One of the major pros of working for the WWE is that you get a major paychecks for established dates. But the average wrestler doesn't last more than a few years with the company, and they have to continue to wrestle to make a living. Getting booked becomes a much more difficult task depending on your previous success with the company. Some stars will have no problem wrestling around the world for major companies as well as independent promotions, while others struggle to really find work.
In recent years, we have seen many wrestlers prove that it is certainly possible to be a successful wrestler outside of the WWE, as many have left and went on to do greater things. It is an opportunity to advance your career forward as long as you have the necessary work ethic that is required. But some wrestlers - as talented as they may be inside the squared circle - simply aren't a draw. Fans probably have never been invested in their character, which is why they are generally an afterthought for them.
Being previously employed by the WWE isn't guaranteed to open the doors to succeed on the independent circuit, as plenty have gone on to vanish from the spotlight upon their release. Many of these wrestlers never get to headline shows, nor are they ever the centre of promotion since most fans probably wouldn't care. With today's list, we look at 10 former WWE stars still selling out arenas and 10 who can't even fill a gym:
20 Arenas: John Morrison
He has adapted several names since leaving the WWE, but most fans still recognize him as John Morrison. And if you haven't kept up with his news, then you will be surprised to know that Morrison is one of top stars outside of the WWE. Unlike many of his peers who left the company and flopped, Morrison improved his overall character, making him a draw today. He has worked for numerous companies all over the world, and has been booked as a main eventer.
There were rumors about WWE being interested in bringing him back, but nothing ever comes out of those. Morrison's success outside of the WWE and his ability to keep his name relevant among fans has probably earned him respect with top WWE officials, so we wouldn't be surprised to see him back soon since he is still capable of contributing plenty to the company.
19 Can't Fill A Gym: Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner should be a much bigger name today than he currently is. He has wrestled for all the top companies in the world, and became very popular at some point. But since his last WWE stint, his stock has fallen through. Upon his debut with the company, Steiner had the support of the fans and fought for the World title. But within two years, he had become a jobber and lost most of his popularity.
The run didn't do his career any favors, and despite decent stints in TNA, they are mostly remembered for the wrong reasons.
Steiner remains a popular name among fans but they aren't necessarily interested in seeing him wrestle these days.
And based on his sour relationship with the WWE, and especially Triple H, it is fair to say that Steiner may continue to struggle to stay relevant in the future.
18 Arenas: Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes's departure from the WWE has done wonders for his career. He had been lost in the shuffle for years and likely would have been stuck with Stardust for a couple more years, but thankfully, he made the right choice in searching for a different journey. Rhodes has achieved plenty of success with every promotion he has been involved with since then, becoming one of the most popular wrestlers outside of the WWE right now.
In fact, Rhodes is organizing a show that seats 10,000 fans and it is expected to be a sell out - which should tell you that he is a big draw at the moment. His stints with ROH and NJPW helped him advance his career to the next level as proven by his recent success. Rhodes made a risky move by dumping the WWE paychecks but it has clearly paid off for his career.
17 Can't Fill A Gym: Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger hasn't been gone from the WWE for long, so you would think that he would be much more relevant than he is. And considering the fact that he is a former World Champion who was pushed to the top - it goes to show how bad those years were for the WWE. Their World champion from just a couple years ago is struggling to get constantly booked on the independent circuit, and hasn't generated much interest around.
The problem with Swagger isn't his wrestling talent, as he can certainly go in the ring. But his character has always been bland and never connected with the fans.
He doesn't stand out among his peers in an industry where you have to be unique.
And it seems like Swagger didn't care enough to make any adjustments and try to push his career forward, as he has been living off the past.
16 Arenas: Alberto Del Rio
During his stint with the WWE, Alberto Del Rio accomplished plenty in a relatively short period of time. And while he never truly connected with the fans, management remained high on Del Rio as they continued to insert him in major angles. But that's not to say that Del Rio has faded into irrelevancy since leaving the company since he has done just fine without the major paychecks. Del Rio is competing for many companies, including Impact Wrestling, where he has become one of the top stars.
Although you may say that he is living off his name and past accomplishments in the WWE, you can credit him for being able to sell out arenas in different cities. And despite a bitter ending to his last WWE stint, rumors suggest that Vince McMahon is interested in bringing back Del Rio within the next few months, so we may see him return soon.
15 Can't Fill A Gym: Sabu
Sabu was once one of the hottest names outside of the WWE for his innovative style. As reckless as he was in the ring, fans didn't care at all and loved seeing Sabu in action. He was doing quite well for many years after the death of ECW, and had a decent stint in TNA. Sabu would end up joining the ECW brand in WWE, where he earned his highest paycheck to date and showed what he had left in the tank.
For the next few years, Sabu maintained a high level of interest among fans until recent times.
His career was slowed down due to various incidents with different promotions that affected his reputation as a professional.
