WWE talent are hired and released more frequently than the Big Show changes from a heel to a face and back again (and again).
While there has been a lot of talk in recent years about wrestlers from the independent circuit getting their shot in WWE and for all intents and purposes making up the majority of the roster as of 2018, there is little talk about all of the wrestlers who have been released in recent years and where they've ended up as a result.
For some, life after the WWE has served them well. From increased opportunities to a bump in pay scale and even opportunities on the big screen, being released from the WWE hasn't been the worst-case scenario for many of the individuals on this list. For others, however, their release from WWE has been more an indicator of the end of the line.
For the purposes of this article, we'll be taking a look back at individuals released from WWE between 2016 and the 2018; taking a look at what they've done since leaving WWE and a brief look back at what they did during their time with the company, whether it was on the main roster or otherwise.
25 Emma
Former WWE women's competitor Emma was subject to multiple gimmick changes in her time with the company. Working as both a face and a heel throughout her tenure on the main roster, she found herself swapping between an eccentric face to a heel with a bad attitude as well as her time off WWE television with promos hyping a new "Emmalina" gimmick for weeks that would ultimately result in the gimmick being scrapped upon her actual debut in the role.
Emma was arguably never given a fair shot on WWE television and her release was one that came as a big surprise to many given how she was just starting to find her stride on Monday Night Raw.
According to reports, Emma burned too many bridges within the locker room and on the writing staff and that played a big role in her limited role in the company and eventual release. Since rejoining the independent circuit, the 29-year-old Australian wrestler has signed a contract with Ring of Honor under her birth name Tenille Dashwood.
Immediately making an impact, Dashwood would compete in a 16-participant tournament designed to crown the first ROH Women of Honor Champion. Though Dashwood wouldn't win the tournament, she did make it to the semi-finals before being eliminated by Sumie Sakai who would ultimately go on to win the entire tournament.
24 Austin Aries
Sometimes, the pastures aren't greener on the other side. This was especially true for Aries who joined the WWE in early 2016.
After spending the first 16 years of his career on the independents, most notably with TNA and Ring of Honor, Aries was looking to finally break out on a major scale by signing with the WWE. His skills on the microphone, ability in the ring and general popularity with a worldwide audience made him the ideal fit for WWE'd product. Despite this, things went sour when he was used exclusively as a cruiserweight on 205 Live and in the occasional segment on Monday Night Raw.
The former two-time Ring of Honor and TNA/Impact Heavyweight Champion ultimately left the WWE and made his return to the independents where he has captured the DEFY Wrestling Championship and WSW Heavyweight Championship.
Ares also re-joined Impact Wrestling as well as Ring of Honor in 2018 with a new "Belt Collector" gimmick. His return to his old stomping grounds has proved fruitful for the 40-year-old Aries as well as he's already re-captured the Impact Grand Championship and the Impact World Championship.
He may not have made his time in the WWE work, but Aries has proven to still be a world-class talent while working in somewhat familiar territories on the independents.
23 Darren Young
Darren Young never really got "over" as a member of the WWE roster following his stint with the Nexus. A career that saw him return to NXT, re-debut on the main roster as a member of the Prime Time Player with Titus O'Neil and eventually being paired with wrestling legend Bob Backlund with the "Make Darren Young Great Again" gimmick that never got quite the reaction that WWE was hoping for at the time.
His release wasn't all too surprising when it came in October 2017 as a result of his limited role on television following an injury he suffered in January of that same year. While Young may not have been the most notable figure on WWE television during his time with the company, his work within the LGBTQ community as the first openly gay performer on a WWE roster was something that he's taken great pride in.
He's maintained that voice outside of WWE and though he is scheduled to take part in 2018's Chikara: King of Trios tournament with former-Nexus teammates Michael Tarver and Justin Gabriel, Young has mentioned that his true calling is outside of the ring and in the LGBTQ community - a community that he intends to remain a role model, advocate and educator for.
22 James Ellsworth
Any man with two hands has a fighting chance. Those were the words James Ellsworth muttered as he prepared to take on Braun Strowman in what would be a squash match. From an enhancement talent to a regular on SmackDown Live! for 2016 until 2017, Ellsworth proved that anybody can accomplish their goals if the timing is right.
After being released from WWE in late 2017, Ellsworth returned to the world of independent wrestling where he has competed for Destiny World Wrestling, Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, BAR Wrestling and other promotions. His increased popularity following his run in the WWE that saw him featured heavily in both the WWE Championship storyline with AJ Style and Dean Ambrose as well as the SmackDown Women's Championship storyline as Carmella's accomplice.
