5 times a contracted wrestler appeared for a rival wrestling company
So, it seems pretty straight forward, right? You work for WWE, so you should only appear on WWE programming. You work for Impact Wrestling, so you should only appear on Impact programming. You worked for WCW and ECW, so you should have only ever appeared while under contract, on their programming. Well, not in these cases.
It has never been unusual for a wrestler to appear on two different wrestling shows for two different wrestling organizations, but that is only if there was a previous working relationship. WCW had working relationships with various companies in Japan in the '90s, as well as Impact Wrestling and Japan in the late 2000's. We have also seen wrestlers appear for different companies because they were under an independent contractors agreement and like various wrestlers in TNA and Ring of Honor at the same time in the mid-2000s.
Now I will be taking a look at wrestlers who appeared for another company while being under contract to a full-time deal that locks them down to just one promotion. Through legal wrangling, supposed expired contracts and deals made between companies, here are five times a contracted wrestler appeared for a rival wrestling promotion.
#5 Ric Flair Gets His Second Hall of Fame Induction - 2012
When Ric Flair 'retired' from wrestling in 2008, he very quickly found the itch to get back in the ring. His attempts to convince WWE management in early 2009 proved unsuccessful and he would instead return to in-ring competition in a series of matches with Hulk Hogan. These matches occurred during a tour of Australia for Hogan's failed to get off the ground independent touring promotion, HULKAMANIA.
This new business relationship with Hogan would bring 'The Nature Boy' to TNA Impact Wrestling in 2010 as a manager and occasional wrestler. Two years later, in 2012, it was decided that the legendary Four Horsemen faction should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. However, WWE were presented which a big issue right away, which was Flair was under a multi-year contract with TNA.
WWE would then hold secret meetings with TNA to try to get them to allow Flair to accept his second HOF induction, which he did. Flair would appear on stage with the rest of the Horsemen to accept the honor. During his speech, fans chanted ''Please come back'', to which the TNA star replied ''I want to''.