The WWE already has a ton of talent, but so does the independent wrestling scene.
There are indy promotions all over the country, and in those promotions, there is a boatload of wrestlers who the WWE would be wise to take a look at.
Some might not fit the prototypical look of a WWE superstar, and some may be wrestlers first and entertainers second. But these guys and gals can definitely make Vince McMahon's company a better place.
Though the WWE does have plenty of good wrestlers on its roster, the company lacks the depth it had during its peak in the Attitude Era.
That needs to change, and a good way to do that is by bringing in some of the country's best indy workers.
Here are 15 independent wrestlers who the top promotion on Earth should hire.
15. Go Shiozaki
He's competed for AAA, Pro Wrestling NOAH and Ring of Honor, among others, and he's wrestled against guys like KENTA, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness and Tyler Black.
Shiozaki is about experienced as they come for someone who's never wrestled for the WWE; he honed his skills in the NOAH dojo and he became somewhat of a protege of legendary grappler Kenta Kobashi.
He's 29 years old and arguably at the peak of his career right now, and with the WWE looking to expand even more into the international market, the man who PWI ranked as the 64th best wrestler in the world in 2011 might be worth a shot.
14. Cherry Bomb
Cherry Bomb has spent a good portion of her career so far working in Great Canadian Wrestling, and it's there that she's been able to work with well-known names like April Hunter and Portia Perez.
She's also worked for SHIMMER and numerous Japanese promotions, and she even appeared on an episode of Monday Night Raw in May 2010, when she received a tryout match with the WWE.
For someone in her mid-20s, Cherry Bomb has already accomplished quite a lot on the independent circuit.
Next stop, WWE?
13. El Generico
Look no further than El Generico.
The Canadian grappler has competed for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Chikara, Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate, and he is a former ROH World Tag Team and ROH World Television Champion.
El Generico doesn't really look the part, but he's only 27 years old, was ranked No. 46 on the PWI 500 in 2011 and had the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's "Feud of the Year" in 2010.
He's one heck of a wrestler.
12. Kenny King
Currently under contract with TNA, Kenny King was actually a contestant on the second season of WWE Tough Enough, placing fourth in the competition.
With the way he's developed since that show, however, I'm surprised that the WWE didn't scoop him up.
King is one heck of an athlete, and he's had stints in TNA and Full Impact Pro before moving on to ROH, then going back to TNA.
Having trained under Al Snow, Chavo Guerrero and Nick Bockwinkel, King has vastly improved since his stint on the WWE reality show and could be a nice addition to the WWE's mid-card scene.
11. Daizee Haze
With the way he's developed since that show, however, I'm surprised that the WWE didn't scoop him up.
King is one heck of an athlete, and he's had stints in TNA and Full Impact Pro before moving on to ROH, then going back to TNA.
Having trained under Al Snow, Chavo Guerrero and Nick Bockwinkel, King has vastly improved since his stint on the WWE reality show and could be a nice addition to the WWE's mid-card scene.
11. Daizee Haze
Of course, the WWE Divas need all the help they can get, and that help could come in the form of Daizee Haze.
The 28-year-old Haze has accomplished more in professional wrestling than just about any woman who's never worked for the WWE.
She's competed in ROH, TNA, Chikara and SHIMMER, having been in the ring with some of the bigger names in the business, such as Evan Bourne, Amazing Kong (a.k.a. Kharma), Austin Aries and Claudio Castagnoli.
Haze has also feuded with or wrestled a number of top indy women's workers, such as Sara Del Ray, MsChif, Becky Bayless, Madison Eagles and Serena Deeb.
She can outwrestle just about any Diva already on the WWE roster and would provide an instant lift to a very stagnant division.
10. The Young Bucks
The 28-year-old Haze has accomplished more in professional wrestling than just about any woman who's never worked for the WWE.
She's competed in ROH, TNA, Chikara and SHIMMER, having been in the ring with some of the bigger names in the business, such as Evan Bourne, Amazing Kong (a.k.a. Kharma), Austin Aries and Claudio Castagnoli.
Haze has also feuded with or wrestled a number of top indy women's workers, such as Sara Del Ray, MsChif, Becky Bayless, Madison Eagles and Serena Deeb.
She can outwrestle just about any Diva already on the WWE roster and would provide an instant lift to a very stagnant division.
10. The Young Bucks
Whatever happened to tag teams in the WWE?
The company has about three legitimate ones that I can think of: Kingston and Truth, the Usos and Epico and Primo.
The extreme lack of legitimate tag teams in the WWE is exactly why they should make a push for Matt and Nick Jackson, a.k.a. The Young Bucks.
