in Scotland, he returned to America. It started in Evolve, where McIntyre won the Evolve Championship. He then went on to TNA Impact Wrestling, where he won their world championship as well before finally returning to WWE.
3 BOBBY LASHLEY
Bobby Lashley was another successful WWE superstar who left the company after winning a few titles. He, like John Morrison, was a former ECW World Champion in WWE. Lashley's biggest moment came when he beat Umaga at WrestleMania, allowing Donald Trump to shave Vince McMahon's head.
Lashley left and went on to fight in MMA. After a few years, he returned and wrestled in TNA Impact Wrestling. While there, Lashley developed a no-nonsense butt-kicking attitude and won the world title there four times. After returning to WWE, he has mostly worked in a cheating angle with Rusev's wife, Lana.
2 R-TRUTH
R-Truth got his start in WWE as a tag team partner of Road Dogg using the name K-Kwik. This was during a period was Billy Gunn was out of action. In 2002, WWE released him, and he signed with the upstart TNA Impact Wrestling.
For fans who only know R-Truth as a comedy wrestler, he was very serious in TNA. As Ron "The Truth" Killings, he was the second man to hold the NWA World Championship, beating Ken Shamrock for the title. Since returning to WWE, R-Truth has almost exclusively worked as a comedy wrestler.
1 ROBERT ROODE
Bobby Roode is another TNA original. For the first decade of its existence, Roode was one of the best tag team wrestlers in the company. He won eight tag team championships, two in Team Canada with Eric Young, five in Beer Money with James Storm, and once with Austin Aries.
He was also a top singles star at the end, winning world championship twice. When he left Impact Wrestling, he signed with NXT and won the championship there before moving up where he won two more tag team titles and the United States Championship.
