It is rare for a wrestler to retain a job with the WWE for more than a couple years. The industry is always changing faces with new Superstars coming in to replace the older generations. And while the ultimate goal is to make it to the WWE for most wrestlers, that doesn't guarantee that they will be set for life. Not everyone is as unfortunate as the likes of The Undertaker and Kane to have such longevity in the WWE. Most wrestlers either continue to perform in the ring at an advanced age, or transition into a backstage role for a company.

For most former WWE Superstars, they may miss the hefty paychecks that come with being employed by the biggest wrestling empire in the world. And while many of them will always land bookings elsewhere, they usually have to work harder to generate a stable income. With so many new talents in the wrestling scene, it has become tougher for the veterans to find worthy bookings, which is why some former WWE Superstars have had to resort to lesser events.

Growing up with these stars, some fans still find it difficult to come with terms that their favorites have significantly slowed down. Father time tends to be harsh on professional wrestlers with everyone ultimately showing visible signs of ageing. With today's list, we look at 15 sad images of former WWE stars on the indies:

15 Sabu

At 53 years old, it is still impressive that Sabu can still perform some of the high risk moves that made him famous in the first place. And while he may have gotten even more sloppy with age, Sabu continues to be active on the independent circuit. Considering his financial troubles, it seems like he may have to continue working for as long as he can. Back in 2016, friends of Sabu reached out to fans to help fund for a surgery that he couldn't afford.

"For the record, Sabu hates the idea of a GoFundMe page and did not want to ask the fans for anything," said the YouTube channel Title Match Wrestling. "Therefore, Rob Van Dam and several of Sabu's closest friends created the page for him anyway."

At some point, he had been competing while injured since he needed the income.

From being one of the most popular ECW stars to performing for lower tier promotions, Sabu is now barely selling out high school gyms these days.

The door towards WWE has likely been closed due to some controversial comments made by Sabu over the years. He has always been critical of the company, and his reputation outside of the ring hasn't exactly helped him. Sabu is getting less bookings nowadays after having been blacklisted by some promoters due to his reckless behavior in the past.

14 Marty Jannetty

Some fans would argue that Marty Jannetty currently looks much better than Shawn Michaels despite being five years older. And while that may be true, their personal lives couldn't be any more different. While Michaels has been enjoying early retirement since 2010, Jannetty continues to work the independent scene. As you can tell by the photo above, he isn't exactly getting great spots either. Considering his age, as well as the fact that he has been out of the WWE for over two decades, it's no surprise that Jannetty hasn't been in demand.

His personal life has somewhat affected his reputation, as he has had his share of controversial moments in recent years - especially since joining social media. There was a time when Jannetty was apart of the hottest tag team in the world, and had all the potential in the world to break out on his own. Not many could have imagined the gap to widen as it did between the two former tag team partners. Not only did Michaels go on to become an all-time great while Jannetty has turned into a punchline, but the former has made millions of dollars along the way while the latter still has to make ends meet.

13 X-Pac 

He has been around for so long that most fans would find it hard to believe that X-Pac is only 45 years old. And yet he hasn't been a WWE Superstar since 2002 when he was 29 years old at the time. Since then, X-Pac has never taken too much time off as he continued to perform for various promotions around the world, including TNA and Chikara. But as he continues to get older, X-Pac finds himself taking bookings from less relevant promotions.

There was a time when he could constantly work for some of the most popular promotions outside of the WWE, but those days are long gone now. In recent times, he has gotten back into good shape after having slipped a little for some time - but it may be too little, too late for him to get his career back on track. Thankfully, he does have some close connections in the WWE, including his pal Triple H, so the door may be open for him to join the company in a backstage role once his wrestling days are over. But of course he would have to be on his best behavior to stick around in WWE's current climate.

12 Raven

There was a time when Raven was considered to be one of the most intriguing gimmicks in professional wrestling. But it's been quite some time since we last saw him compete for a top promotion. And while he did have a lengthy stint in TNA, it wasn't exactly memorable - especially compared to his younger days. But since his departure from the company in 2010, Raven has practically been semi-retired from wrestling with his appearances getting fewer by the year.

It seems like he is financially set more than some of his peers who are struggling to make ends meet, opting to be selective with dates throughout the year.

And since it's been 15 years since we last saw Raven on WWE television, there is no doubt that plenty of fans haven't seen him since then.

The photo above will shock some who may have expected him to age better. Perhaps he would look better if he were to take care of his appearance, but definitely not enough to perform for promotions bigger than the one seen above. You can tell by the background that Raven is surrounded by a small crowd - much smaller in capacity than he was once used to.

