Over the past few decades, wrestling fans tuning in to weekly shows like WWE Monday Night Raw or TNA Impact Wrestling familiarize themselves with leading men and women from those promotions, who could end of being the faces of the company.

But as we’ve learned, the wrestling business is a tough one, and it’s not easy to stay on top, or better yet, solidify a place on the main roster. At times, main eventers from WWE jump ship to TNA, while some test the waters on the independent scene or even in Asia or South America.

It would be foolish to assume one’s career is over after a departing with a mainstream wrestling company, however, for some practitioners of the squared circle, they find themselves in an endless circle of working dates from small church basements or dingy warehouses in front of 150 people. On the other hand, some propel to new heights, getting themselves over and rejuvenating their careers after such lengthy stays in top promotions (AJ Styles’ recent form in NJPW should come to mind.)

There are an abundance of talents still working all over the globe, so we’ve tracked down some of the biggest names of the past to see where they’re at in the wrestling world. Omitted from this list of wrestlers still blazing out the curtain are the more popular and obvious names, like Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, Rey Mysterio, Gail Kim, Mickie James and Alberto Del Rio, to name a few, who still have enough mainstream appeal to pull in the casual viewer wherever they’re at. We’ve also left out Terry Funk, who decides to retire and continue wrestling a few times per year. Also, guys who just got the cut from WWE and TNA may not have made it, unless they’re hoisting gold elsewhere.

Without further ado, here are 25 performers you might not have known are still wrestling:

25 25. Carlito

via reddit.com
via reddit.com

“The Caribbean Cool” hasn’t been taking too much time off these days, travelling all over the globe to places like Australia and Qatar as a representative of the Colon wrestling family. Carlito wasn’t been picked up by a major wrestling promotion after his WWE tenure, yet he’s still putting in long hours against familiar names like Tommy Dreamer, Chris Masters, Jinder Mahal and Matt Hardy elsewhere.

24 24. Rob Conway

via onlineworldofwrestling.com
via onlineworldofwrestling.com

It’s fair to say Rob Conway was never a main event player during his time with WWE, yet over a decade after being in La Resistance, the same can’t be said in reference to his time in NWA. Conway was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion before losing the title to Tenzan in NJPW, where he also makes appearances here and there.

23 23. Paul London

via 1495sports.com
via 1495sports.com

Paul London’s WWE career is best known for his success in the tag team division with Brian Kendrick, as he won two tag titles alongside Spanky. The latter has featured on NXT as of late, but London still tied to a full-time wrestling schedule outside of WWE, spending time in ROH, FWE and PWG, among other small promotions. London won FWE’s Tri-Borough Championship beating PWG star Joey Ryan in a tag team match with two titles on the line.

22 22. Doc Gallows

Doc_Gallows_IWGP_Heavyweight_Tag_Team_Champion

Doc Galllows has surpassed his runs in both WWE and TNA as a member of Japan’s popular Bullet Club stable. His partnership with Karl Anderson has been more than prosperous, being two-time IWGP Tag Team Champions and taking NJPW’s World Tag League honors in 2013. Gallows is an example of how a wrestler who started out with an unfortunate gimmick (Festus) can rebound when given the liberty to be himself.

21 21. Psicosis

via mediotiempo.com
via mediotiempo.com

After successful stints in WWE and WCW, Psicosis returned to Mexico’s AAA promotion, now known as Nicho. He doesn’t travel to American too often, busy with his current home, as well as appearing in smaller promotions across the country. He’s been featured mostly in tag matches as of late, whether they are six-man tag or four-way tag matches.

20 20. Juventud Guerrera

via apkxda.com
via apkxda.com

An incredibly popular cruiserweight during the division’s heyday in WCW, Juventud Guerrera still travels far and wide apart from wrestling all over Mexico, too. He is still as diverse when being booked, participating in singles competition and tag matches, and recently performed for such promotions as PCW and 4FW this year in England. While with AAA after WCW, he won their Cruiserweight Championship.

19 19. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

via dailyherald.com
via dailyherald.com

Appearing for several smaller promotions across the United States, Europe and Mexico over the past couple of years, Chavo Guerrero Jr. continues the family legacy as a member of the Lucha Underground roster, where familiar names like Konnan, Vampiro and Matt Striker also serve as managers and broadcasters.

18 18. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

via officialfan.proboards.com
via officialfan.proboards.com

A member of the storied Hart Family, Davey Boy Smith Jr. is continuing his father’s legacy as a naturally gifted hoss over in Japan, alongside Lance Archer (formerly known as Lance Hoyt, Vance Archer and Dallas to WWE and TNA fans). The gruesome twosome makes up the Killer Elite Squad, performing in both ROH and Pro Wrestling Noah as of late. Smith Jr. also had some great singles performances at last year’s G1 Climax 24 for NJPW.

17 17. Steve Corino

via f4wonline.com
via f4wonline.com

“The King of Old School” isn’t doing too shabby as a broadcaster in ROH alongside Kevin Kelly, going by King Corino. However, the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion is still wrestling all over the United States, too. ROH fans are familiar with Corino’s involvement in SCUM, and he even wrestled Kevin Owens in the latter’s last ROH match before signing with WWE in 2014.