While Ellsworth has been involved in matches and storylines with WWE UK Champion Pete Dunn, Impact World Champion Austin Aries and even Nick Aldis in an NWA World Heavyweight Championship match since being released from WWE, the most notable thing he's done in his time back in the indies has been his creation of the World Intergender Championship - a title that he himself holds and that he defended against Joey Ryan in Feb. 2018.
21 Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger's career in WWE was a roller coaster. There were moments of triumph, such as his time as the World Heavyweight Champion following his 2010 Money in the Bank victory, his time as ECW Champion and the WWE United States Champion. There were also moments where WWE simply couldn't make the best of the 36-year-old who is billed as 6 foot 7 and 275 pounds. Due to this and contract disagreements, Swagger, (whose real name is Jake Hager), would request his release from the company in March 2017. While WWE initially publically denied that they would be releasing him, he was let go just a few weeks later.
Swagger would continue his wrestling career on the independent circuit later that year in various promotions such as House of Hardcore, 5 Star Wrestling and has reportedly made his debut in Lucha Underground. Most notably since leaving the WWE, however, Swagger has signed to fight in Bellator MMA's heavyweight division. While he isn't the first former WWE wrestler to try his hand in the world of MMA, he is certainly the most recent. His goal is to get into a Bellator fight in 2018, so that's something that wrestling fans should be keeping an eye on moving forward.
20 El Torito
For three years, El Torito was seen on WWE television as the third member/mascot for Los Matadores. Though he was often portrayed as a comic-relief character by the announcer's desk, Torito actually put on some impressive showcases of talent when given the opportunity with his most notable exposure coming in a WeeLC match against Hornswoggle in 2014.
He was eventually released in May 2016 after failing to appear on television at all in 2016 due to his split from Los Matadores in 2015. Fortunately, Torito has an extensive history of wrestling in Mexico and on the independent circuit. Spending the first 13 years of his career in AAA (under the names Mascarita Sagrada), CMLL (where he debuted the name Mascarita Dorada), El Hijo del Santo (under the name Mascarita Plateada) and PWG, Sagrada had a soft landing in the indies as his prior time there made the transition nice and easy.
Since leaving WWE, he is currently finding work with various different wrestling promotions under his old ring-name Mascarita Dorada, which translates literally from Spanish to Little Golden Mask in English. The 4-foot-5 wrestler clearly has the ability to work in a ring despite his size and it's kept him active for nearly two decades within the industry.
19 Adam Rose
Life can't always be about fun and games. Don't tell that to Raymond John Leppan, better known as former-WWE superstar Adam Rose, though. The 38-year-old spent the first 15 years of his wrestling career working on the South African independent circuit before making the jump to WWE's developmental territory of FCW in 2010. In 2012, Rose, then going by the ring-name Leo Kruger, would transition to NXT before taking on the Rose ring name in 2014. He would remain on the main roster until 2016, though it wasn't without conflict as he was suspended for 60 days for his second offense of the company's Wellness Policy in 2016 (though Rose did explain what he was flagged for and why it occurred).
Things would only get worse for Rose from there as he would be charged with domestic violence and tampering with the witness on May 11, 2016. Rose would then request his release from the company and it was granted two weeks later on May 23, 2016. Less than one month later, the charges were dropped due to him proving that he was seeking professional help for the issues in his marriage.
Since leaving, Rose returned to the independent circuit under the name Aldo Rose, though he's also used the name Krugar and Adam Rose since. In his post-WWE career, Rose won the Championship International Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, the Atomic Wrestling Entertainment Heavyweight Championship and the BWCW Heavyweight Championship. Though he announced that 2017 would be his last year in the wrestling industry, Rose competed on Feb. 16, 2018 at AWEW Chapter 2: The Rebellion in a match against Chasyn Rance as well as a match on Feb. 18, 2018 in a match against Bryan Idol at FTW Brews and Bruises.
18 Rich Swann
Rich Swann was a fan-favorite during his time in WWE. His charismatic role on 205 Live was something to enjoy any time his catchy theme song hit an arena and his work in the ring was just as easy to appreciate each and every night. Unfortunately, not every story has a happy ending and Swann was released from WWE in a mutual parting of ways in February 2018.
Swann and WWE splitting wasn't hard to predict as Swann has recently been arrested and charged with kidnapping and battery by his girlfriend. The charges were ultimately dropped to insufficient evidence. Swann would marry his girlfriend (and fellow wrestler Su Yung) just one month after his release from the company.