11 Scott Hall

If you grew up a fan of Scott Hall, every photo of his from the past 15 years could fall under the sad category. But he certainly looks healthier in the past few years than he did during the mid to late 2000s after completing DDP's yoga program. But this goes to show that Hall was never able to get his swagger back, as he has been a shell of himself for so long. He was arguably the coolest man in professional wrestling for many years, but he's no longer as charming as he once was. Hall has been semi-retired for several years due to health problems, as well as promotions not willing to book him anymore.

He had gained a bad reputation on the independent circuit for failing to show up to many dates in the past, or even worse showing up intoxicated. Hall has gotten more reliable in recent times although the venues get smaller as the years go by. It must be strange for someone who had been one of the reasons behind WCW constantly selling out venues for many years. Fast forward to 2018, and the founding members of nWo can barely sell out a high school gymnasium.

10 Gangrel

Since 2001, Gangrel has spent the majority of his journey on the independent circuit. Although he did get recruited back to the WWE for a brief period in 2005, he didn't last too long in his second stint. Gangrel has made appearances for promotions around the world, carrying the very same gimmick that made him somewhat famous in the first place. But as you can tell by the photo above, any wrestling event featuring a Gangrel match in 2018 probably won't sell many tickets. It looks like the match is taking place on a basketball court with the audience seated in the few available chairs around the action.

To make matters worse, it looks like they are executing one awful spot with the recycling can. But to Gangrel's credit, he is clearly still fully embracing his character even when performing at low end venues in front of only dozens of fans. Unlike some of his past WWE peers, Gangrel probably won't be able to join them in early retirement as he may have to continue accepting such booking for the remainder of his career - especially since he doesn't seem to have any ties with the WWE. Let's hope he's still enjoying his time in the ring.

9 Tatanka

Tatanka's career got off to a great start as he embarked on an undefeated streak for a lengthy time. But once the streak was over, he was never able to truly capture fan interest again. He continued working for the WWE for many years prior to his departure from the company. Tatanka was one of the few Superstars to leave the WWE in the mid 90s and not join its rival in WCW. He would instead have a run on the independent circuit, where he remained for a decade prior to his surprising return in 2005.

Not many thought that Tatanka would get a second stint in the company since his first one wasn't particularly memorable. But at least he did get to enjoy those sweet WWE paychecks for two more years before his eventual release. Since then, Tatanka hasn't hung up the boots just yet as he is still accepting bookings as of today.

Based on the photo above, he is more than willing to take anything that comes his way at this point.

We can't imagine the interest in Tatanka being too high these demands, as evident by the dozens of people present in the crowd and catching a nap.

8 The Sandman

The Sandman's last major paycheck came a decade ago when he worked for the WWE under its ECW brand. As one of the originals, he was brought back to establish credibility for the hardcore ECW that fans had loved. And while his run was far from memorable, it was still good to see The Sandman up to his old tricks - even if he wasn't quite his younger self. In 2018, The Sandman is still making a living thanks to the character that made him famous in the wrestling world two decades ago. But he is looking considerably weaker than we are used, and somewhat frail overall.

He truly represented the hardcore style of ECW with his appearance, but he isn't quite as believable these days. But considering that he has never been employed by a major company for too long, as well as his health problems, it's easy to see why The Sandman continues to be active on the independent circuit. The photo above proves that father time is undefeated as even The Sandman has lost the battle. With every recent photo of his, he seems to look older than we last saw him.

7 Jerry Lawler

At 68 years old, it is always surprising to learn that Jerry Lawler still accepts bookings from independent promotions. And when you remember the fact he has ongoing health problems that have set him back, it is impressive that Lawler is still willing to get into the ring. Even when he was working as a full-time color commentator for the WWE, Lawler never quit competing on the independent circuit - as he had a deal with the company that allowed him to wrestle elsewhere.

And from time to time, he was even involved in some WWE storylines. These days, Lawler is getting booked by what is clearly an amateur promotion, as the ring happens to be in the middle of a parking lot. There are not that many fans in the crowd as you can tell, and those who happen to be there don't look very invested in the action either. While it's good to see that Lawler chooses to get into the ring every now and then, it is still sad to see him compete outdoors in front of 20 people. Probably not what he had in mind back when he was behaving like a true king in his younger days.

6 Buff Bagwell

Buff was once the stuff. Nowadays, he is a gigolo who wrestles every now and then. The past few years have really altered his appearance, especially as he lost his bulky physique. Bagwell had retained the very same look for over a decade, but only recent started to look his age. As for his wrestling career, it hasn't been very spectacular since he angered Vince McMahon enough to fire him and then blacklist him from the WWE. Unlike the majority of former WCW stars, the demand wasn't very high for Bagwell as far as other promotions - as he struggled to make a living as a professional wrestler.

Perhaps that would explain his new career - which he claims to be paying off thus far.

If you happen to catch Bagwell at a wrestling show today, you can expect to see him like the venue seen above - which looks like a giant bathroom to say the least.

