Darren Young and Summer Rae took the next steps in their respective careers this weekend following their releases from WWE last year.

Last October WWE had something of a mini clear out when they decided to release some Superstars from both the main roster and NXT. The biggest names that were wished well in their future endeavors were Darren Young, Summer Rae, and the more surprising inclusion was Emma. The Aussie star has since continued her career on the independent circuit.

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Young and Rae have waited a little longer than Emma to get their careers back underway but this past weekend they both took those next steps and clearly both want to remain in the industry. Young, who is now competing under his real name Fred Rosser, wrestled his first match since being released, a bout against Impact Wrestling star Fallah Bahh and he picked up the win.

Rae hasn't wrestled yet since departing WWE but made her first appearance since being released. The former Superstar met fans at The Big Event 14 in New York and posted a number of photos and videos to her Instagram story. Also now going by her real name, Danielle Moinet, Rae thanked fans via social media after the event revealing how touched she was at the amount of people who came out to see her.

Now more than ever there are any number of wrestlers out there proving that WWE doesn't have to be the be all and end all of your wrestling career. Cody Rhodes has been enjoying the best period of his career since leaving WWE and Kenny Omega is in the business of well and truly putting New Japan on the global map. Emma, Rosser and Moinet will likely have taken great inspiration from those two guys and so many more.

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Naturally the more affluent independent wrestling becomes the more promotions pop up. It's not only in the United States either. Wrestling in the UK right now has never been hotter and of course Japan continues to be the hot bed for the business that it has always been. The future is bright for Moinet and Rosser and anyone else who is released from WWE or those who never make it to the big dance at all.