And while he is semi-blacklisted on the independent circuit, Sabu has also had health problems which means he is no longer able to perform the majority of his move set.
14 Arenas: Carlito
Carlito had potential to be a top WWE Superstar, but a combination of bad booking and lazy work ethic drove him out of the company. The door remained open for him although the two sides never came to an agreement since Carlito seems to have hefty demands. He certainly misses the good ol' WWE paychecks but seems to be doing quite well on the independent circuit. Carlito has been working for numerous promotions, earning good money while also working a favorable schedule.
He still features in many major events around the world from US to the UK.
Additionally, Carlito is quite the wrestling star in his home country of Puerto Rico. It will be interesting to see whether he can maintain the same level of success within the next few years, or he will fade into irrelevancy. It would definitely be wise of him to have a final run with the WWE.
13 Can't Fill A Gym: Ryback
There was a time when Ryback winning a world title was becoming a real possibility, and that would have possibly been even worse than Jack Swagger's reign on top. It seems like the WWE figured out that he wasn't main event material rather quickly, and despite Ryback's requests to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, Vince McMahon wasn't having any of it. Ryback has been very vocal about it, claiming that it was a missed opportunity for the WWE.
But considering how much he has struggled since leaving the company, you can certainly understand McMahon's point of view. Ryback seems to only make the news when he is talking about a fellow wrestler as his career hasn't been on the ideal path. It's been quite the challenge for him thus far, but he still has time to turn his wrestling career around to be somewhat relevant again.
12 Selling Out Arenas: The Young Bucks
Some fans may be unaware that the The Young Bucks previously worked for the WWE under different monikers although they were usually used for the same purpose of putting someone else over. But they excelled in ways where most other wrestlers tend to fail, as they learned from their experiences and continued pushing forward. They have become one of the most popular tag teams in wrestling today, thanks to their impressive stints in NJPW and ROH.
They managed to get over outside of the WWE - a tough feat that only a few can brag about. Fans of The Young Bucks want to see them in the WWE again, which may happen in the next few years. It seems like there is mutual interest between the two parties although some past problems seem to exist. But the company won't be able to ignore the popularity of the tag team for too long, since they are selling plenty of tickets at the time.
11 Can't Fill A Gym: X-Pac
Being a part of the Monday Night Wars, X-Pac will always be remembered. He was apart of both nWo and D-Generation X, and had a decent solo run before he vanished. His best days are clearly behind him and have been for a while. He has been struggling to be relevant since the early 2000s when his stable X-Factor completely flopped. Although he wrestled for many promotions since the WWE, X-Pac is now struggling to get booked.
He was never a huge Superstar but lucky enough to be among some greats who helped him be in the limelight.
And it is showing now that fans aren't interested in seeing him live, nor are they in attending a meet and greet. Through his industry friendships, X-Pac will probably always be taken care of in some way - and his WWE career will probably be revised to look better thanks to his good friend Triple H.
10 Arenas: Chris Masters
Chris Masters has had an interesting career thus far. He is only 35 years old, which is pretty shocking since he debuted in the WWE back in 2005. At the time, some thought he had potential to be a main eventer. And while that period was probably his most successful, Masters was still somewhat green in the ring. Following a hiatus from the company, Masters returned to show that he still belonged in the WWE as he had significantly improved and yet his second run didn't last long.
But since then, he has mostly worked for Impact Wrestling until last month and toured the world with the company. Masters also extended his grind by taking bookings from various promotions, some of which he has headlined. Although he was never a top WWE Superstar, Masters has done well for himself on the independent circuit.
9 Can't Fill A Gym: The Sandman
The Sandman hasn't been able to draw in a while. There was major hype surrounding him during his time in ECW, when The Sandman was one of the edgiest characters in wrestling. But it feels as if he always stayed in the spot and never really went any higher, which is why as time went by, fans also forgot about him. He was brought back to be apart of the ECW brand, and while he was still getting cheered, his act quickly got stale.
In the year 2018, not many people are willing to spend their hard earned money to watch a 54-year-old man drink beer and smash his head with a cane.
With every passing year, The Sandman's popularity continues to plummet especially since he has been away from the top companies for a decade and hasn't done anything worthwhile since his days in ECW.
8 Selling Out Arenas: Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio's return to WWE at the 2018 Royal Rumble should tell just how popular he is among fans. After battling nagging injuries for many years, he left the company to recover and pursue other ventures although the door remained open for him. Mysterio has certainly gotten healthier and in better shape, as he has been able to pick and choose when to wrestle. From Lucha Underground to various independent promotions, Mysterio has been selling out arenas with ease.
Fans are still invested in him even if he is no longer as agile as he once was, although it is impressive that he is still able to pull so many of his high flying moves. WWE was so impressed with the reaction from the crowd as well as fan buzz from his Royal Rumble appearance that they tried to sign Mysterio to a full time contract.
