The women of WWE over the past few decades have come from all different walks of life and have been able to move onto some interesting careers after their time in the spotlight came to an end. Others have slowly faded from the memories of fans, but continue to lead interesting lives away from all the noise and attention of the WWE universe.

There is a new female Hall of Famer announced every year and this has allowed many women to resurface after more than a decade away from the wrestling business. While there are many female legends who have been able to move on to a completely different career in the spotlight since they left WWE, there are many others who weren't this lucky and now work dead-end jobs to make ends meet.

WWE hasn't been able to launch the careers of every female wrestler who has performed for the company over the past few decades since there have been so many, which means that there are a few women who have fallen through the cracks and been unable to push themselves forward ever since.

The following list looks at just 10 former WWE women who have faded away from the spotlight since their release from the company, as well as 10 who have found inventive ways to ensure that they are still remembered by the WWE Universe.

20 Faded Away: Layla

Layla was the first ever British born WWE Diva who's introduction to WWE came when she won the 2006 Diva Search. Layla was then sent over to ECW where she was aligned with Brooke Adams and Kelly Kelly in Extreme Expose. It was only after ECW was scrapped that Layla was taken seriously and brought over to the main roster where she was added to the Women's Division.

The height of Layla's career came when she teamed with Michelle McCool and became LayCool.

The duo are former Women's and Divas Champions but when Michelle left the company in 2011, Layla returned to the sidelines with her only notable feud after that with Summer Rae after she became Fandango's new dance partner in her absence. Layla retired from the wrestling business after nine years in the summer of 2015 and since then the star has disappeared from Social Media and decided to focus on her family life with her new husband, fellow WWE star Ricky Ortiz. Layla made the decision to leave the spotlight after the world knowing her private business for almost a decade and is now reported to be happy with her decision and enjoying life out of the public eye.

19 Still In The Spotlight: Eva Marie

Eva Marie had a background in modelling when she joined WWE back in 2013 and was then made a main cast member of Total Divas. The red-headed star was pushed into the spotlight so quickly that many of the WWE Universe turned against her before she had ever set foot in the ring which was seemingly the story of her short career.

Eva dropped out of Total Divas so that she could concentrate on training to return to the company and showed significant improvement when she returned to NXT but the WWE Universe ensured that she was aware of their disdain. Marie was promoted to the main roster as part of the 2016 WWE Draft but this wasn't for long since she was suspended from the company for the first time for violating the Wellness Policy the following month and that was the last time she was seen in a WWE ring. She then focused her time on her acting career when she was cast in 2017 movie Inconceivable alongside Nicholas Cage and opted to leave the company in the summer of 2017. Marie has since continued to work as a model and actress and has changed her hair back to her natural black color.

18 Faded Away: Stacy Keibler

Stacy Keibler was once one of the biggest female stars that WWE created and even though she was part of an era when the Women's Division wasn't taken seriously, Stacy was able to stand out because of her impressive legs. Keibler was part of a number of interesting storylines with the likes of Randy Orton, The Hurricane, and even The Dudley Boys before her time in the company came to an end back in 2006.

Keibler always had her own ambitions of stepping out of the ring and into the acting world and following a stint on Dancing With The Stars, she decided to leave the wrestling business and equalize on the popularity that the show had given to her. Her foray into acting didn't work out the way that she had hoped with just a handful of cameos to note, but her relationship with Hollywood legend George Clooney did boost her popularity somewhat. Since the couple's very public break up, Stacy has found love with Jared Pobre and the couple then welcomed their first child back in 2014. Keibler then suddenly disappeared from Social Media and has since reportedly been focused on being a full-time mother to her daughter Ava Grace.

17 Still In The Spotlight: Torrie Wilson

Torrie Wilson was part of the same era as Stacy Keibler and had the same route into WWE after she began her career with WCW. Wilson was popular with the WWE Universe, but she was never a wrestler who's in-ring talent was taken seriously, since she was reduced to performing as part of Evening Gown contests and Pillow Fights, even at WrestleMania. She did have longevity throughout her career, but after seven years in the company, she was released back in 2008 after a back injury had kept her sidelined for more than six months.

Wilson has since spent her time getting into shape and has become an online fitness instructor and blogger.

The former star has also made a number of appearances with WWE since her release with the most recent coming back at the Women's Royal Rumble in January. The Cover Girl is arguably in better shape now than she was when she was part of WWE which is why WWE has been allowing Torrie to share a number of her secrets with the WWE Universe on the WWE Network. It's safe to say that this isn't the last time Wilson will be seen on WWE TV.

16 Faded Away: Cherry

Cherry is considered to be one of the more forgettable WWE Divas of the past decade, but the star who was often known as Cherry Pie was the first woman to ever make her way to the ring in roller skates, which allowed her to stand out at that time. She was the valet of Deuce and Domino, before she was able to step into the ring herself for a handful of matches, but was released from the company in 2008 after there were reports of backstage issues with her weight.

