The backstage landscape of a WWE television show is extremely hectic. Talent shows up early in the afternoon before a live episode of Raw, SmackDown or a PPV. Everyone scrambles to make sure the shows are executed to perfection. Despite the hustle and bustle of the backstage atmosphere, there is often the cool occurrence of noteworthy names visiting backstage. Celebrities visit in some instances when allowed to interact with wrestlers. The cast of Hamilton recently attended SummerSlam and seemed to have fun backstage. A more common trend for backstage visits is the talent that used to work for the company.
Most former WWE stars are welcome to visit backstage and interact with their old friends. We'll take a look at some interesting stories of familiar names to hang out backstage. These names all worked for WWE in the past. Some were legends, most were memorable and a few had forgettable runs. It doesn’t matter these days as everyone visiting is just there to have fun with the new and old faces there. Time will tell if their appearances backstage lead to any form of working relationship. These are fifteen former WWE stars that recently visited the company behind the scenes.
15 15. Victoria
Women’s wrestling veteran Victoria was one of the best in-ring performers in the Women’s Division during the early 2000s. Victoria had outstanding matches against the likes of Trish Stratus, Gail Kim and Molly Holly. Considering she ran a wrestling themed restaurant for many years, it made sense that she remained attached to the WWE product.
Victoria visited a WWE show backstage earlier in the year when they toured San Diego. However, a bigger story came later in the year when she was denied access backstage in the summer. Victoria tried to get backstage and was told by security she wasn’t welcomed. It was likely a misunderstanding but she was livid. Still, Victoria did get to visit earlier in the year before all the drama occurred.
14 14. Shane Helms
The WWE career of Shane Helms was very successful. Helms worked under multiple names, but we all remember his run as The Hurricane. It would be fun to see him make a backstage cameo at some point rocking the Hurricane mask. Helms worked for TNA/GFW over the past few years until that relationship ended when Jeff Jarrett took control of the company.
Now that he no longer works for TNA, Helms is allowed to visit WWE shows and he did this during the summer. Matt and Jeff Hardy invited Helms backstage to a live event in Fayetteville to hang out in the locker room. Helms interacted with the stars of today and stated he had a good time. The fact that Helms worked as a producer for TNA could land him a similar role in WWE now that he's a free agent.
13 13. Torrie Wilson Et Al
Torrie Wilson had a very successful WWE career as one of the bombshells during the era of bikini matches. Following the end of her time in WWE, Torrie has transitioned outside of the wrestling industry into starting a fitness career. Wilson is still close to many of her friends from her wrestling days. This was further proven when she visited the WWE backstage scene during an episode of Raw in June.
In her home state of California, Torrie appeared backstage in a picture with current wrestler Mickie James along with more former stars Sharmell, Christy Hemme and Candice Michelle. Wilson often hangs out with any wrestlers in the same location as her. It only makes sense that she attends WWE shows whenever the timing works out.
12 12. Colt Cabana
A story to break within the past year featured a former star appearing backstage at a WWE show and ending a friendship. Colt Cabana had a poor tenure in WWE due to bad booking but is a huge star on the independent circuit. Despite not having a good relationship with WWE, Cabana has numerous friends working for WWE.
Cabana visited to chat with friends Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Jimmy Jacobs and numerous other familiar faces at a WWE show. CM Punk reportedly was livid and cut Cabana out of his life. The former friends have not talked since Cabana attended the show. Punk viewed it as a sign of disrespect as a WWE doctor is suing them both due to Punk’s comments on the Art of Wrestling podcast.
11 11. Christy Hemme
As mentioned earlier, Christy Hemme was one of the former women’s wrestlers to appear at a WWE show backstage at Staples Center. This is a very interesting one due to a few variables regarding her past. Hemme was a writer for TNA’s Women’s Division and has a background in television writing. WWE likely is looking to find a female writer to add to the staff so there can be representation when writing the shows.
Perhaps more fascinating is the long storied urban legend about why she left WWE in 2006. There has been speculation that Triple H had an affair with Christy that caused WWE to fire her. This likely isn’t true as someone that controversial wouldn’t be allowed backstage at WWE events. Hemme visited friends and confirmed she had a great time meeting new faces.
10 10. Jerry Lynn
Respected wrestling veteran Jerry Lynn is one of the few talented names of the late 90s to never get a good run in WWE. Lynn worked there for a short time period but rarely received any television time outside of Sunday Night Heat. It's still a testament to his ability that he had a strong career primarily working for ECW, ROH and TNA.
WWE may not have used Lynn effectively as a performer, but he is still welcome backstage at shows. Kalisto posted a photo on social media with Lynn backstage at a show in Nashville. Lynn worked with many current stars during his time in TNA and ROH. The experience of Lynn backstage in both TNA and ROH also could benefit him if he tries to get hired by WWE as a trainer or producer.
9 9. Lance Storm
Lance Storm is someone that has remained respected by WWE minds following his exit from the company. Multiple talents currently on the roster such as Emma and Tyler Breeze were trained by Storm in Calgary. Storm clearly knows how to teach wrestlers the right way as they learn to work in the ring and carry themselves within the business.
The recent backstage visits of Storm in recent times have been at multiple shows in Canada. Storm most recently attended a live event in Calgary earlier this year and tweeted about all the matches. Chris Jericho has invited Storm to a few shows as well going all the way back to Jericho’s 25th anniversary at a show in Madison Square Garden. Storm is clearly welcome and had lots of friends in the company.