Since leaving WWE, Swann has returned to the independent circuit and has competed in The Crash Lucha Libre, House of Hardcore and Southside Wrestling Entertainment. Swann would later announce his retirement from professional wrestling before making a surprise return on April 14 to CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling), a promotion he spent time with from 2009 until 2013.
It's possible Swann could find himself returning to wrestling for more than just a one-off storyline, but only time will tell. For now, all anybody can do is watch him perform on the indies and continue to do what he loves best.
17 Sage Beckett
MaryKate Duignan Glidewell, better known in WWE/NXT as Sage Beckett and as Rosie Lottalove in TNA Wrestling, has had a wild career in the business of professional wrestling. Wrestling on the independent circuit from 2007 until 2010 (having been trained at the Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling and Sports Entertainment, Beckett would go on to work in TNA in 2010 (under the name Miss Betsy and later Rosie Lottalove) and again in 2015 in a one-off match on Feb. 14, 2015 in a loss to Awesome Kong.
She would eventually go work in Japan from 2011 until June 2012 before announcing her retirement from professional wrestling due to injuries. Just two years later, however, she was able to return to the industry on the independent circuit having lost 127 pounds. That would open the door for her to make her way to NXT and eventually compete in the Mae Young Classic in July 2017 before being released from the company on March 8, 2018.
Beckett hasn't done anything in the world of professional wrestling following her release from WWE, stating that it was time to use her brain after giving her body for 13 years in the pro wrestling world. She's since been auditioning for musicals and will be in an upcoming showing of Jason and the Argonauts in Orlando in late May 2018.
16 Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy Jacobs may not have been the most well-known individual during his two-year stint with WWE from an in-ring perspective, but his role as a creative writer was something that was better appreciated behind the scenes anyway. One of the most notable things Jacobs did in his time with WWE actually came in the form of Chris Jericho's List. Proposing the idea to Jericho, The List became one of the most "over" gimmicks in all of wrestling at the time and still has a place in WWE whenever Jericho returns for some screen time.
Unfortunately, Jacobs would be fired from WWE in 2017 following an image Jacobs posted to his Instagram account featuring himself and the Bullet Club during their "invasion" of Raw. It didn't take Jacobs like to find work, however, as he quickly showed up at a Ring of Honor show and took another picture with the Bullet Club just days after his release from WWE.
Jacobs has since made a return to the independents, most notably spending time with Impact Wrestling as the on-screen manager for Kongo Kong. He has also had a few matches since returning to the indies, specifically in CZW and in AAW. While some may take their firing from the biggest wrestling promotion in the world to be negative, Jacobs has made the best of the situation and is even making more money now than he did while working in WWE.
15 Eva Marie
All red everything was a fitting gimmick for Eva Marie as she was the recipient of major heat from the WWE Universe throughout her tenure with the company. While she had the look, her shortcomings in the ring were far too glaring to overlook and fans made that very clear time and time again. Following her release from the company in August 2017, a tenure that would see her feature more prominently in the company's Total Divas series than in a wrestling ring, Marie would make the transition from wrestling to acting, fitness modeling and fashion design.
Fortunately for Marie (whose real name is Natalie Marie Nelson), her opportunities in the acting world would be helped thanks to another former WWE superstar; one who goes by the name of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. According to Marie, The Rock has been a huge help for her in this transition. She immediately found an opportunity as well as she was cast in one of the starring roles in the 2017 thriller film "Inconceivable" alongside Nicolas Cage, Faye Dunaway and Gina Gershon. The film was released on June 30, 2017 and though it had a $12.8 million budget, the movie only earned a disappointing $218,179 in the box office.
14 Santino Marella
Santino Marella's name on this list may come as a surprise, but the Canadian-born, Italian superstar was actually only officially released from the WWE in 2016 following his retirement from WWE in 2015. He would be held off television for all of 2016 which also played a role in his eventual release from the company. His time in WWE wasn't for not, however, following an 11-year run with the company that started in OVW and concluded with him having been a multiple time intercontinental champion, United States Champion and WWE Tag Team Champion.