Cherry has since moved on to a 9-5 job at Sea World in Orlando, Florida which has allowed her to step out of the spotlight completely. The closest that Cherry has come to TV is when she was seen in the background in a recent episode of Total Divas because she has remained close friends with fellow WWE Diva Natalya. It was Cherry who faced Nattie in her debut match in WWE back in 2008 and it's obviously allowed the two women to form quite a bond. Cherry's additions to the Women's Division are arguably forgettable which could be why she hasn't expressed any desire to return to the business in recent years.

15 Still In The Spotlight: Kelly Kelly

Kelly Kelly was signed to WWE back in 2006 despite having no experience as an in-ring performer so she was sent over to ECW where she would perform dance routines in the ring instead. Kelly was then moved over to the main roster and finally given a chance in the Women's Division in 2008.

It wasn't until three years later in 2011 that Kelly was finally able to lift her first Divas Championship a title that she held for just four months before she was defeated by Beth Phoenix. Merely months later Kelly was released from her contract and claimed that she wanted to take some time away from the business to heal from a neck injury and had plans to return to her modelling career. Kelly started a relationship with ice hockey player Sheldon Souray in 2011, a relationship that allowed her to be cast in E! reality series WAGS LA in 2015 and remain a main character in the show until their split in 2017 after just a year of marriage. Kelly returned to WWE as part of RAW 25 earlier this year and made her in-ring return as part of the Women's Royal Rumble match in January.

14 Faded Away: Candice Michelle

Candice Michelle was one of many women in the history of WWE who were part of the annual Diva Search and despite not winning the competition, she was signed to a contract and became part of the Women's Division. At the start of her career, Candice wasn't taken seriously and instead was made part of Vince's Devils before she graced the cover of an infamous magazine in 2006.

Michelle later decided to increase her in-ring training and work her way towards the Women's Championship, a title that she finally picked up in 2007 when she became the first ever Diva Search contestant to lift the title. Michelle was released from the company back in 2009 and has since focused on her personal life and her marriage to Los Angeles chiropractor Ken Gee Ehrlich after the birth of her three daughters. Michelle's last daughter was born back in 2015 and she has since been able to return to the ring to have her final wrestling match against her longtime friend Victoria. The match took place at House of Hardcore back in December and it was the final thing that Michelle needed to do before she settled down as a full-time mother to her three daughters.

13 Still In The Spotlight: Brie Bella

Brie Bella auditioned for the 2006 Diva Search along with her sister Nikki and the duo was then signed to WWE since the company liked the idea of having twins in the Women's Division. Brie debuted back in 2008 before her sister was later revealed under the ring as part of most of Brie's matches.

She has since gone on to become Divas Champion and one of the main cast members of Total Divas.

When her husband Daniel Bryan was forced to walk away from WWE back in February 2016, Brie followed in his footsteps and retired from the company at WrestleMania 32. The former Champion has since given birth to the couple's daughter Birdie Joe and has expressed a desire to return to the WWE even though she has remained an integral part of both Total Divas and Total Bellas. Brie alongside her sister Nikki returned to the ring as part of the Women's Royal Rumble match back in January where she was eliminated by her own sister. It hasn't officially been revealed that Brie's retirement is over following her husband's return to full-time competition, so it's still reported that Brie is a retired superstar until she makes her return to one of WWE's weekly shows.

12 Faded Away: Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn was signed to WWE because of her background in bodybuilding, which helped her throughout her career. The former Divas Champion first appeared as part of the all-female season of NXT back in 2010 and went on to win the competition, which allowed her to be promoted to the main roster.

Kaitlyn and her best friend AJ Lee became the spine of the Women's Division throughout this time and even battled it out on numerous occasions for the Divas Championship, their best match came back at Payback 2013 when AJ Lee was able to lift the title for the first time and then went on to have a record-breaking reign. She was reported to have had issues with Stephanie McMahon backstage, which then led to her requesting her release from the company in January 2014. Kaitlyn has since launched her own clothing company and returned to her bodybuilding career. Following her divorce last year, her company was put on hold for a while and it is now reported that Kaitlyn runs a smoothie bar inside the Busy Body Fitness Center, another project that she began with her ex-husband. Kaitlyn also made her return to the ring in December, but the former Champion has no desire to return to WWE.

11 In The Spotlight: Cameron

Cameron is another forgettable female wrestler who is perhaps better remembered for her time on Total Divas rather than her in-ring career. Cameron was part of Tough Enough back in 2011 and even though she was eliminated from the competition in the early rounds, the company decided to sign her to a contract and sent her to FCW to train.

