5 WWE Stars You May Forget Were In Ring Of Honor (& 5 ROH Wrestlers Currently With AEW)

2020 has not been a good year for Ring of Honor. Even before the current pandemic, the company was suffering from low attendance and poor press. Not helping was the defections of several stars over the years to NXT and now AEW. ROH has always been seen as a place for serious wrestling in the U.S., and scores of great stars have gone on to greener pastures. WWE alone boasts a considerable number of ROH alumni like AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Adam Cole, and more. AEW also nabbed the likes of The Young Bucks and others.

But given ROH has existed for almost 20 years, it’s not surprising some past workers have been forgotten even with their current fame. A few were guys who did great in ROH, also holding titles while others had brief appearances. Even some major ROH fans may have forgotten these folks had stints in the company before receiving greater fame elsewhere. Here are five WWE stars and five from AEW many forget also did time in ROH to prove the impact the company made in today’s wrestling world.

10 AEW: Lance Archer

This can be forgiven as the appearances were so brief, they practically were a blip on the radar. Lancy Hoyt broke out in TNA, holding the tag team titles and promise with his great build and look. But Hoyt suffered from dumb gimmicks and was soon gone. In WWE, Archer and Curt Hawkins were a promising team but also suffered from bad booking.

Archer teamed with Davey Boy Smith Jr as the Killer Elite Squad in Japan and dominated as IWGP champions. They made two appearances in ROH in 2018 with Archer now in AEW to try to rise up at last.

9 WWE: Tomasso Ciampa

Talk about majorly missing the boat here. Tommaso Ciampa famously debuted in WWE in 2005 as a “lawyer” crushed by The Undertaker. After a few dark matches, Ciampa got a good push in ROH, including beating Adam Cole.

Ciampa also held the ROH TV Championship and challenged for the World Title a few times. Despite plenty of drive, Ciampa could never get to the major level in ROH and left in 2015 after some injuries. In NXT, Ciampa has dominated as champion. ROH, on the other hand, didn't use this star to his full potential.

8 AEW: Jon Moxley

Most everyone knows Seth Rollins was an ROH star as Tyler Black. Yet few remember his Shield cohort Dean Ambrose also had a stint with the company. To be fair, it wasn’t for very long as Jon Moxley bounced around the indies for several years earlier in his career.

In fact, none of his ROH matches were caught by fans as they were dark matches for various shows. Moxley would be the first to admit he was raw then and needed FCW and NXT to build himself up. Now the AEW World Champion, Moxley is proving what ROH missed out on.

7 WWE: Brian Kendrick

Brian Kendrick has been a “comeback kid” in WWE, returning to the company on three separate occasions. During an earlier point in his career, Kendrick had a good run as tag team champion and showed promise with his “The Brian Kendrick” character but he ultimately got let go in 2009. Kendrick made a great return to become Cruiserweight champion and is still going strong in shows such as 205 Live and NXT UK.

Kenrick was on the very first ROH show in 2002 while balancing other promotions in his work schedule. He made a return in 2004 for some good feuds before rejoining WWE. He’s had a run in TNA as well, but Kendrick can boast being one of the guys who helped get ROH started.

6 AEW: Brodie Lee

Luke Harper had his ups and downs in WWE. He had some success as IC and Tag Team Champion with The Wyatt Family and Bludgeon Brothers. But Harper was never given the shots at stardom he deserved. He was used to being misused considering his ROH stint in 2008 as part of the Age of the Fall.

With his imposing size, Lee had some excellent feuds, but ROH didn’t know what to do with him. He left in 2009 for the indies, which led him to WWE. Now in AEW as Brodie Lee, he’s hoping to get to the top at last.

5 WWE: Mickie James

Still doing great in WWE, Mickie James has been a fantastic survivor of the wrestling business. Before her current fame, James worked in the indies as Alexis Laree. This included working briefly in TNA as a valet for Raven.

James was employed by ROH in 2002-03, which included being the on-screen love interest for AJ Styles. James famously had to work a second job at the Olive Garden to make ends meet. Having risen as a legend in WWE and TNA, James’ ROH work is easily forgotten.

4 AEW: Matt Hardy

Even with no crowd, Matt Hardy made a wild debut in AEW. Obviously, the man has scores of star power on his side with his “Broken” act developed in TNA. Yet it can be overlooked how Hardy worked with ROH a few times. The first was in 2005 after Hardy’s infamous firing from WWE, but he didn’t last long in the company.

Matt returned in 2012 to feud with Adam Cole. One more return came in 2017 when Matt and Jeff won the tag titles, losing them the night before their epic Wrestlemania 33 return. Hardy didn’t stay long in ROH, but he definitely made an impact.

3 WWE: Keith Lee

Keith Lee has broken out big in NXT. Despite his size, Lee can take off the ropes well and has dominated en route to winning the North American Championship. ROH missed out on a real star when it comes to this powerhouse. Lee started his career in 2015 with Shane Taylor as the “Pretty Boy Killers.”

Lee was showing his skills, but PBK never got the shot at the title most fans wanted. Lee surprised many by bolting ROH for Evolve. This would lead him to WWE and his terrific success, with some wondering if Lee could have been a bigger deal for ROH.

2 AEW: Christopher Daniels

“The Fallen Angel” has long been tied to TNA with his great work in the X Division. But Daniels was also critical in getting ROH going in 2002. In fact, Daniels has the honor of being one-half of the first-ever ROH Tag Team Champions with Donovan Morgan. He also led the Prophecy stable but left for TNA.

Daniels would make returns to hold every title in the company at one point. The highlight was finally becoming ROH World Champion in 2017. Now in AEW, the veteran is ready to add more gold to his accolades.

1 WWE: Cesaro

Cesaro has often been cited as one of the most underrated workers in WWE. He has all the potential for greatness, yet the best he’s been able to get is his multiple tag titles with Sheamus as The Bar. It can be forgotten Cesaro is a former ROH alumni.

Known as Claudio Castagnoli, Cesaro feuded with Nigel McGuiness. He then found success teaming with Chris Hero as the Kings of Wrestling and they still hold the record for the longest-reigning ROH Tag Team Champions of all time. Cesaro has done well in WWE. Yet, just as in ROH, he couldn’t be the main eventer fans wanted.

Next: ROH: 10 Potential Top Stars They Mishandled