Before the social media boom, whenever a wrestler was released by WWE, us fans would have to scramble to find any trace of he or she on the independent circuit or online. At worst, we were subjected to an impatient and/or curious wait for a return. Today in an era where we can learn about a storyline before it ever airs on TV and tune into wrestling podcasts for an update on the whereabouts of past talent, we can find just about anything we desire about wrestlers who have left the industry either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Our interest in keeping up with stars that have long left us still remains, so if you're generally curious, but too lazy to lookup the whereabouts of your favorite former WWE stars than look no further than this list. There have been plenty of releases since 2010 and all those who once traveled the roads routinely to entertain us are now headed down paths of their own, having changed in some form or fashion. A primary change that takes place with a star no longer wrestling or with more freedom on the indies is their physical appearance. Sometimes wrestlers lose weight, gain weight, grow a beard or get a new tattoo or two. Some will look exactly how we remember them, which is nice for nostalgic reasons. I feel researching old WWE stars creates this partial desire to know whether they've fallen off once no longer showcased on a major platform or not. It's like a guilty pleasure for fans who just love wrestling.

25 AJ Lee

AJ Lee was always a fairly young looking woman who could pass for any one of the teen girls who approaches her for an autograph. As we can see here, AJ looks exactly the same, perhaps like that hot teacher you had or saw one year or even a librarian with an unnatural obsession with the Fifty Shades of Grey series.

Since her 2015 release, AJ has been one of the few women from the PG Era fans look up to see what she's up to, something that's amplified, considering her husband is one of the most missed and controversial figures in wrestling.

At 31 years of age, we can only hope like the crazy she touts as her superpower, she maintains that every ounce of beauty we remember admiring alongside her in-ring skills.

24 Carlito

Carlito debuted on SmackDown in 2004 rocking a big, light-brown afro that became his trademark characteristic and a clean shaven face. It was a look he was associated with for a large majority of his run, with a fluctuating afro size, of course.

As of 2017, Carlito is displayed mildly different than we were used to seeing in WWE with a thick moustache and goatee.

Judging by his build we can see through his shirt, it looks like he's been hitting the gym, which is cool. If you ask me I'd say Carlito looks like he could easily be a member of the legendary tag-team The Wild Samoans with this new look of his.

23 Damien Sandow

via twitter.com

When Sandow left WWE in 2016 his presence was immediately missed, with fans online criticizing the company's decision to let him go. Since his time in WWE, Sandow signed with Impact, where he wrestled under the ring name Aron Rex for eight months. A lot has changed with Sandow, most noticeably his appearance. It seems in his time away from WWE, Sandow shaved off his beard and moustache, ridding himself of the visual of a wise scholar, which is a fresh look for a fresh start in a whole new promotion. It's funny how facial features can enhance the vibe we get from people, and now that Sandow is clean shaven, it's a bit easier to disassociate him from his days in WWE. Nowadays, he seems to be enjoying his life away from wrestling.

22 John Morrison

John Morrison looks a bit different from the last time we saw him in WWE, back in 2011. He's rocking a moustache and sideburns like before, and doesn't seem to have aged, considering Morrison's 40th birthday is right around the corner. He's as lean and toned as he's ever been, possibly even a few pounds heavier. On more than a few occasions, I've noticed Morrison's bandana being worn in the ring rather than just his entrance, but overall John seems to have had no major changes in appearance, which saves him from joining the embarrassing list of wrestlers who have fallen off once tasting stardom in WWE.

21 Ted DiBiase Jr.

Via YouTube.com

Ted DiBiase has come a long way since his days working on Raw from 2009-2010 as one-third of the stable Legacy. Breaking away from the group as a singles competitor, Ted surely looked to be having a promising career, being paired with Maryse as a manager and given the Million Dollar Championship, but as life would have it, Ted would find his biggest joy at home with his family, no longer bothered by a grueling schedule.

Looking at DiBiase, whom most WWE fans likely haven't seen since his 2013 release, I can say that he looks like, well—a million bucks.

Seriously, he doesn't seemed to have aged a bit, looks exactly how we remember him in his heyday and is in relatively great shape, which is impressive, since the need to keep up his physique isn't nearly as important as it once was, given his new career as a camp counselor.

20 Eve Torres

Eve Torres was one of the most popular women's wrestlers in the PG era, because she had it all – in-ring skill, attitude and good looks that helped keep eyes on her. Now, she's gone, but happy. As you can see here she's a loving mother and probably heard she's married to Rener Gracie, a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu instructor. As you can see Eve looks just the same as she did during her run in the PG Era, still hot with a beautiful smile. As an instructor alongside her husband working with many clients, particularly the McMahons who tend to dabble in the world of mixed marital arts, it's no surprised that she's still in such great shape considering how active she is. Whether fighting a scripted fight or fighting a real one, Eve appears to be growing finer by the day.

