The 90s was the era for wrestling which brought back legitimacy and popularity in a sport which had been rocked earlier by the revelation that everything is “scripted” when WWE’s Chairman Vince McMahon confessed so in court. Be it the beginning of the Monday Night Wars which made for some of the best entertainment product of the time, or the inflow of some amazing wrestling into the product because of solid booking and more talents willing to join the profession of wresting, the wrestling promotions found new ground in the 90’s when people were more willing to divulge into something different than the regular American sports.

Wrestling found some popularity starting from the 80’s which hosted the first ever WrestleMania and the infamous Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant match-up along with more businessmen buying into small promotions to compete with the rising WWE. Also there was a major inflow of talent coming in the 90’s, as many got inspired by the events of the earlier decade to try their hand in wrestling which was becoming more popular by the day. And with so many wrestling promotions gathering ground, as McMahon’s WWE, Jim Cornette’s WCW and Paul Heyman’s ECW all got their own fans who expected the absolute best from the workers.

Many wresters were groomed and trained by these promotions in an attempt at making their own “superstars” and because of the strong booking and less restrictions to the product at the time, many wrestlers excelled at getting popular while some became icons as well. On the other hand, many others who found success in that decade would fall from grace after the turn of the century, as they would soon be forgotten by the wrestling community. These wrestlers would have to look for work in low-key promotions or go for others career options, as they seemed to diminish along with the 90s.

33 15. 2 COLD SCORPIO (THEN)

2 Cold Scorpio was probably one of the most hard-working guys in the sport during his time, as he became a prominent mid-carder of the 90’s having stints at all three of WWE, WCW and ECW. 2 Cold Scorpio would step into the American wrestling scene through WCW where he tagged with Ron Simmons and won the WCW Tag Team Titles with Buff Bagwell. He wouldn’t excel as a singles competitor there and soon moved to ECW to look for a singles run. His entertaining gimmick and ability to pull of crazy moves (including a stunning 450 Splash) encouraged Heyman to give him four reigns as ECW Television Champion, but he couldn’t move to the very top. So he went to the WWE when they came calling, which would prove to be disastrous as he was given an awful gimmick of “Flash Funk” and later became a member of the “J.O.B Squad”.

32 15. 2 COLD SCORPIO (NOW)

via:commons.wikimedia.org
via:commons.wikimedia.org

After stints at the top wrestling promotions of the time, 2 Cold Scorpio would have to look into other places and ended up in Pro Wrestling Noah where he kept his place as a strong mid-carder, winning their Hardcore and Tag Team Championships. As years passed by, Scorpio’s reputation would come to no avail as no top promotion wanted to sign him and he had to look around for work in the low-key indy promotions. His drug-abuse problem was another demon which held him back, as he mostly gets called back for ECW Reunion dates and finds some work because of his ECW friends’ help. Scorpio recently appeared in Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast where he mentioned to grasp up any opportunity which comes his way in the form of wrestling, but nobody really wants a washed-up star like him.

31 14. AHMED JOHNSON (THEN)

via:prowrestling.wikia.com
via:prowrestling.wikia.com

Ahmed Johnson might be remembered by some as this intimidating mid-carder in the 90’s WWE where he became the first African-American Intercontinental Champion after defeating Goldust for the title. This pitched his uprise into main event status as he often tagged with hot-shot Shawn Michaels to defeat and was also in line for a WWE Championship match at Summer Slam, but kidney problems got him sidelined and forced him to vacate his title. He later returned to feud with The Nation of Domination before joining “The New Nation” with Kama Mustafa, D’Lo Brown and Farooq. He was later let go after the stable disbanded and joined WCW for a short stint where he feuded with The Harlem Heat and eventually formed “Harlem Heat 2000” with Steve Ray. He was later released for overweight issues.

30 14. AHMED JOHNSON (NOW)

via pixbam.com
via pixbam.com

After being released by WCW, Johnson stayed away from wrestling before returning to wrestle in the indy circuit. He wrestled his final match in a tag team match, teaming with Monty Brown to face the team of Sabu and Gangrel. Johnson started working for Booker T and Stevie Ray’s Pro Wrestling Alliance wrestling school. Johnson also went back to college to get a degree in criminology from Huston-Tillotson University and now lives a happy life in Houston, Texas and doesn’t really want to return to the wrestling circuit anymore.

29 13. HAKU (THEN)

via:reddit.com
via:reddit.com

Haku was amongst the first wrestlers from the Samoan dynasty to really excel in the wrestling circuit, as he was a brute force to be reckoned with in his hey-days. He would challenge the greatest of stars in his first stint at the WWE, where he showed an intimidating nature anyone could shudder at. During the 90’s he moved to WCW where he was named as Meng where he was this heel destruction machine for the authority. He even went on to face Goldberg for the WCW Heavyweight Title which he lost, but pushed Goldberg the longest that anyone ever had. He later on started taking down Ric Flair’s enemies and even went onto win the WCW Hardcore Championship.