16 16. Drew McIntyre

via impactwrestling.com
via impactwrestling.com

Working under the name Drew Galloway, the Scotsman has already found success in major independent promotions across America following his WWE release. Galloway currently holds the Evolve World Championship and the Dragon Gate USA Open the Freedom Gate Championship as a premiere main eventer in both promotions. He is also working for TNA, who hosted his last couple of matches. (For those wondering, his former 3MB partner Jinder Mahal is also still competing, but Galloway has been a little more successful on the main event scene).

15 15. Tommy Dreamer

via thewhig.com
via thewhig.com

“The Innovator of Violence” still stays true to his hardcore roots as the force behind House of Hardcore, which features many Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) veterans such as Rhino and The Dudley Boyz, as well as TNA mainstays like Bobby Roode and Austin Aries. Besides his work as a promoter and wrestler in HOH, Dreamer has been featured in TNA, FWE and currently holds the IWC Heavyweight Championship for the Pennsylvania-based company.

14 14. John Morrison

via mindofcarnage.com
via mindofcarnage.com

Performing under Johnny Mundo and John Hennigan, the three-time WWE Intercontinental Champion hasn’t taken a breath of air these past couple of years. He’s a major player in Lucha Underground and FWE, and he’s had stellar matches against Alberto El Patron, AJ Styles and Prince Puma (Ricochet), to name a few. He also competed for NWA a few times.

13 13. Ultimo Dragon

via puroresuspirit.wordpress.com
via puroresuspirit.wordpress.com

One of WCW’s best cruiserweights ever and a human magnet for championships, Ultimo Dragon is still kicking at 48 years old, wrestling for AJPW and currently holds the All Asia Tag Team Championship alongside Yoshinobu Kanemaru. The last time Dragon was seen in an American wrestling ring, he defeated Juventud Guerrera at the King of Indies in California this past March.

12 12. Jushin Liger

via onlineworldofwrestling.com
via onlineworldofwrestling.com

The decorated and influential Japanese icon has fought battles all over the world (Jushin Liger participated in the very first match of WCW Nitro’s debut episode), yet his home has been NJPW for the past few years, where he participates in lower to mid-card matches at almost every event. He’s been lending his services to ROH as well, and recently came up short in an ROH Television Championship match against Jay Lethal at Supercard of Honor 9.

11 11. Gangrel

1024px-Gangrel_DDT

With ties to the adult entertainment industry, Gangrel hasn’t fully walked away from the squared circle. The former Brood leader had a number of dates in 2015, including a six-man tag match last month where part-time performer Kevin Nash was also involved. The bloodthirsty wrestler has worked dozens of dates these past few years alone.

10 10. Bob Holly

via wrestlingnewsreport.com
via wrestlingnewsreport.com

Known for being one of the toughest guys in the business, Bob Holly is still active at 52 years old, and even appears in hardcore matches from time to time. While TNA One Night Only: Hardcore Justice 2 was his last mainstream television appearance, Holly contests for titles all over the Indy map, and even shared rings with Brodus Clay and Sonjay Dutt in 2015.

9 9. Too Cool

via wrestlingnewscenter.blogspot.com
via wrestlingnewscenter.blogspot.com

Both Scotty 2 Hotty (Scott Garland) and Grandmaster Sexay (Brian Lawler) still compete to this day, sometimes even performing as the former WWE tag team, Too Cool, though they aren't allowed to use the name. While the dancing duo are often partners in the ring, Scotty 2 Hotty works mostly as a singles wrestler, being a tad more active on the Indy scene than his associate.

8 8. Shelton Benjamin

via njpw.co.jp
via njpw.co.jp

A staple in Money In The Bank matches and a three-time Intercontinental Champion with WWE, Shelton Benjamin was active in Ring of Honor with his World’s Greatest Tag Team partner Charlie Haas (who also still wrestles) before making a name for himself in NJPW with the Suzuki-gun stable. The group is currently invading Pro Wrestling Noah in an angle similar to the nWo’s takeover of WCW.

7 7. Jeff Jarrett

via 411mania.com
via 411mania.com

“The King of The Mountain” has done it all in the wrestling world, and with Global Force Wrestling on the cusp of its launch in a few weeks, Jeff Jarrett doesn’t look like he’s stopping any time soon. It remains to be seen if the Tennessee titan will lace up the boots regularly while holding down a promotion, considering he was travelling from North America to England in 2015. Nevertheless, Jarrett still remains a part-time member of the Bullet Club and featured in January’s famed Wrestle Kingdom show at the Tokyo Dome with his brethren.

6 6. Taka Michinoku

via culturecrossfire.com
via culturecrossfire.com

One of WWE’s most popular light heavyweights in history, Taka Michinoku, makes most of his coin wrestling in his home country of Japan. Following a stint in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) after his WWE departure, Michinoku is one of the veteran members of heel stable Suzuki-gun in NJPW, which means he’s also been involved in matches over at Pro Wrestling Noah.