19 Eva Marie

Clearly we can see Eva Marie is still a gorgeous woman. The most noticeable difference here is quite clear in the fact Ms. All Red Everything has now abandoned that motto and has joined the dark side.

Eva is a full-blown brunette, which looks really good on her since it makes her stand out to us more, but blends her in with all the other brunettes in the area if you aren't paying attention to facial features.

Sometimes the smallest change in a person whether it be a haircut, new tattoo, a tan, or in Eva's case here of returning to her natural hair color, can make said person look like someone else entirely. We wonder, if Eva were to return to WWE, would her vintage red hair return with her, or would a new character emerge for the vain beauty that was Eva Marie?

18 Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Via YouTube.com

Chavo Guerrero Jr. was released in the middle of 2011, ending a relatively good run that resulted in multiple championships and classic matches on both the tag and cruiserweight levels. These days, Chavo wrestles in the indies for the ever growing promotion of Lucha Underground and at almost 50 years of age, he doesn't look like it. The Guerreros appear to have good genes, so perhaps the late Eddie Guerrero could have been fortunate to live out his passion without the visual of looking too old to hang, much like Chavo is able to. The only difference I see with Chavo is a beard grown out more full than we remember in his heyday, which is a minor change given the classic goatee and mustache combo he is known to have.

17 Ryback

Since his 2016 departure, Ryback has launched his Conversation with the Big Guy podcast and written a book in between wrestling in the indies. As you can see here, not much has changed... he's still big and still bald. However, it seems The Big Guy hasn't found satisfaction in his already massively, muscular frame. Dude puts Hulk Hogan's 24-inch pythons to shame and by the looks of his veins that look like they are about to burst, he's looking to be more rock hard than The Thing of Fantastic Four fame. Ryback certainly looks just as menacing as he was remembered in WWE, so given his devotion to making his name on the indies, it's safe to say any promotion in need of a jacked beast to be their face or heel has found their man.

16 James Ellsworth

Via Twitter.com

As you can see, James Ellsworth still has two hands that give him a fighting chance and still possesses his unique looking chin that was the brunt of many jokes in the WWE. In addition to his inspirational two hands and chin is his referee physique that shows Ellsworth is a guy closer to a man that calls a match than is in one. I guess we can count a positive change to James being the 12 pounds of gold around his waist - and not just any gold - the first-ever Intergender Championship that's all his! Defended against any man or woman on the indies, James can call himself a champion and hopefully if he ever makes it back in WWE, he'll look like a guy we can actually believe could beat AJ Styles in a match.

15 Kelly Kelly

Kelly was always a treat to have in WWE during her ECW exhibitionist days. Kelly Kelly, real name Barbie Blank, which proves her parents knew of the beauty they created, resurfaced after all these years as a guest on Raw 25 on January 22, 2018. Many were surprised and happy to see her, because that Sunday she would take part in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble in her classic attire, inciting wide smiles and fuzzy feelings from fans throughout Philadelphia.

As you can see, Kelly Kelly was looking pretty pretty with no major good or bad changes that shocked us.

Her smile as bright as the Raw lights and playful innocence that's three times more convincing than Bayley made Kelly a standout among her peers.

14 Rey Mysterio

Via WWE.com

If you haven't seen the 2018 Royal Rumble then you haven't seen Rey's return, but I'm certain you've heard about it. Mysterio made his first one-off appearance three years after his 2015 release. It's been a while since we've seen Rey and hopefully the rumors of a Mysterio signing are true, but I couldn't help notice that Rey seemed a bit smaller, about 10 pounds slimmer, which resembles his stature as The Giant Killer in WCW. It's a good look for what used to be a huskier wrestler for his size. One of the coolest changes on Rey is the expanded chest tattoo of his. As you may notice the wings on his chest are wider and filled in with various symbols I'm not gonna look hard enough to try to figure out.

13 Kharma

via twitter.com

Formerly known as Awesome Kong in TNA, Kharma left WWE in 2012 after a short time. Kharma's appeal as a wrestler was her massive frame that rivaled males and shied women away. As a woman on the heavier side, it came as a huge shock just how much weight Kharma lost, which for her health is fantastic, but leaves a lot of that imposing heel presence to the wayside having lost a significant amount of weight. Kharma clearly worked hard to get in the best shape she could and took her health and the goal seriously, which shows the dedication she had burning inside. As a mother, and now as an actress who appeared in the Netflix series GLOW, who knows if she's truly done with wrestling, but what I will say for certain is that during her time away she found some good "karma."

