5 Current WWE stars who made their name in other promotions

AJ Styles and Sami Zayn have made their names elsewhere

Sure, WWE boasts some of the best homegrown talents in the world, be it Charlotte Flair, Braun Strowman, Big E, or Bray Wyatt.

But the landscape of WWE is very different from what it used to be, where so many top guys from other promotions have made their way and earned their stripes.

Here are five men who were made Superstars before they even stepped into the hallowed WWE halls. Be sure to chime in with more names in the comments section below too.

Also, let us know which names you'd like to see in this list, if a Part 2 was to be made, in the comments below.

#5 WWE RAW star AJ Styles, who made his name in TNA and NJPW

Is there anything I can’t do this week? Captain a massive victory over #TeamSmackdown at #SurvivorSeries (mostly by myself entirely) and then a HUGE win on #WWERaw without any help or distractions just plain focus! Guys, I’m really getting into my groove. https://t.co/O9fWU6CF0h
— AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) November 24, 2020

AJ Styles is one of Vince McMahon's top lieutenants at this point, as a mainstay in the WWE RAW brand, where his presence commands a lot of respect. However, he is not a WWE creation and was the face of TNA for many years before he came to the company. Can you believe that he was the first-ever X-Division Champion during his stint in TNA, in addition to everything he achieved during his time in the company?

AJ Styles and Kazuchika Okada had some real gems back in the day!!! Amazing chemistry!!! Probably my favourite AJ Styles feud. Good days!!! pic.twitter.com/zQnCMCjDDr
— ASH (@RainmakerSZN) December 16, 2020

But that's not all he did outside WWE. AJ Styles was a very important member of the Bullet Club during his time in NJPW and even won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on two occasions. His match with Shinsuke Nakamura in Japan was so perfect that it was recreated in WWE as well, with mixed results.

What a journey it has been for this talented pro wrestler, who goes into WWE TLC 2020 this weekend to challenge the WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, for the title he so very proudly holds.