Many aspiring WWE superstars know that a career in the wrestling business isn't one that is destined to last. Only a handful of superstars over the past few decades have managed to make a lengthy career out of their skills in the squared circle, while others have been forced out of the business and into a regular 9-5 job.

There are countless former WWE superstars who have been able to leave the spotlight and pick up regular jobs. There are also a number of former WWE stars who have been struggling to put their career's inside the squared circle behind them, whether that's because of the injuries that they sustained while they were a part of the business in a very different era or because they are finding it hard to adapt to life outside of the ring.

The following list looks at just 15 former WWE superstars who have been able to put their career in the spotlight behind them and move on to much more interesting jobs, as well as 10 stars who were unable to move forward and are now struggling to make ends meet outside of the business that they worked most of their life to be a part of.

25 Interesting: Kaitlyn (Smoothie Shop Owner)

Kaitlyn won the first ever all-female season of NXT back in 2013 and was one of the most unique WWE Divas in the company at that time. Kaitlyn is a former Divas Champion but her issues with Stephanie McMahon and her desire to have a career outside of the business led to her requesting her release from the company back in 2014.

Since her release, Kaitlyn has married and started her own clothing company called Celestial Bodies.

The former Diva has also stepped back into her career as a bodybuilder and is currently looking much better than she ever did when she was in WWE. It was reported last year that Kaitlyn and her husband PJ Braun had decided to go their separate ways and after filing for divorce there were a number of issues with Kaitlyn's clothing company. Ever since she got out from the shadow of her husband, the former Champion has been able to return to the ring at a number of Independent events after more than four years on the sidelines, even though her issues with Stephanie have prevented her from returning to WWE. It is most recently reported that she currently owns her own smoothie shop in Boca Raton, Florida.

24 Interesting: Ivory (Animal Daycare Owner)

Ivory joined the elite of the wrestling business when she was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month and while she made a lot of her induction speech about the fact that she had never been married, she didn't add the fact that she has become quite self-sufficient over the past few years and even started up her own company, which looks after dogs when their owners go on holiday or need a break.

She was best known as a member of Right To Censor in her wrestling days and the determination to adapt to that role is definitely something that has boosted her in her own personal life over the past few years. Ivory opened Downtown Dog back in 2007 and the company has continued to thrive over the past decade with it most recently adding both a veterinary and a doggy travel service that now takes pets on their own outings as well. The former Women's Champion has always had a love of animals since it's reported that she used to bring her cats on the road with her when she was wrestling and even took the time to train so that she learned to groom the animals before she opened her daycare centre so that she could help to look after them as well.

23 Struggling: Dynamite Kid

Dynamite Kid was one of the stars of the WWE throughout the 1980s and 90s and someone that inspired many of the current stars in the company today to pursue a career in the business, but despite this it seems that he's another star that joins the list because he has been unable to adapt to life outside the ring thanks to the injuries that he received when he was part of WWE at the highest level.

Dynamite Kid's injuries forced him onto the sidelines in the early 1990s and these same issues have now progressed to the point where he is in a wheelchair. It has been reported that unlike many stars that have suffered chronic injuries, WWE hasn't tried to help the former star at all when it comes to his current financial predicament. His wife revealed this publically a few years ago and even claimed that he was in a position now that much like many other former stars, he could no longer pay his medical bills which meant that he could no longer afford the proper care, since he is now reliant on nurses and support workers to help him in his day to day life.

22 Interesting: Ted DiBiase (Minister)

The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase has stopped living the gimmick and moved on to a fairly normal job ever since he announced his retirement from the wrestling business. DiBiase was once one of the most charismatic characters in the company throughout the 1980s and would often boast about the money that he had and how much he could throw around in order to get his way, but this lifestyle has now come to an end and he's proven that he may not be the Million Dollar Man in real life, but he does have a solid gold heart.

He is now reported to be working as a Christian Minister where he works hard to help people who have been struggling with personal demons or any other issues in their life.

DiBiase was always great on the mic so it's understandable that he has found a calling that allows him to talk to strangers on a daily basis as part of conferences and camps. Much like Shawn Michaels, it seems that DiBiase found his true calling and decided to make a change in his life, a change that now allows him to help others by steering them away from the dark path that he took in his earlier career.

21 Interesting: Spike Dudley (Financial Planner)

The Dudley Boyz were recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and many of the WWE Universe were wondering where Spike Dudley was. The smallest Dudley Boy was the one that always took the most abuse but was still seen as one of the hardest little men in the company at that time.