Despite being only 26 and 22 years old, respectively, the Young Bucks have already competed in PWG, Dragon Gate, Dragon Gate USA, Chikara, Ring of Honor and TNA (where they were known as "Generation Me").
Given their experience and the fact that they can actually wrestle, they would be a welcome addition to the WWE's tag team division...assuming they don't sit on Booker T's coat next time.
9. Jack Evans
Chances are that you're well aware of who Jack Evans is.
He's a made a name for himself in promotions like TNA, ROH, Wrestling Society X, AAA and Dragon Gate, and he's developed a reputation as one of the craziest daredevil high-flyers the wrestling business has ever seen.
Among Evans' arsenal of moves is a 630 senton, a double moonsault and a corkscrew 450 splash.
It seems like there is almost no high-flying move that Evans won't try, and I'd personally love to see him take his talents to the WWE.
He's billed at just 5'8", 165 pounds, but he could be an Evan Bourne type of wrestler who thrives in the tag team division or a (yeah, I know I'm dreaming here) reincarnated Cruiserweight division.
8. MsChif
MsChif doesn't look like your typical WWE Diva, she isn't a model and she wasn't recruited to wrestle because she had a great look.
And that's precisely why she is such a great women's wrestler.
MsChif is a wrestler first and foremost, as evidenced by the fact that she's competed for NWA, SHIMMER and ROH and has held the NWA World Women's Championship and the SHIMMER Championship.
She was named the No. 9 female wrestler in the world by PWI in 2011, and many argue that she could very well be the top women's wrestler in the world today.
Let her come to the WWE and prove it.
7. Adam Pearce
Adam Pearce is the World champion of the biggest wrestling promotion in the United States...no, not the WWE, the NWA.
He is currently in his fourth reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, having won the title in a four-way match back in July 2011.
Prior to winning the NWA World title, Pearce worked in ROH as the company's head booker and a part-time wrestler, and he also worked full-time in ROH from 2005 to 2008.
Pearce has competed with some of the biggest names in the wrestling industry, such as CM Punk, Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan.
You won't find very many indy wrestlers out there with the experience that Pearce has, although his age (he's 33) might prevent the WWE from ever actually signing him.
6. Eddie Edwards
No surprise here: Another ROH name. Really, were you surprised I put him on here? Read my bio; I love him!
Eddie Edwards is a former ROH World Champion, and in fact, he is only the second ROH star in history to crack the top ten of the PWI 500.
He's also had a ton of success as a tag team competitor, as he and Davey Richards (collectively known as "The American Wolves") were named the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's "Tag Team of the Year" in 2009.
With Edwards, you're getting a well-rounded competitor who can contribute to both the singles and tag team scene and is still only 27 years old.
He's one best indy wrestlers around, and though he's not all that big (6', 214 pounds), the WWE would be wise to try and pry him away from ROH.
The company has about three legitimate ones that I can think of: Kingston and Truth, the Usos and Epico and Primo.
The extreme lack of legitimate tag teams in the WWE is exactly why they should make a push for Matt and Nick Jackson, a.k.a. The Young Bucks.
Despite being only 26 and 22 years old, respectively, the Young Bucks have already competed in PWG, Dragon Gate, Dragon Gate USA, Chikara, Ring of Honor and TNA (where they were known as "Generation Me").
Given their experience and the fact that they can actually wrestle, they would be a welcome addition to the WWE's tag team division...assuming they don't sit on Booker T's coat next time.
9. Jack Evans
Chances are that you're well aware of who Jack Evans is.
He's a made a name for himself in promotions like TNA, ROH, Wrestling Society X, AAA and Dragon Gate, and he's developed a reputation as one of the craziest daredevil high-flyers the wrestling business has ever seen.
Among Evans' arsenal of moves is a 630 senton, a double moonsault and a corkscrew 450 splash.
It seems like there is almost no high-flying move that Evans won't try, and I'd personally love to see him take his talents to the WWE.
He's billed at just 5'8", 165 pounds, but he could be an Evan Bourne type of wrestler who thrives in the tag team division or a (yeah, I know I'm dreaming here) reincarnated Cruiserweight division.
8. MsChif
And that's precisely why she is such a great women's wrestler.
MsChif is a wrestler first and foremost, as evidenced by the fact that she's competed for NWA, SHIMMER and ROH and has held the NWA World Women's Championship and the SHIMMER Championship.
She was named the No. 9 female wrestler in the world by PWI in 2011, and many argue that she could very well be the top women's wrestler in the world today.
