Danielson was previously signed to WWE, then known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), for an 18-month period from 2000–2001, and made additional uncontracted appearances for the promotion until 2003. Prior to joining WWE for his third stint in 2009, Danielson wrestled for various companies internationally using both his real name and the ring name American Dragon, which later became his nickname. David Shoemaker of ESPN's "Grantland" noted that Danielson "was widely regarded as the best wrestler in the world before he got the call-up from WWE". He wrestled for Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2002 to 2009, being recognized as a "Founding Father" of the promotion, where he was a one-time ROH World Champion and one-time Pure Wrestling Champion, unifying both titles in 2006. He was the first winner of ROH's annual Survival of the Fittest tournament in 2004.