Dudley is a former Hardcore Champion, but after the company started to go through a number of changes back in 2005, they decided to release Dudley and a number of others. Like many superstars who have only known wrestling as a career, Dudley worked the Independent Circuit for a number of years before he decided to look for a change of career, something that his wife had a hand in. Spike has completely changed his life around and is now working as a financial planner for MassMutual, which is a company that helps people plan out their future when it comes to retirement and pensions. It appears that there are a number of stars who have left the business and managed to find jobs where they are helping other people and Spike is another one of them, but we all still wish he had made an appearance in New Orleans.

20 Struggling: Sabu

Sabu has been part of the wrestling business for decades now but it seems that the former ECW star has been struggling for relevance over the past few years. Sabu was once seen as The Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal, Death Defying Manic which could be why he has so many injuries that are now starting to take their toll.

He has been putting his body on the line for so long now that like many other stars, he has developed a dependence on the business. His issues are one of the reasons why the former extreme wrestler has been forced to beg the WWE Universe for money in the past because he needed an operation that he couldn't pay for. Wrestling is still one of the biggest things in Sabu's life despite the fact that he's 53 years old, which is the same age as WWE legend The Undertaker. Sabu was able to have the operation he desperately needed a few years ago and still continues to wrestle on the Independent Circuit, but even the star himself will be aware that he has an expiration date and needs to come up with a plan B in the future, because his body won't be able to continue this lifestyle for much longer.

19 Interesting: Alundra Blayze (Animal Care/Monster Truck Driver)

Alundra Blayze was known as Madusa throughout her wrestling career, but even though she was undeniably ahead of her time when it came to her ability in the ring, Blayze's most memorable moment was when her contract came to an end, WWE forgot to renew it so she went over to WCW and dropped the Women's Championship in the bin.

That was a turning point for the Women's Division at that time and a reputation that Blayze was unable to escape for a number of years. The former Champion was inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years ago and was finally able to take the title out of the bin in quite an interesting moment on WWE programming. Ever since she stepped out of the spotlight Blayze has worked as a full-time monster truck driver and then moved on to a career surrounding the care of animals. It was reported that Alundra opened her own grooming and spa business for animals and a doggy bakery was recently added to the property as well. Like many stars who were part of the company in this era, Blayze struggled to find her calling after her wrestling career came to an end but it seems that she's finally found her place as an animal career.

18 Interesting: Vickie Guerrero (Medical Administrator)

Vickie Guerrero was brought into the wrestling business for the first time as part of the storyline between her husband Eddie and his friend Rey Mysterio when they were fighting over the custody of Dominic. Following his sudden death back in 2005, Vickie was once again brought back to WWE screens, but this time she was able to create her own character and become one of the biggest heels in the company.

Vickie was once the Raw General Manager, but she decided to take a step away from the business back in 2014 when she met a new man and wanted to start a new life.

Vickie has since moved on and studied hard to receive her diploma in Medical Administration before she remarried and now works for a medical insurance company. She recently returned to the ring as part of the Women's Royal Rumble back in January, but it seems that the former star has no interest in returning for any more than one-off appearances since she now has a new life with her new man and her daughter Shaul has also left the business in recent years as well, after being seen as one of the female wrestlers with the most potential in NXT a few years ago.

17 Struggling: Sunny

Sunny is still considered to be the original WWE Diva and even though she's a WWE Hall of Famer, in recent years some of the choices that Sunny has made have not reflected well on WWE or her place amongst the elite of the wrestling business.

Sunny has struggled to move on from her career in the spotlight and this has left her in a position where she was offering private Skype sessions to the WWE Universe as a way to ensure she made some kind of income. She has also dipped her toe into the "entertainment "pool and a few years ago when she reached her lowest point, and even attempted to auction off her Hall of Fame ring on eBay. Sunny has had a number of run-ins with the law over the past few years and has been battling with her sobriety as well, something that WWE has stepped in and attempted to help her with once again. It's interesting to note that the company has helped Sunny a number of times when it comes to her personal problems but they have been unable to help many other names that make up this list and arguably are in much worse financial states than the former WWE Diva.

16 Interesting: Scotty 2 Hotty (Trainer At The Performance Centre)

Scotty 2 Hotty doing the worm is one of the things that many members of the WWE Universe remember best about the business growing up, but even the man who many thought would never grow up has been able to leave the business behind and move onto a regular job.