And with what looks like toilet paper dropping down on Bagwell, that only proves that Bagwell may be holding events in bathrooms these days. Regardless of how you may feel about Bagwell as a wrestler, it's always sad to see former Superstars struggle to make a living.

5 Rikishi

The photo above is easy to interpret if you happen to be even slightly familiar with Rikishi, As he has been for the past 20 years, Rikishi has been living off the beloved Too Cool gimmick and dance - although he always finds substitutes for his old partners Scotty 2 Hotty and Brian Christopher. These days, Rikishi is still showing off the moves whenever he appears for independent promotions. But you can just how silly it looks with the men wearing pajamas doing the work of his former tag partners. With the small crowd appearing to fall asleep, it's sad to see Rikishi performing in a small venue.

Not only does he have a successful wrestling school, but he also happens to be the father of The Usos. And given his lengthy wrestling career, you would think that Rikishi is doing well enough to not need bookings from every promotion out there. And for whatever it's worth, the dance has never been as well received or smooth since Rikishi last performed it with Too Cool. None of the substitutes have been able to fill their shoes, especially since the fans don't care much about random dudes being thrown together with Rikishi.

4 D'Lo Brown

D'Lo Brown is always brought up as a name who should have done better in the WWE due to his talent. And while he certainly had a respectable career, he probably also agrees with the notion that he could have reached greater heights. It's been a decade since D'Lo Brown was last an active Superstar on the WWE roster - a brief run that only lasted a few months before he was let go. Since then, D'Lo Brown has competed for various top promotions including TNA. He has also taken on a new experience by turning into a trainer for aspiring professional wrestlers.

In recent years, he hasn't been as active as previously with his appearances getting more sporadic throughout the year. Plenty of fans may not consider his current look as he has visibly aged since he last appeared on WWE television. Sadly, he is another former WWE Superstar who can only get booked by smaller promotions these days. His longevity had been impressive for some time, but the past few years have had their toll on D'Lo Brown overall with his physique also taking a turn for the worse.

Based on D'Lo's past experience as a trainer, perhaps he can eventually land back in WWE in a similar role.

3 Hardcore Holly

The extremely low ceiling should tell you just exactly how small the venue above must be. Wrestlers probably can't even perform high flying moves since they may not have enough space to be comfortable. But for a veteran like Hardcore Holly, who has been gone from the WWE for a decade, he is probably not going to reject many opportunities that come his way. And while he may have lost the hair and added some outdated tattoo designs from the 90s, Hardcore Holly has kept in top shape. His style of wrestling isn't exactly risky so he probably doesn't mind mixing it up in the ring - as long as Brock Lesnar isn't involved.

As someone who was employed by the WWE for over a decade, Holly has performed in front of some large crowds during his career so it must be quite the change for him to compete in a practically empty venue.

But at least he seems to be enjoying himself, especially since he takes his profession seriously enough to remain in such shape. There are current members of the WWE roster who would probably envy Holly's physique, but probably not so much when it comes to the tattoos.

2 Brutus Beefcake

Brutus Beefcake hasn't been seen on WWE television since his departure from the mid 1990s with his last full-time appearances coming in 1999 during his stint in WCW. Since then, he has had to rely on various booking from independent promotions as he hasn't caught the attention of bigger promotions. And it seems like even the WWE has no interest in doing any business with him, as he hasn't been brought since his last appearance - not even for a brief cameo or a battle royal. With his WWE relationship being as sour as it is, and after falling apart with his longtime friend Hulk Hogan, Brutus Beefcake had no choice but to continue wrestling to make ends meet.

And while he looks like a shell of himself these days, he is still carrying around those scissors to truly live the gimmick. If you happen to be interested in watching Brutus wrestle in 2018, then you would have to look deep to find him feature on lower-tier promotions. A WWE Hall of Fame induction could certainly help him book venues larger than his living room, but there haven't been any rumors regarding interest on WWE's part.

To make matters worse, Beefcake really busted up his knee recently and has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for his surgery, scheduled for June 12th.

1 Jake Roberts

For so many years, Jake Roberts looked very unhealthy with his appearance deteriorating faster than fans had anticipated. Thanks to the help of DDP, Roberts has been able to get back on his feet once again, which allowed him to return to the WWE and later on compete on the independent circuit. And while it was great to see Roberts the healthiest he had been in years, he still looked very different than what most fans remember. And while he is certainly one of the greatest from his generation, the photo above shows that father time waits for no man.

Not only is Roberts looking his age, but he is also having to perform in front of a crowd that can't be more than 50 people. He had been one of the most beloved Superstars in the WWE for numerous years, but he hasn't preserved his legacy as well as some of his legendary peers. At 62 years old, he shouldn't have to perform for low tier promotions - especially when you consider his health issues in the past. But at least fans can still get to see Roberts even if he may be far removed from his prime days.