12 Mason Ryan

I know what you're thinking, so I'll answer your question...yes, that's Mason Ryan aka Batista 2.0 without any of the coolness. Ryan left WWE after a run that kicked off with him joining CM Punk's New Nexus stable. Ryan to many looked to be on the verge of a massive push once his time with Nexus was done, but it never happened.

Today, Ryan blossomed into that flamboyant character you see once landing a role with a Canadian entertainment company by the name of Cirque du Soleil.

His position is the chief archer of Ka... not sure what that entails, not even Google could do a good job helping, but he's in charge of artistic performances of sorts. He looks comfortable with his hair styled and painted face that looks like he got Rico's 2004 gimmick. It's interesting to see the contrast between Ryan the monster heel to the man who played him participating in the fine arts. That's what we call irony.

11 Tyler Reks

Via Bodyspartan.com

If you remember Tyler Reks, who made his in ring debut in 2009 where he'd be featured on every brand at some point or another while managing to be underwhelming on all of them, you'd miss him if you blinked, but not now checking out his new look that's strikingly similar to Braun Strowman in this profile view. Look at the dark tank top and almost the exact same haircut, only longer.

I mean, he's much bigger than the lean, cut guy we last saw with the noticeable dreadlocks, which were his standout feature.

His much larger physique can be explained by his dedication to the gym that extends beyond a hobby, as Reks is the owner of Body Spartan, a physical fitness company and has also written a book about how to get in shape, which judging by his look makes him an authority on the subject.

10 Michelle McCool

If you didn't see the first-ever Women's Rumble in Philly than you missed Michelle McCool, aka Mrs. Taker, lock up with women from her era and the present. Frankly, she didn't look half bad having retired and having likely no time or desire to return full-time, but for the short time we had her she owned the ring with the most eliminations.

As far as her looks, hardly anything has changed: still a tall, lean blonde at 38 years of age.

She's aging well so far, which saves her from the cruelty of the internet who would have poked fun at her for being a shell of her former self. Not all change is bad and in Michelle's case the sentiment applies.

9 Melina

Melina has been gone from WWE since 2011. She's one of the most beautiful and prominent women in wrestling, particularly in the Ruthless Aggression Era where she made her mark. She's one of the women fans still ask for knowing she's just as good to look at as she is in the ring. For fans of the indies, you've likely seen Melina since, but if you haven't kept up with the indies then admire the new shoulder-length haircut that looks just as pretty as her once long hair. The choice of hair color proves it doesn't matter what color a woman dyes her hair, if she's attractive, then she's attractive. However, despite that, I can't say when I think of Melina I don't think of her long, dark hair with the multicolored streaks she rocked throughout her career in WWE.

8 Shad Gaspard

Via Prowrestling.com

When Shad debuted in 2006 as half of Cryme Tyme, he had braids. Immediately after his heel turn on SmackDown in 2010, part of Shad's break away from his teammate was a new theme song and most noticeably a low cut. A low cut that looked like it was done in a rush an hour before the show. It would become a better and more faded haircut as time went on, but as of now and particularly in this late 2016 interview, Shad joins the Rock and Austin on Team No Hair, which isn't a bad look for him. Perhaps Shad lost his hair one night to JTG, who wanted retribution for being betrayed by his buddy, or Shad felt like saving a few extra dollars on haircuts was the smart thing to do, who knows. I'm sure if he returns like he's publicly expressed interest in doing. Fans who remember big Shad will be shocked.

7 JTG

Via Twitter.com

When JTG was released as one of the many casualties of WWE's 2014 mass firing, the jokes about how JTG remained on the roster so long without being let go ended. Since his release, JTG has written two books about his time in WWE, and as you can see he's been doing more than writing. Besides growing a beard that would make Bray Wyatt proud and no longer having the braids we associated with him for a good part of his career, JTG has made it his mission to bulk up due to "bulking season," as he states, being in effect. He's clearly bigger, but the question remains. Is this weight training a preparation for a return with Shad, a singles run, just for pure fitness purposes or a combination of the three? Putting that all to the side, we can confirm with certainty that his commitment lies with the gym.

6 CM Punk

Via YouTube.com

It's pretty well known what CM Punk looks like post-Royal Rumble 2014 where he was last seen affiliated with WWE. Punk jumped ship to the UFC and trained hard to earn a spot in the Welterweight division, which carries a maximum weight limit of 170 pounds, a weight Punk was clearly over.

By his weigh-in for his UFC 203 fight, he debuted a new physique that was far more athletic than his WWE build, where he carried much more fat around the waist and wasn't nearly as thin and defined.

As far his hair, Punk no longer rocks the fade he's been known to have, and now sports his heelish, slicked back hair with no beard, which makes Punk look closer to his early 30s than almost 40.