Scotty 2 Hotty performed for WWE for more than a decade before he was released and he then thought that he could make it on the Independent Circuit. It seems that he then had a change of heart since he quit the business and decided to look at new career opportunities. Scotty joined The Lake Tech Fire Academy in Florida and trained as a medical technician, something that he managed to graduate in back in 2013. The former star wasn't happy with just being qualified as a medical technician either since it's reported that he has since trained to be a realtor and worked for a while in Florida. It was then reported last year that Scotty 2 Hotty had been hired as a trainer that the Performance Centre, something that came as a shock to many fans since he had been away from the business for a number of years.

15 Interesting: Ted DiBiase Jr (Author)

Both Ted DiBiase Sr and Jr have made the list since both members of the famous wrestling family have been able to move on to interesting jobs since they left the wrestling business. Ted was very much in his father's shadow throughout his stay in WWE and only really shined as part of Legacy before he opted against renewing his WWE contract back in 2013 and moved onto a career on the Independent Circuit.

DiBiase stated that his reasons for leaving the business were because he wanted to spend more time with his family.

That is why he took up an executive position with CollegeGarageSale.com a company which is a college textbook e-commerce website. This job seemingly allows DiBiase to spend more time at home with his wife and their son, something that he was unable to do while he was on the road with WWE for more than 300 days a year. Both Ted and his father have been away from the wrestling business for a number of years now and it seems that they have both been able to make a life for themselves without relying on the business that was once a huge part of their everyday existence.

14 Struggling: Tony Atlas

Tony Atlas will be best remembered as Simba Samba on WWE TV, a character that Vince McMahon created and one that many fans reacted to negatively, even though it is reported that McMahon saved Atlas from homelessness when he gave him the job offer and the star was only too happy to portray whatever character the boss created for him.

Atlas' problems returned after he left WWE and it was reported a few years ago that he was once again struggling with homelessness and was then saved again by Legends House. The show is no longer on the WWE Network which means that Atlas could be in the same position again since he has managed to fall from grace so many times over the past few decades. There were even recent reports of Atlas begging fans for money at the conventions that the attended, which means that it's more than likely that WWE has stepped back after his stint on Legends House and Atlas has now left to his own devices, which could see him on the streets once again. It is thought that WWE would step in and help the Hall of Famer is this was to happen again.

13 Interesting: AJ Lee (New York Times Best Selling Author)

AJ Lee was only part of the WWE for five years, but in the time that she was there, she managed to change the face of the Women's Division and the way that the women were represented. AJ was never considered to be a Diva, she was someone who worked main events and storylines with some of the biggest stars in the company and then made history as the longest reigning Divas Champion before her record was overtaken by Nikki Bella.

The interesting part of AJ's entire career is the fact that she was able to overcome all of the odds and her own mental illness in order to make it in WWE and she finally decided to share her story last year when she released "Crazy Is My Superpower." Her autobiography has become a New York Times Best Seller over the past year and she recently released her the book in paperback earlier this month. Lee married CM Punk back in 2014 and the couple have both supported each other in recent years as Punk pursued a career in UFC and Lee began speaking out about mental illness and helping other people who have been affected by the same problems as her.

12 Struggling: Virgil

Virgil is someone who will be best remembered as The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase's sidekick on WWE TV, but while his former friend has moved on to a career outside of the company, Virgil has been trying everything he can to pull himself back into the spotlight and still earn money from fans who now have no idea who he was.

Virgil's sad story has been turned into a joke on Social Media with "Lonely Virgil" being a common thing when WWE fans see the star at comic conventions all on his own. There were actually stories that Virgil would call conventions and book himself and DiBiase to be there and then turn up alone. There were also stories that the former star had been selling signed images of DiBiase without his consent and he was then forced to step in and stop this when he felt that it had gone too far. Virgil is someone who is happy to still be able to gain any amount of income from his career on WWE TV and doesn't seem concerned about the reputation that he is gaining because of this and the fans that he has lost in recent years because he has conned so many out of their money.

11 Interesting: Shawn Stasiak (Chiropractor)

Shawn Stasiak became known as "Meat" when he was working for WWE and even though he wasn't one of the biggest stars in the company, he is best remembered for the role he played in the marital breakdown of Terri Runnels and Goldust. Stasiak was never destined to become a huge star in the company so it wasn't that much of a surprise that he released back in 2002.

Stasiak like many other stars of that era then moved into a career on the Independent Circuit, while also training to be a Chiropractor.

In 2007 he received the certification of manipulation under anesthesia from the Academy of Physical and Manual Medicine and now works in Texas as a chiropractor. Stasiak is definitely a star that many fans would consider to be forgettable when thinking about some of the bigger stars in the company at that time, the former star definitely made the wise option to change his career and is now well-educated chiropractor earning a solid income and knowing that he can never be released from his current job and left in the position he was in back in 2002, which shows that he has turned his life around in record time.