8 8. Pete Gas
Pete Gas is a forgotten name in wrestling but worked for WWE during the Attitude Era. Shane McMahon convinced Vince to hire Gas and Rodney to join the Mean Street Posse faction. The real life friends of Shane played similar characters on screen as his henchmen. Gas left WWE after the Attitude Era ended and the company improved the talent roster.
The departure from the wrestling business by Pete didn’t end his friendship with Shane. Both men still are close to this day. Pete and Shane sat front row at a NXT live event last year with Shane’s kids. It wouldn’t end there as Pete visited backstage at a few more shows in 2017 likely as a guest of Shane. Pete still loves the business even though he has no idea on how to try and plan a WWE comeback.
7 7. Kelly Kelly
Kelly Kelly visited WWE a few times earlier in the year. The appearances of Kelly made people believe she was returning to the company at WrestleMania in the SmackDown Women’s Championship match. Instead, she just attended the show as a guest.
The reason Kelly has been at multiple WWE shows is due to her close friendship with Maryse. Both ladies remained tight during their time away from WWE and are still best friends to this day. Kelly showed up to support Maryse at multiple episodes of television when the scheduled lined up and wanted to see her big match at WrestleMania 33. All rumors of Kelly returning were disproven when she failed to appear on any shows during WrestleMania season. It is probably for the best given the level of talent needed in the Women’s Division today.
6 6. Tazz
Former WWE broadcaster and wrestler Tazz left the company back in 2009. The veteran wanted to try other projects in the world of broadcasting. We see this today as he hosts his own daily radio show on CBS’ online platform discussing the world of wrestling. Tazz worked for TNA for quite some time after leaving WWE but opted to commit to his own brand rather than theirs.
The longtime SmackDown announcer has only made one visit backstage to WWE since leaving the company. Tazz hung out backstage at a SmackDown show in Philadelphia as well as recorded some content for the WWE Network discussing ECW. On his radio show, Tazz revealed he had great conversations with new names like Becky Lynch and Baron Corbin while having laughs with familiar faces.
5 5. MVP
There were rumors of WWE wanting to bring MVP back to the company last year when the news of the brand split broke. MVP had a great run as an upper mid-carder throughout his WWE career. The reason he left the company was to achieve his dream of wrestling in Japan for a few years. MVP is back in the United States now and wrestles on the independent circuit along with hosting a podcast.
WWE allowed MVP backstage during an NXT event in Houston, Texas. MVP posted pictures online with NXT’s Japanese stars such as Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami and Asuka. Nakamura and MVP worked together in NJPW which is likely the main reason MVP visited. MVP revealed he had a great time chatting with the young stars of today and was entertained by the show.
4 4. X-Pac
One name that often visits WWE backstage whenever they're in California or he is in a mutual location is X-Pac. As a close friend of Triple H, X-Pac basically gets to show up whenever he wants. There’s also the fact that he has a good relationship with the majority of wrestlers in the company. X-Pac formed bonds with many of the current stars during their time together on the independent circuit.
Many veterans look down on the new style and current era of wrestling. X-Pac is one of the few that has an open mind and it has led to his visits being positive. During a recent episode of his podcast, X-Pac referenced being backstage at both WWE and NXT shows. It led to wrestlers like Drew McIntyre and Aleister Black appearing on his show. The chances of X-Pac eventually landing a job in WWE once further proving his life is back on track are quite good given his knowledge for the business.
3 3. Ted DiBiase Jr.
Ted DiBiase Jr. was meant to be a huge star in WWE. At one point, the company reportedly viewed him as a potential name to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Unfortunately, relying on the same gimmick as his father made it impossible for fans to view him as a star. DiBiase Jr. fell lower and lower down the card during his push.
WWE eventually released DiBiase Jr. after both parties were frustrated with how things went. The current life of Ted sees him work in various businesses outside of the wrestling industry. DiBiase Jr. still has a few friends in wrestling and he decided to a view of them at a WWE event in Mississippi. Natalya shared a picture of them together on social media as they were both second generation stars that came into WWE around the same time.
2 2. Kaitlyn
Former Divas Champion Kaitlyn left WWE during her prime to start her own businesses in the fitness and clothing worlds before it was too late. Kaitlyn still runs her own business and is trying to make it outside of the wrestling business. The former WWE performer has visited backstage at shows multiple times in the past year.
Kaitlyn, AJ Lee and Big E were very close when working together in storylines. Big E was the first person Kaitlyn wanted to visit backstage. They have appeared in multiple social media posts together when she visited. Xavier Woods even convinced Kaitlyn to appear on UpUpDownDown playing video games and discussing her life. Kaitlyn was welcomed backstage and clearly still has a good relationship with WWE despite choosing to leave.
1 1. Santino
Santino left WWE with all of his connections still intact. WWE even decided to place him in the awful Jingle All the Way 2 film. Injuries have prevented Santino from wrestling again but he still trains aspiring talent. Santino clearly is welcomed in WWE as he is friends with many names in the locker room along with other backstage employees.
Pictures were posted online of Santino hanging out with Enzo Amore and Chris Jericho during a show in Toronto. Santino and Enzo have many similarities as comedic workers bringing them together. Jericho was a good friend of Santino during the latter’s in-ring career. There were likely countless others happy to see Santino backstage as he’s been described as a popular backstage personality. Santino will likely be at numerous other WWE shows in the future.