Since leaving WWE, Marella made his return to the ring for one last match on August 27, 2017, in a tag-team alongside Chavo Guerrero Jr. He then officially announced his retirement from in-ring competition following the match. His involvement in professional wrestling wouldn't end there, however, as he remains employed by Sportsnet as an analyst on their "Aftermath" panel. He was also seen in the audience in November 2017 for Impact Wrestling's Bound for Glory even which was a precursor to him hosting a weekly Impact Twitch Show in 2018. Marella (whose real name is Anthony Carelli, has also publicly praised Impact Wrestling and the evolution it's currently undergoing despite all of the controversies and change the company has experienced in recent years.
13 Wade Barrett
During his time in WWE, Wade Barrett (whose real name is Stu Bennett) was the recipient of very blatant 50/50 booking by the company. Incredibly enough, the inconsistent booking wasn't due to WWE's inability to properly use the British superstar, but rather, the fault was on Bennett's body for not allowing him to stay healthy whenever the company planned on giving him a push. It wasn't just a one-time occurrence either and eventually, the company and Bennett elected to part ways and move on with their respective endeavors.
Since leaving the WWE, the former five-time intercontinental champion and 2015 King of the Ring winner has been a part of Defiant Wrestling (formerly WCPW) in the role of on-screen general manager and as an announcer. He recently relinquished his role as the general manager, however, giving the title to Jay Melrose (also known as Primate) who recently retired.
Bennett may go down as one of the most curious WWE superstars to have never won a world championship with the company given his ability on the microphone, look, in-ring work and general character work. His ability to adapt his character and play a legitimate heel role was admirable and it's just a shame his body couldn't hold up throughout the strenuous WWE schedule.
12 Summer Rae
Sometimes, the role that Vince McMahon and the WWE envisions for an individual isn't quite the role they envision for themselves. This may have been the case with Summer Rae in WWE as the company used her primarily in a managerial role throughout most of her tenure on the main roster. From roles as a dancing partner to an on-screen love interest for Dolph Ziggler and Rusev and eventually Tyler Breeze's manager, Rae's role in WWE very rarely had anything to do with in-ring work.
According to reports, WWE's plans were to keep Rae in a managerial role on-screen rather than an in-ring competitor role. Given Rae's ability in the ring and her look, the potential for her to be a competitor within the women's division was clearly there and something that WWE missed the mark on. Fortunately for Rae, her release from the company would allow her to transition to the independent circuit where she is set to take on Ivellise (formerly Sofia Cortez in NXT) on May 25, 2018, in a Battle Championship Wrestling event. This will be her first match since August 2016.
Given her role in the 2015 WWE film The Marine 4: Moving Target, there is also the potential that Rae (whose real name is Danielle Louise Moinet) could find herself in future acting roles if that's an avenue she decides she wants to explore. For now, however, it's likely that she'll work on creating a name for herself on wrestling's independent circuit.
11 Damien Sandow
The former "Intellectual Savior of the Unwashed Masses" was released in May 2016 in what came as a surprising move after Damien Sandow had gotten so "over" with the crowd as the stunt-double to the Miz known as "Damien Mizdow." For one reason or another, WWE opted to change his gimmick and put him in a destined-to-fail "Meta Powers" gimmick that was a clear parody of the original Mega Powers.
Upon being released from WWE, Sandow would go on to join Impact Wrestling under the name Aron Rex. Though he found himself in storylines with some of the more popular members of the Impact roster at the time such as Bobby Lashley, Ethan Carter III, Drew Galloway, Eddie Edwards and Moose, Sandow would never find a way to recapture the magic that he had in WWE under the Mizdow gimmick.
While he hasn't retired from wrestling altogether, Sandow (whose real name is Aaron Steven Haddad), did announce that he was no longer a member of the Impact roster in 2017 and that he would be stepping away from wrestling for the time being to focus on a career in acting. He has since played the role of "Gorgeous Gary" in the television series The 5th Quarter.
10 Enzo Amore
It isn't often a WWE Superstar can find themselves spending time in NXT, called up to the main roster as an instant fan-favorite, pushes as the top cruiserweight in the company and be released all in a span of two years. This was the case for Enzo Amore, however, as the 31-year-old found himself on the wrong end of reports as a standout in the locker room for all the wrong reasons. Even worse than that, Amore is currently being investigated (allegations that he fully and unequivocally denies). Charges, nonetheless, that he kept hidden from the WWE which reportedly prompted his release in the first place.
Since being released from WWE, Amore (whose real name is Eric Arndt) has remained quiet amid the investigations. He recently made his first post on social media in April following a hiatus from any comments since his initial public statement was released in January.