10 Struggling: X-Pac

X-Pac's history before he joined the wrestling business has been well documented over the past few years and the former DX member's struggles have continued throughout his life, with the former star attempting to commit suicide while he was working in Mexico a few years ago. X-Pac, whose real name is Sean Waltman has been accepted back to WWE a number of times alongside his former teammates in the years since he was released and last appeared for the company as part of Raw 25 back in January where many fans commented on the fact that he was looking worse for wear.

Since then Waltman has been working on the Independent Circuit as a way to gain some sort of stable income while also continuing to struggle with his various personal issues. The former WWE star has been very outspoken about his problems in recent years but still continues to work in a pressured environment because the wrestling business is the only one that he knows and one he has been part of for most of his life. His personal struggles have hit him hard over the past few years and definitely made a dent in his future plans financially, which could be why he is still wrestling on a regular basis at the age of 45.

9 Interesting: Cherry (Seaworld)

Cherry was only part of WWE for around a year as the valet of Deuce and Domino. She is the only WWE Diva to ever make her way to the ring wearing skates, but after she was left by Deuce and Domino and failed to make an impact in the ring on her own. WWE decided to part ways with the star in 2008 with reports suggesting that it was something to do with Cherry's weight.

Over the past decade, Cherry has returned to full-time employment and it's reported that she now works as a full-time retail assistant at Sea World in Orlando Florida. Like many women who were part of WWE in that era, Cherry has remained good friends with fellow star Natalya, who she has appeared alongside on Total Divas numerous times over the past few years. Cherry has changed dramatically in recent years, to the point where she had to be pointed out as the former star when she was seen on the Network show since she is unrecognizable. There are a number of other stars who have moved into careers with animals after they left the spotlight and Cherry is just another one who works with sea creatures on a daily basis.

8 Struggling: One Man Gang

George Gray was better-known as One Man Gang throughout his run in WWE which came to an end back in 1990 and has since made him another star who has retired from the business and found himself in financial decline. Unlike many stars who are on the struggling side of this list, Gray's problems are not ones that he has created himself.

Back in 2016 while he was living in Louisiana, Gray's home was destroyed by a flood and all of his memories were then taken along with it. Some of his most prized possessions were swept away as the water took over his property and it was later revealed that he hadn't decided to pick up flood insurance so there was no way for him to rebuild his home. Like many other stars over the past few years, he turned to his fanbase for help and set up a GoFundMe page which has seen many fans donate to his cause in recent years and allow him to move forward with his life. Hopefully, if he does rebuild his house then he will take out flood insurance this time or move far away from places that could be affected by any kind of floors in the future.

7 Interesting: Trevor Murdoch (Fibre Optics Engineer)

Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were definitely a strange fit as a tag team, but they were a team that managed to lift the Tag Team Championships on three different occasions. After the tag team split, the duo opened up a feud against each other, but they always worked much better against each other so it wasn't that much of a shock when Murdoch was released from the company back in 2008.

Murdoch attempted to craft a career on the Independent Circuit, but when this didn't work out he and his wife decided to open  T. Murdock’s Bar and Grill in downtown Eldon, a company that he sold off in December 2013. In recent years Murdoch has dropped off the radar but when WWE.com caught up with the former Champion back in 2014 he revealed that he was now installing fibre optic cables for a heavy equipment company. Murdoch and his wife have two children and once again it seems that Murdoch made the decision to leave the wrestling business and craft out a full-time career in order to support his family. Something like installing fibre optic cables is an interesting choice of career, but it allows Murdoch to avoid people and referencing his former career.

6 Struggling: Kamala

Kamala is another superstar who's rise to fame came off the back of a life that the WWE would rather forget. Kamala's father lost his life when the future wrestler was just four years old and he was then forced into a life of dark and difficult choices to make ends meet before he was introduced to the wrestling world.

The star has struggled with diabetes for most of his life but it was only officially diagnosed in 1992.

Because he didn't get the preventative treatment he needed to make the condition a livable one, which is why he was forced to have both of his legs amputated in 2011 and 2012 and the past few years in a wheelchair have been a struggle for the former star. He has recently had a bout of ill health once again where it was revealed that Kamala was selling handmade chairs in order to make ends meet and asking the WWE Universe for their help when he reached the point where he knew he was in financial turmoil. It's sad to see one of the most vibrant stars of the 1980s left in this way because of a disease that has seemingly controlled the past two decades of his life.