28 13. HAKU (NOW)

via:youtube.com
via:youtube.com

With the turn of the century, Haku returned to the WWE in 2001 in the Royal Rumble match. He would later team with Rikishi but that would be short-lived because of Rikishi’s injury. Haku would later leave the WWE and go into the indy circuit where he would work short dates because of his age. He would work limited dates for promotions like World Xtreme Wrestling, Ring of Honor in the next decade or so, while working at a Toyota dealership on the side. In January 2016, Haku made a surprise return to New Japan Pro Wrestling, taking part in a match in their Wrestle Kingdom 10 pre-show. He would later wrestle a match alongside his son Alipate’s Bullet Club stable in a ten man tag-team match. In spite of being almost 60 years old, Haku still gives his everything for the entertainment of wrestling and keeps an intimidating nature to his character.

27 12. MARTY JANNETTY (THEN)

Marty Jannetty found fame alongside “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels during their time as part of The Rockers who were undoubtedly one of the most entertaining tag teams of the 90’s WWE. The Rockers would never win any tag team titles, but after his return to the WWE from injury, Jannetty would go on to win the Intercontinental Title from Shawn Michaels in 1993. He would later go on to win the Tag Team Titles with the 1-2-3 Kid but that would be the end of his fame. Marty would again be released by the WWE because of some legal problems, and he would go on to wrestle for ECW. He would face the ECW Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas in his debut match and challenge in some other title matches during his short stint at the ECW. Another return to the WWE would prove to be futile, as he would have to move back to the indy circuit.

26 12. MARTY JANNETTY (NOW)

via expressandstar.com
via expressandstar.com

After getting released by the WWE again, Jannetty would go on to work for some indy promotions, including Jimmy Hart’s XWF promotion before getting another call from the WWE. This time he’d return in a “One Night Only” reunion of The Rockers, before going on to lose to Kurt Angle on Smackdown. He was awarded another WWE contract, but wasn’t used as a wrestler because of his personal problems. Jannetty was used as a tool by Mr. McMahon to get to Shawn Michaels, as he was tormented by Mr. McMahon for a while. He was given a contract to “work with young talent” as in the later years his relationship with the company was pretty topsy-turvy and he got to wrestle a few matches before being permanently fired. In 2011, Jannetty would go on to join Chikara and debuted by accompanying The Young Bucks. He would later reunite with the 1-2-3 Kid in the promotion and they would challenge the Young Bucks for the Chikara Tag Titles in a losing effort. Jannetty currently works with the promotion as a trainer to hone the inexperienced wrestlers and got a short lived fame some months back when he ranted on Stephanie McMahon for demeaning him on a segment of RAW.

25 11. MARC MERO (THEN)

via:celebritywc.com
via:celebritywc.com

Marc Mero would debut in the WWE alongside his then wife Sable after having a successful career in WCW where he won the WCW TV Title thrice. Mero would almost instantly go on to win the vacant Intercontinental Championship. After an injury, he would return as “Marvelous” Marc Mero who would feud with Sable and want her out of the company. He defeated Sable in a match which resulted in her leaving the company for a while, as he would now hire Jacqueline as his manager who would interfere in many matches to get him to win them. He would leave the company with Sable in 1999 after some problems with management, and after this Mero could never properly return to wrestling because of injuries as he made sporadic appearances in wrestling events before officially retiring in 2006.

24 11. MARC MERO (NOW)

via:richestcelebrities.org
via:richestcelebrities.org

After retiring from wrestling in 2006, Mero would go onto opening the Marc Mero Body Slam Training Institute which he would also operate in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Mero would then deal with his drug problems head on and take a different career path on to becoming a motivational speaker and in 2007 he created his own non-profit organization called Champion of Choices. This organization aims to help young students with anti-bullying, substance abuse and suicide prevention as he uses his own experience to make for a better life for these children. His motivational speaking is quite successful, as he goes on to do it for many schools and is the self-proclaimed “Happiest Person on the Planet” who transitioned onto this line of work very quickly.

23 10. THE GODFATHER (THEN)

Charles Wright had quite the rollercoaster ride to find the right gimmick for himself after joining the WWE. After a failed Sir Charles gimmick, he was given the gimmick of a voodoo witch doctor Papa Shango who was infamous for putting a curse on the Ultimate Warrior and was later voted as the “Worst Gimmick” of the year. He would return to the WWE as Kama, before joining The Nation of Domination where he found quite a lot of success. This time triggered a singles run for him as The Godfather for which he’s infamous for bringing his “hoe’s” to the ringside. The Godfather was by far his most entertaining gimmick, as his time in Right to Censor felt bland in comparison to it. His gimmick wasn’t liked that much by officials who let him go in 2002 and he briefly retired from wrestling.

22 10. THE GODFATHER (NOW)

via:allwrestling.com
via:allwrestling.com

The Godfather would continue to have a healthy relationship with the WWE, as he would make sporadic appearances in the years to come. He would arrive at various marriage ceremonies in the shows to appear with his “Ho Train” and disrupt everything. He teamed with D’Lo Brown in 2007 to wrestle for the first time after retiring in 2002 in a local indy event. The Godfather was a surprise entrant in the 2013 Royal Rumble, but was immediately eliminated by Dolph Ziggler. Meanwhile he also worked various shows and tours in the indy circuit, also bringing back his Papa Shango character. The Godfather was inducted into the 2016 Hall of Fame and appears in some WWE Network shows like “Swerved”. On the side, he also manages his own strip club Cheetah’s in Las Vegas where he now resides in and lives like the character he was in the WWE.