It's highly unlikely Amore will ever set foot in a WWE ring again and the chances of him performing in a wrestling ring again seem slim without concrete proof that he's innocent of all charges brought against him. A stark contrast from the push he was being given in his time in WWE.
9 Sawyer Fulton
Sawyer Fulton simply never truly reached his potential in WWE as he was relegated to the NXT brand for five years before ultimately being released in November 2017 following a torn pectoral muscle injury that he suffered in 2016. At 28 years old, however, there is still the potential for the 6-foot-8, 315-pound wrestler to find his calling outside of the WWE with the potential to return to the company at some point down the line if he can create a name for himself on the independent circuit.
Since his release from WWE, Fulton has worked on some smaller promotions in the industry such as AWE and ASWA, holding the Heavyweight Championship in the latter and set to defend his title against "Wildcat" Chris Harris on June 2, 2018, in a lumberjack match, according to his Twitter account.
At only 28 years old, the sky is the limit for someone with Fulton's size and ability to work. Whether he ever gets that opportunity again within the WWE or if he continues to earn paychecks elsewhere is yet to be seen - for now, though, the former SAnitY member will look to get back to doing what he loves the most in a wrestling ring following a rough exit from NXT and WWE.
8 Simon Gotch
It's been seen before and it will undoubtedly be seen again. When NXT superstars make the jump to the WWE main roster, there are no guarantees that their popularity, push or gimmicks will fly within the world of SmackDown Live! or Monday Night Raw. Such was true when Simon Gotch and then-partner Aiden English would make their debuts to the main roster in their very popular Vaudevillains gimmick that got "over" so well in NXT.
According to reports, Gotch had been on the wrong end of some major heat due to a few incidents that occurred backstage between Gotch and other members of the WWE locker room. His role being diminished to that of an enhancement talent coupled with the fact that he had so much heat backstage simply didn't blend well as Gotch was ultimately released from the company in April 2017.
Following his 90-day non-compete agreement ending on July 8, 2017, Gotch would return to the independent circuit under the name Simon Grimm and would win the XWA Frontier Sports Championship just two weeks later. He would also go on to wrestle in Pro Wrestling Pride as well as at Chikara's 2017 King of Trios tournament. Grimm also found himself working in Ring of Honor later that year and as of April 24, 2018, Grimm mentioned that WWE elected to drop the trademark for the name "Simon Gotch" which will allow him to use the name on the indies.
7 Bull Dempsey
At 6 foot 2 and 230 pounds, Bull Dempsey made a lot of sense as a developmental talent for WWE to work with. His size and in-ring ability were both impressive enough to garner him some attention from WWE and earn him a spot at the performance center. Unfortunately, he would never earn a call-up to the main roster with his closest opportunity coming in the Andrew the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualification Tournament at WrestleMania Axxess 31 - an opportunity that would slip through his fingers as he lost to Tyler Breeze in the opening round. Dempsey would flounder with the company for a little while before losing in a squash match to Samoa Joe - his last appearance on NXT or WWE television.
Following his release from the company, Dempsey would return to the independent circuit under the name Bull James. After his release, he announced that he would not be continuing to use the "Bull-Fit" gimmick that he used in NXT and he went on to sell his ring gear on eBay. In the indies, James has worked in CZW and has won the NYWC Heavyweight Championship and SWF Cruiserweight title (the former of which he has held for over a year). James would also make a surprise appearance in Ring of Honor in their Honor Rumble in September 2016. He would wrestle a few other dates in 2016 with ROH, including a losing effort on Oct. 21 to then-ROH World Champion Adam Cole (Bay Bay).
6 Alex Riley
Despite having the look, microphone skills, in-ring ability and even a popular theme song to back him up, Alex Riley (whose real name is Kevin Robert Kiley Jr.) was unable to make a name for himself in WWE as he fizzled out of his role as an active competitor before settling into a role as a color commentator from 2013 until 2015. He would eventually be granted an opportunity to wrestle again from 2015 until 2016 before being released from the company.
While Riley's inability to catch on in a major role in WWE due to usage from creative, he has gone on record in saying that the reason he wasn't able to get ahead as an in-ring competitor was due to an incident that he had with John Cena. Whether or not that's true is still up in the air, but Riley has seemingly put the world of professional wrestling behind him as he's worked on making the transition to the acting world.
His first role came in the hit web series GLOW - a fitting role for him to get his feet wet so early in his acting career. He has another role in the feature film Glass Jaw which is set to come out in 2018. According to Riley, his goal is to be acting for a very long time; we'll see if that pans out or not.