Vince McMahon ruled WWE with an iron fist for nearly four decades. The 77-year-old announced his retirement from the company he helped took to new heights on July 23, 2022. McMahon named his daughter Stephanie McMahon and top executive Nick Khan as co-CEO’s, relinquishing the title of WWE’s chief booker in the process. McMahon’s son-in-law, Paul Levesque aka Triple H, took over WWE’s Creative Division. Levesque had already been reappointed the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. The former WWE superstar brought sweeping changes as soon as he became the head booker, bringing back many former WWE talent.
Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, Dexter Lumis, and Hit Row have all found their way back to the company’s fold, with many others reportedly arriving sooner than later. That being said, stars such as Cesaro and Bryan Danielson are thriving outside WWE. Bringing back some former WWE guys might be good, but these performers should stay out of the company’s radar since most of them are faring well.
8 Lio Rush
Lio Rush officially agreed to working in Triple H’s version of NXT in 2017. He also performed for 205 Live until he received the call to join the main roster in 2018. Rush returned to NXT after working as Bobby Lashley’s hype man on Raw for nearly a year. He won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship in 2019.
Rush was released from WWE on April 15, 2020, due to budget cuts. He returned to the independent circuit before eventually signing up with AEW in 2021. Rush received a lot of criticism for publicly calling out Tony Khan for the way he responded to Big Swole on Twitter. He is currently focusing on building a music career.
7 Persia Pirotta
Persia Pirotta was the kayfabe best friend of Indi Hartwell. In NXT, Pirotta’s character was said to have come from Australia (her home country in real life) to attend InDex’s wedding. Pirotta was soon paired with Duke Hudson and the duo got involved in a competitive rivalry with Dexter Lumis and Hartwell.
Unfortunately, Pirotta became one of the many victims of WWE’s last budget cuts. She also appeared drunk in a video. Pirotta is going by her real name Steph De Lander these days. She is making money through OnlyFans as well as independent wrestling bookings.
6 Ember Moon
Ember Moon gained recognition for her work on the independent circuit. Moon signed with WWE in 2015 and captured the NXT Women’s Championship on the black and gold brand. Her main roster run, however, did not lead her to the success she had wanted.
Moon was released from her contract in 2021 and returned to the independent scene as Athena. She signed with Tony Khan’s AEW in 2022 and, as of this writing, is chasing after Jade Cargill’s TBS Championship.
5 Bronson Reed
JONAH used to compete in Triple H’s version of NXT as Bronson Reed. The big man received a great deal of praise for his agility. Jonah even won the NXT North American Championship from Johnny Gargano in a hard-hitting Steel Cage match.
Unfortunately, WWE had no plans for JONAH after the NXT’s rebranding into NXT 2.0, and he was released from his contract. JONAH has since worked for Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and other indie promotions.
4 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman was extremely over with the crowd during his highly-acclaimed feud with current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. The Monster Among Men won multiple title including the Universal Championship during his stint with the WWE. The strongman was released from his WWE contract in 2021.
Strowman joined longtime friend EC3. Together they created Control Your Narrative after their WWE exit. The promotion, however, received tons of criticism online for their bizarre set of rules. Strowman, now known as Adam Scherr, also seemingly burned bridges with his former employee due to his controversial comments.
3 EC3
EC3 worked for WWE during two different stints. His first stint saw him butt heads with Daniel Bryan. EC3 was released and took his talents to Impact Wrestling where he became their top star. This reignited WWE’s interest in him, and he returned to the promotion in 2018. EC3 partook in the five-star classic six-man ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
He got called to the main roster in December and made his debut on the February 4, 2019. Things, however, never worked for him, and he was released in 2020. EC3 co-founded Control Your Narrative with Braun Strowman after their WWE exit. The former Impact Grand Champion also ventured into bodybuilding.
2 Swerve Strickland
Swerve Strickland was already an indie veteran when he signed with WWE in 2019. WWE changed his name to Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. Strickland, with Hit Row in his corner, won the NXT North American Championship from Bronson Reed. All members of the Hit Row were released from their contract in November 2021.
Strickland made his AEW debut at the promotion’s Revolution pay-per-view event on March 6, 2022. He embarked on a solo career before finding common grounds with former WWE superstar Keith Lee. Together, they became Swerve In Our Glory and are currently in their first reign as the AEW World Tag Team Champions.
1 Keith Lee
Keith Lee was allegedly told to fix his attitude during his time in WWE. Lee was built as a monster in Triple H’s version of NXT, simultaneously holding the North American and NXT Championship during his time on the black and gold brand. Vince McMahon, however, changed his name to Keith “Bearcat” Lee on the main roster.
Keith Lee and many superstars were shown their way out of the door on November 4, 2021. Keith Lee married Mia Yim during his no-compete clause period and debuted for AEW on the February 9, 2022, edition of Dynamite. Lee and Scott won the AEW World Tag Team Championship from The Young Bucks in a triple-threat tag team match in July 2022.