21 9. JUSTIN CREDIBLE (THEN)

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Justin Credible is mostly known for his impressive time at ECW, where he went onto have success with his athletic style and hard-hitting maneuvers. Credible would although be signed by the WWE in the early 90s, as he worked mostly as a jobber before being signed up permanently. He was given the name of Aldo Montoya as “The Portuguese Man O’ War” and managed to pick up some upset victories over the likes of Irwin R. Schyster and Jerry “The King” Lawler. He asked for his release because of his jobber status and was granted so, in terms that he wouldn’t join WCW. So he went onto join Paul Heyman’s ECW, where he tagged with former trainer Lance Storm calling themselves “The Impact Players” as they went onto win the ECW Tag Titles twice. His impressive performances led him to win the ECW World Title but dropped it months later. Credible would continue to headline ECW in its dying days, sticking with the promotion which gave him his fame almost till its last breath.

20 9. JUSTIN CREDIBLE (NOW)

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

As ECW was sinking further down its hole, Credible returned back to the WWE with the turn of the century, immediately forming a stable with X-Pac and Albert known as “The X-Factor”. Credible then sided with Heyman to join The Alliance, and was on the B-Shows before the Alliance lost to Team WWE. After that, Credible did manage to win the Hardcore Championship 8 times in his career, but was featured on shows like “Heat” and mostly jobbing in RAW shows. He was released by the WWE and went onto wrestle for ROH and TNA in the next years, while also working in the Indy circuit. Credible returned for a short stint at WWE in 2006 to put over their ECW Brand. He would later go onto wrestle for “Pro Wrestling Syndicate” as well as appearing for ECW-based reunions in the later years. Credible was inducted in the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, as he would go onto wrestle for some events for TNA as well as Chikara in the next years. Credible wrestled his last match against Tommy Dreamer at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate Event last year, and insists that he’s happy with life after retirement and continues to appear in Wrestling events, confessing that he can’t let go of his love that easily.

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18 8. KONNAN (THEN)

via cagesideseats.com
via cagesideseats.com

Known as the “Mexican Hulk Hogan”, Konnan saw immense popularity in the 90’s where he was a vocal part of the uprise of WCW as a solid mid-carder as well as a prominent member of the NWO. He would first try his luck at the WWE who hired him because of his growing popularity as one of the top rising talents, as they hired him with much anticipation and then completely ruined him by giving him an awful gimmick of a cyborg who would shoot sparkles into the crowd. Konnan was given many characters and names in his WWE and each one failed miserably, leading him to be released. He rejoined the WCW in 1996 where he impressed everyone by winning the US Title soon after joining, and then would shoot into fame by joining the NWO. Known as “K-Dog” during his time, he would go onto win the WCW Television Championship and later side with NWO Wolfpac. He would later also be a part of “The Filthy Animals” with Rey Mysterio as they won the WCW Tag Team Titles together. Konnan would be seldomly used as horrible booking took over WCW, and would leave soon after.

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16 8. KONNAN (NOW)

via wrestlingnews.co
via wrestlingnews.co

After leaving WCW, Konnan would go onto wrestle for many promotions before joining TNA in 2002. He would later create a crew with B.G James and Ron Killings known as “3Live Kru” as they won the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship together. This stable would be together for quite a bit inspite of some topsy-turvy turns, before Konnan went onto creating “The Latin American Xchange” with Apollo and Homicide. This heel stable would ambush and dominate other stables in the promotion, as LAX would go onto exchange the Tag Titles back and forth with other teams. But a bitter ending came to his TNA career as they didn’t support him as he was diagnosed with cancer and needed to go with a hip replacement surgery, as he left TNA for AAA after it. Konnan would help AAA reach new levels and would take control of things soon enough, becoming the manager of their top stable “La Legion Extranjera” as well as having a creative hand in the production of it. Konnan would also go onto join Lucha Underground in 2014 and appeared as the manager of Prince Puma in the first episode, as well as introducing more exciting talent to the promotion. In February 2016, Konnan stated that he lost his creative position in AAA but still works as a consultant, but is definitely a vocal cord for both AAA and LU, helping them grow in stature.

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14 7. GANGREL (THEN)

via alchetron.com
via alchetron.com

Gangrel couldn’t really make it to the wrestling business before he was given the vampire gimmick in his second stint at the WWE, as the freedom to show this terrifying character had him get over with the raunchier fans at the time. Gangrel would go onto form The Brood with Edge and Christian, a gothic faction who would give their opponents “blood-baths” after the matches as Gangrel would drink blood himself. They temporarily joined Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness, but Gangrel couldn’t really make it as a singles competitor. After splitting with The Ministry, The Brood would be back together until Gangrel turned on them and allied with Jeff and Matt Hardy, calling themselves The New Brood. This whole thing got stale after a point of time and Gangrel couldn’t make it as a singles guy, and was let go because of weight issues.