Jesus does everyone who was ever in ROH have to automatically be heralded as the next big thing in WWE?
There is a certain amount of dues meant to be paid before you get anywhere, whatever anyone has done outside of WWE walls don't mean shit to the people running that place.
To me paying your dues is working your ass off for years on the indie circuit, or even on the mid-card scene in the WWE. I don't think anyone within the WWE have ever considered wrestling down in Florida or wherever as paying your dues.
People make out as if indie guys are incapable of making the leap to the WWE without first working in developmental. Granted, people like Rollins needed it, but not someone like Ohno in my opinion.