7 Can't Fill A Gym: Damien Sandow
Damien Sandow was never pushed by the WWE - at least not as much as fans wanted - and he managed to get over with the fans. Many were disappointed to see him leave since they believed that WWE had missed a huge opportunity with Sandow. And fans expected him to prove himself outside of the company to possibly return in the future, but Sandows has failed to do that. He has had a very forgettable run in the Impact Wrestling, as well as for other promotions, but he was far from a draw.
Despite trying different characters, Sandow never came close to reaching the level of interest that he had generated in the WWE.
He is only 35 years old and should be doing much better on his own, but Sandow shows that not all wrestlers are able to succeed on the independent circuit as advanced as it may have become.
6 Arenas: Rob Van Dam
RVD has been away from the WWE for four years where he had his last stint on SmackDown. And although he wasn't booked greatly during his last run, it didn't affect the popularity of RVD. Many Superstars lose a large chunk of their fanbase as they get older, but RVD has been able to maintain a huge following.
Despite being in good shape to wrestle for the WWE, RVD prefers to continue working the independent circuit since it is more suitable to his personal schedule. He also gets to tour the world and work for various companies, while also being the biggest name on the card. Most former WWE Superstars wish they could have it as easy as RVD does, but he is one of the few who is popular enough to always enjoy the perks of being an independent wrestler at an advanced age.
5 Can't Fill A Gym: Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan was once one of the most popular WWE Superstars. He maintained a great relationship with the company, and was brought back to make cameo appearances plenty of times. But despite being given the chance to stay relevant with younger fans, Duggan is not even close to a draw anymore. Sure, fans will tell scream "HOOOOOOOOO!" for him, but he isn't relevant enough to be selling out arenas.
Most people don't care to see him live, especially now at his advanced age and yet he continues to wrestle.
He is one of the few wrestlers from that era who remains active today although his appearances are mostly around promotions that most of us have never even heard of. Hopefully he won't need to continue wrestling for too long as he has tarnished his legacy by continuing to perform. At 64 years old, there is no shame in retiring from professional wrestling.
4 Arenas: Bobby Lashley
Rumors claim that Bobby Lashley has agreed to re-sign with the WWE although the company has yet to confirm his return. There are talks about him possibly appearing at WrestleMania 34 or the RAW after the event, which would be his first WWE appearance since leaving in 2008. And since he isn't officially a WWE Superstar, we can't count him as one. Lashley has had success outside of the WWE from his days in Impact Wrestling to his MMA journey.
He has also been the headliners of many shows around the world, proving that fan interest is still around. Otherwise the WWE wouldn't be interested in bringing him back since their relationship had a messy ending, but at the end of the day, it's always about doing what's best for business. After proving his worth outside of the company, Lashley may be given another opportunity to do it in the big leagues.
3 Can't Fill A Gym: Marty Jannetty
At 58 years old, most would have expected Marty Jannetty to be retired from professional wrestling and enjoying life. But times haven't been as kind to him as they have for his former tag team partner Shawn Michaels. While the latter is now happily retired with millions to his name, Jannetty has struggled financially and has had to remain active for low level promotions to make a living.
He failed to have a successful solo run like Michaels did, and was always associated with The Rockers. But that was decades ago, and most fans have already moved on.
As you can imagine, there isn't a huge demand for Jannetty at the time - and there hasn't been in quite a while.
He is only relevant these days when he does something controversial or when Shawn Michaels is brought up in some capacity - as his best days are well behind him.
2 Arenas: Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho's wrestling appearances have been very few since his last WWE run, most notably competing against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12. The match was a huge draw, and got NJPW plenty of attention from fans who hadn't previously watched the promotion. Jericho has been busy lately with his Fozzy projects as well as his popular podcast, but he has also been promoting the Jericho Cruise - an event organized by him which is set to be huge.
And only few wrestling stars could have held such event since the tickets are expensive to say the least. Jericho has always remained popular over the year, but his following skyrocketed since his last WWE run - which had been his best in a while. Fans still haven't had enough of Jericho yet, and it's very likely that he will be a draw for the rest of his life.
1 Can't Fill A Gym: Scott Hall
Scott Hall is one of the most popular wrestlers of the 90s, and was apart of the legendary nWo stable, so most would assume that he is still a huge draw today. While Hall is still a well-known name in the industry, he is no longer able to sell out arenas as he used to. He has proven to be unreliable over the years by failing to show up to events, or arriving at a less than ideal condition. That has made many promoters quit working with him, and we can't blame them for that.
Hall's antics have also lost him many fans who were disappointed by his unprofessional behavior. And even those who happen to be fans of Hall may be hesitant to pay the price on betting that he shows up. Based on his reputation in real life, it also makes many of his fans not want to meet him since they may change their opinion about him.