Let her come to the WWE and prove it.
7. Adam Pearce
He is currently in his fourth reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, having won the title in a four-way match back in July 2011.
Prior to winning the NWA World title, Pearce worked in ROH as the company's head booker and a part-time wrestler, and he also worked full-time in ROH from 2005 to 2008.
Pearce has competed with some of the biggest names in the wrestling industry, such as CM Punk, Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan.
You won't find very many indy wrestlers out there with the experience that Pearce has, although his age (he's 33) might prevent the WWE from ever actually signing him.
6. Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards is a former ROH World Champion, and in fact, he is only the second ROH star in history to crack the top ten of the PWI 500.
He's also had a ton of success as a tag team competitor, as he and Davey Richards (collectively known as "The American Wolves") were named the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's "Tag Team of the Year" in 2009.
With Edwards, you're getting a well-rounded competitor who can contribute to both the singles and tag team scene and is still only 27 years old.
He's one best indy wrestlers around, and though he's not all that big (6', 214 pounds), the WWE would be wise to try and pry him away from ROH.
5. The Briscoe Brothers
Again, I'm a huge fan of these guys!If the WWE really is serious about improving its tag team division, then it has to bring in more duos that are actually teams as opposed to two guys just randomly thrown together.
Don't want to bring in The Young Bucks? OK, then how about the Briscoe Brothers?
Real-life brothers Jay and Mark Briscoe have combined to form one of the best tag teams in the world, having held the ROH World Tag Team Championship a record seven times since joining the company when it began in 2002.
They work great together as a team, and that's exactly how the WWE should bring them in.
The company actually had the Briscoe Brothers work a dark match in 2009 and brought them down to FCW for a tryout, but nothing came of it.
I'm not sure why WWE officials didn't sign these guys back then, but they should get into a time machine and have themselves a re-do. (A/N: Now I know it's because they weren't "cosmetically pleasing" enough for WWE. Proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnzOZBtyP8Y)
4. Colt Cabana
Colt Cabana was actually already under contract with the WWE from 2007 to 2009, but his first run there was an epic failure.
For some reason, the company decided to give him a ridiculous ring name like "Scotty Goldman," and then he was off of TV more than he was actually on it.It's time for the WWE to give Cabana another chance.
He is the best friend of CM Punk, and Punk has voiced his support for Cabana numerous times in the past because Cabana is indeed one of the best wrestlers on the independent scene.
Cabana has the rare combination of being hilarious and also being able to wrestle, and he could thrive in a mid-card role similar to the one Zack Ryder currently has.
3. Sara Del Rey
Is Sara Del Rey the best women's wrestler in the world? Quite possibly.PWI named her the No. 10 female wrestler for 2011, and she has competed for Wrestling Society X, SHIMMER, Chikara and Ring of Honor.
Oh yeah, did I mention that Del Rey has been trained by Bryan Danielson, too? Yeah, she has.
Outside of maybe Daizee Haze, Del Rey probably has more experience working with the top women's wrestlers in the world than any other female out there, and it's pretty surprising that the WWE hasn't signed her yet.
She is already 31 years old, though, so perhaps time is running out on a possible union between Del Rey and the WWE.
UPDATE: She's been signed!
2. KENTA
If you're wondering why you can see CM Punk hit his opponents with the Go To Sleep every week, then you can thank KENTA for that.Punk borrowed his finishing maneuver from KENTA, one of the most popular and widely known Japanese wrestlers in the world.
KENTA (who was trained by the legendary Kenta Kobashi) has competed for Pro Wrestling NOAH since 2000 and has also spent some time with Ring of Honor. It was there that he wrestled the likes of Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, the Briscoe Brothers, Nigel McGuinness and Austin Aries.
KENTA is known for being of the best strikers in the world, and he would be a great addition to the WWE as the company looks to bring in more names from foreign countries.
You could put KENTA in the ring with someone like Punk, Daniel Bryan or Dolph Ziggler, and watch magic happen.
1. Chris Hero
In 2010, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named the "Kings of Wrestling" as its "Tag Team of the Year."
The KOW consisted of Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero, and Castagnoli has since signed with the WWE and is now working in FCW as Antonio Cesaro.
Well, folks, I think it's time to reunite these former tag team partners.
Hero and Castagnoli formed arguably the top tag team in all of America over the last couple of years, and separating them would be like eating spaghetti without the meatballs.
Hopefully, Hero can find his way to the WWE, and the Kings of Wrestling can find their way to the main roster to provide an instant spark to what has been a pretty dreadful tag team division.
UPDATE: Signed!
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