Just months later Cameron was called up to the main roster alongside Naomi as The Funkadactlys, which meant that the former dancer lacked a lot of the basic in-ring training. Cameron was able to hold her own throughout her storyline with Naomi, but when the duo split all of her flaws became much more obvious but her role in Total Divas meant that her job in the company was safe. Cameron was released from her WWE contract in May 2016 after she seemingly agreed with Ryback's very public rant on WWE's pay scale and has since tried to push herself in a career in the acting industry and even launched her own Youtube Channel. Her most recent work was as part of MTV reality series Champs vs Stars back in November as she continues to struggle to push her brand forward.

10 Faded Away: Summer Rae

Summer Rae signed for WWE back in 2011 with a background in Lingerie Football but was able to work her way up through the ranks to be part of the core Women's Division in NXT when it was first launched back in 2012. Rae then moved up to the main roster as Fandango's dance partner and was then made a part of Total Divas where she was able to pick up a number of feuds with stars like Natalya and Brie Bella.

Rae later took some time away from WWE to star in Marine 4: Moving Target alongside The Miz before she returned and took center stage in the feud between Rusev, Lana and Dolph Ziggler a feud that was seen as one of the worst of the year. Summer's last match was as part of the 10-Diva tag match on the WrestleMania 32 pre-show which she was on the losing end of, but she wasn't officially released from her contract until October 2017 more than 18 months later. It is reported that Rae has returned to her modeling career following her release and recently announced that she would be returning to the ring in Australia at the end of May.

9 Still In The Spotlight: Michelle McCool

Michelle McCool is a former teacher who came to WWE as part of the 2004 Diva Search, a competition that was won by Christy Hemme. Despite not winning, McCool was signed to a contract and made her debut on WWE TV two years later as a "Teacher." McCool wasn't taken seriously until 2008 when she defeated Natalya to become the inaugural Divas Champion. She later aligned herself with Layla and the two women controlled the Divas Division for more than a year before McCool lost a "Loser Leaves WWE" match at Extreme Rules in 2011 and walked away from the company.

McCool married WWE legend The Undertaker in 2010 and the couple then announced the arrival of their daughter, Faith in 2012.

McCool has been present throughout the past few years of her husband's career after being spotted at ringside and even updating her Instagram with images of him working out ahead of his return this year. Michelle made her return to the ring for the first time in seven years when she competed in the Women's Royal Rumble back in January and managed to eliminate more women than anyone else in the match, showing that there was definitely no ring rust.

8 Faded Away: Sable

Sable was the female wrestler that many members of the WWE Universe remember as one of the first Divas of the company. The woman that first defined what it was to be a WWE Diva and as a former Women's Champion, she obviously knew what she was doing between the ropes. Sable had no prior experience when she first came to WWE alongside her husband Marc Mero but she quickly became a fan favorite and her popularity then caused a breakdown in her marriage.

Sable left WWE for the first time back in 1999 and filed a $110 million lawsuit against the company, citing unsafe working conditions and harassment. This was later settled out of court and she returned to the company for a year in 2003 where she also graced the cover of that famous publication once again but this time alongside Torrie Wilson. Sable married current Universal Champion Brock Lesnar back in 2006 and after the birth of the couple's two sons Duke and Turk, Sable stepped away from the spotlight and allowed her husband to become the breadwinner for their family. Sable hasn't been seen by her husband's side while he's been wrestling for WWE in more than a decade.

7 Still In The Spotlight: AJ Lee

AJ Lee fought for years for her chance to be part of the WWE and finally paid more than $1,000 to attend a WWE tryout back in 2009 where she was immediately signed to a contract. Lee then trained in FCW for a year before she was made part of the all-female season of NXT in 2010.

AJ Lee stood out among the competition and even though she didn't win she promised the WWE Universe that she would be back. Lee followed through on this promise when she made her way to the main roster the following year and began a whirlwind career that saw her work with some of the biggest stars in the company at that time including her future husband CM Punk, while also becoming the longest reigning Divas Champion of all time. Despite her success, Lee retired from the wrestling business following WrestleMania 31 in 2015 and penned her autobiography which was released in 2017 called "Crazy is my Superpower." Lee's memoir is now a New York Times Best Seller and it was recently announced that it would be developed into a TV series with Lee working as the executive producer and writer for the show.

6 Faded Away: Ashley Massaro

Ashley won the 2005 Raw Diva Search and was then dropped in at the deep end in the Women's Division on Monday Night Raw, where she was made part of a storyline between Vince's Devils and Trish Stratus. Ashley's popularity increased when she posed for the cover of Heff's famous magazine back in 2007 which then led to her first one-on-one match at WrestleMania when she took on Melina for the Women's Championship in a losing effort. Ashley wasn't one of the most skilled wrestlers in the company at that time, but WWE allowed her to be part of some of the bigger storylines because she was popular with the WWE Universe.

Ashley requested and was granted her WWE release back in 2008 when she revealed that her seven-year-old daughter was sick and she wanted to be able to return home to look after her. Massaro has since returned to her career as a model and often hosts WWE events as part of pay-per-view weekends. It was revealed that she had returned to the ring after more than a decade away back in 2017 as part of Zero1 Professional Wrestling USA but it's highly unlikely that Ashley will be returning to WWE in the near future.

5 Still In The Spotlight: Beth Phoenix

Beth Phoenix is one of few women's wrestlers over the past era who were signed by the company with prior experience. Phoenix began wrestling as an amateur while she was still in high school before she later revealed that Molly Holly had paid for her to train as a professional wrestler and she had her debut match against Mickie James back in 2001. She was invited to a tryout back in 2004 before she was signed by the company and sent to OVW.

Phoenix then made her debut on the Raw roster as part of the storyline between James and Trish Stratus. Beth went on to become Women's Champion three times throughout her career and captured the Divas title once before she asked for her release from the company in 2012, citing family reasons. Phoenix has since gone on to marry fellow WWE star Edge and the couple have two daughters together, but rather than settle into motherhood, Phoenix returned to the company as a commentator for the Mixed Match Challenge earlier this year and was even given a slot in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match back in January. It is reported that Phoenix is now one of the names WWE are considering as a full-time female commentator.

4 Faded Away: Sunny

Sunny is widely considered to have been the first ever WWE Diva and was seen as quite a successful manager when it comes to the teams that she was able to push towards Championship gold. Sunny's backstage antics have become more well-known than her in-ring career over the past few decades, but it's still hard to argue with her success as a manager.

Sunny was released from WWE back in 1998 and then went on to work for a number of other promotions including ECW and WCW before she returned to WWE as part of the Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25. She was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame two years later by the entire women's roster but Sunny's personal life has gone downhill ever since. Sunny has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past few years since she's been in and out of trouble struggling with various personal problems, but it seems that WWE has finally stepped in and paid for the star to go back into the proper care and she has been silent for a number of months ever since. Perhaps this could be the turning point that Sunny has been waiting for.

3 Still In The Spotlight: Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus is considered to be the most decorated women's wrestler of all time as a former seven-time Women's Champion, a feat that is still yet to be reached by any other star in the 12 years since she retired. Stratus was signed as a former fitness model and gymnast and these skills obviously helped her to adapt to her new environment quite quickly in an era that boasted the likes of Molly Holly and Gail Kim.

Stratus dominated the Women's Division for more than four years before she retired from in-ring competition back in 2006 ahead of her marriage to her boyfriend of 14 years Ron Fisico. Trish was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 and announced that he was expecting her first child, a son whom she called Maximus. Trish then gave birth to her daughter Madison-Patricia back in January 2017. She has dipped her toe in the acting world in recent years as well as making numerous appearances for WWE including her most recent one at The Royal Rumble back in January and was even part of WrestleMania Axxess last month after being personally invited by WWE. Trish is never far away from the spotlight.

2 Faded Away: Jillian Hall

Jillian Hall was never a female wrestler that WWE took seriously, she was first introduced as a "fixer" for MNM and later the image consultant for JBL before she made her in-ring debut in a feud with Stacy Keibler. Hall became something of a comedy wrestler in the latter part of her career since she decided that she could sing and would then sing her entrance theme on her way to the ring each week.

When Jillian was finally given a chance in the Division and lifted the Divas Championship, her reign lasted mere minutes before Melina defeated her to lift the belt. Jillian's contract expired in 2010 and WWE opted not to renew it. Jillian then moved on to a career on the Independent Circuit and with Impact Wrestling before she announced her retirement from the business in 2014. Since her retirement, Jillian has concentrated on her raising her daughter but it was announced last year that Jillian had returned to the ring as part of Zero1 Professional Wrestling USA alongside fellow WWE Diva Ashley. Jillian has remained out of the spotlight in recent years so that she could focus on her family ever since it was revealed that she had separated from her husband Mike Farole.

1 Still In The Spotlight: Lita

Lita is one of the biggest female legends that the company has ever created and even though Lita's career was plagued by negativity after her affair with former WWE star Edge was made public knowledge and was then created into a storyline on WWE TV. She is a former four-time Women's Champion and opted to retire from the company back in 2006 following Trish Stratus' retirement.

Lita was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2014 and has made sporadic appearances for the company ever since.

She worked as the commentator for the Mae Young Classic tournament back in 2016 and received a lot of positive feedback fro her role alongside Mauro Ranallo. She also made an appearance at the Royal Rumble back in January where she proved that she still had what it takes to hang with the current roster of women. Lita hasn't been seen on WWE TV since but much like Trish Stratus, Lita is always around when the company needs the legends to be recalled. Lita has proved that she could step into the ring with any women in the business right now so if the company needs her on commentary or as a performer in the future then she would be readily available.