While it would be great to always consider the WWE to be the only place for a wrestler to work, it is not always the best place for every wrestler to work. We have seen numerous WWE talents of the years leave the promotion in order to find greener pastures that fit their needs at that time. When Cody Rhodes left WWE abruptly in 2016, wrestling fans thought he was crazy, but he is not one of the most premier wrestlers in both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, and has already achieved so much more than he did in WWE. John Morrison left WWE after being stuck in mid-card purgatory for many years, and he has achieved considerable success in Lucha Underground and in various independent promotions. It is certainly possible to be successful outside of WWE, and in some cases it is even necessary for a wrestler to take the time to move into a different promotion in order to improve themselves as performers – or to make Vince McMahon realize what he has been missing out on! Sometimes moving into a different promotion has surely be a great idea for a WWE Superstar, but other times we just need to call a spade a spade and say that some wrestlers should just call it quits on their wrestling career. Take Vladimir Kozlov for example, who received nothing but awful reviews throughout his WWE run and eventually left the business behind altogether, but has made a great name for himself as a stunt actor in Hollywood.
There are many wrestlers on WWE’s roster who could slot into either area – either finding happiness in another promotion, such as Impact Wrestling or New Japan Pro Wrestling or finally realizing that professional wrestling isn’t the career they should be in right now. Here are WWE Stars Who Should Go To Impact, To New Japan And Who Should Just Call It Quits:
15 Impact: Bobby Roode
Glorious! Well, not exactly if you look at the fact that he just jobbed to Elias in less than five minutes on a recent episode of RAW.
While we have had some very successful recruits from NXT reach the main roster, Bobby Roode’s career outside of NXT has not been incredible since his call up in 2017. Despite a small reign as United States Champion (he only held the title for 52 days -even Santino Marella held it for 167), he has not reached the level of expectations that wrestling fans had for him. Roode’s NXT career was on the right track – he was involved in high profile feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami and Drew McIntyre during his reign a NXT Champion, and certainly looked poised for the main event level when he arrived on Smackdown Live, but he has just puttered around the mid card without any big accomplishments.
For those that are fans of Impact Wrestling, you would certainly recognize Bobby Roode from his 12 year run with the company, which included a total of eight Tag Team Championships, two King of the Mountain Championships and two World Heavyweight Championships, making him one of the most decorated stars in Impact Wrestling history. Since his run on the main roster is not going as planned (besides having one of the most catchy theme songs in recent memory), perhaps a return to his stomping grounds is in the cards.
14 NJPW: Chad Gable
When American Alpha disbanded as a tag team during the Superstar Shakeup after WrestleMania 32, the discussions instantly began about what would happen to the two members – which one would turn out like Shawn Michaels and which one would be Marty Jannetty. Well, since Jason Jordan was instantly injected into a main-event program involving his “Father” Kurt Angle and Chad Gable was left to form a haphazard tag team with Shelton Benjamin, it seems that his prospects are not looking great in WWE.
The sad thing is that Gable clearly has a great wrestling pedigree and has shown himself to be more than capable in the ring.
Unfortunately since his original tag team has split up he likely will not receive another big shot in WWE to make it higher on the card. But do you know who often does provide opportunities to former WWE stars from tag teams? New Japan Pro Wrestling.
If you take a look at NJPW’s current roster you will see that former member of The Hart Dynasty DH Smith has been enjoying a career renaissance in a tag team with Lance Archer, where he has held the IWGP Tag Team Championship on three separate occasions as a member of the Killer Elite Squad tag team. No one thought that Smith would amount to much following his WWE career, however he proved us all wrong by experiencing great success in NJPW and proving that another WWE run may be in his future, but he could not have accomplished that without spending time away from WWE. Perhaps Gable should follow the same trajectory and take some time away from WWE to work somewhere else as a tag team specialist.
13 Call it Quits: R-Truth
When taking a look at WWE’s current roster it is easy to remember the last time you saw many of the WWE Superstars on television in a meaningful match or storyline. However, when coming across R-Truth’s name it seems to give most people the same reaction – how the hell is he still employed with WWE? Currently one of WWE’s longest tenured wrestlers after hitting ten years of employment this past year, it is rather difficult to put your finger on something significant that R-Truth has contributed to WWE programming in the last number of years. Was his feud with Goldust something to rave about? Was the saga of Little Jimmy enough to solidify him a future place in the WWE Hall of Fame? Do we hear We Want R-Truth chants at arenas across the country when he does not appear on an event?
The answer to all of those questions is a big no, which only leaves one option for WWE’s resident rapper – it is time to hang up his boots (and camouflage pants) for the final time. Despite still being in great shape for a 46 year-old wrestler, R-Truth’s career peaked a long time ago and it is time for him to recognize that retirement from the squared circle is “What’s up”!
12 Impact: Apollo Crews
Just like in the case of Bobby Roode, not every NXT call-up will achieve greatness when they transfer to WWE’s main roster, even if they have the athletic talent like Apollo Crews. If you have seen Crews really be able to utilize all of his talents in the ring, you would be incredibly surprised given how held-back he has been on WWE programming. While performing as Uhaa Nation in various independent promotions across the United States – such as DragonGate USA, Evolve and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla – his mixture of both high-flying and power moves made him a top newcomer to the wrestling scene. With an incredible physique but also the ability to perform maneuvers like moonsaults and shooting star presses, it is clear to see why he was pegged as someone to watch.
The question remains – why is he not succeeding in WWE?
It seems that despite receiving some great reactions during his time on NXT, he has not been given similar opportunities on the main roster and has been relegated into a spot in the Titus Worldwide faction, which is akin to having a career death-warrant being signed due to the lack of crowd reaction that this group has received since they began. If Crews were to take his talent to Impact Wrestling and feud with similar wrestlers like Brian Cage, the rest of the world would finally be able to see what makes him so special. I mean, when was the last time you saw a 240-pound wrestler execute both a gorilla press-slam and a standing shooting star press in the same match?
11 NJPW: Tye Dillinger
I'm lucky enough to be a wrestling fan from Canada who has been able to see fledging Canadian wrestlers during their early days on the independent scene, and one of them was a wrestler named Shawn Spears, who worked for thirteen years to finally make it to WWE television and get a real shot as a performer. He may have had a couple “cups of coffee” with WWE over his career, but he did not get a real shot with the company until he debuted as Tye Dillinger after spending some time in the WWE Performance Centre. While each NXT crowd was very quick to chant 10! 10! 10! during Dillinger’s matches throughout his NXT run, his flame certainly burned out quickly when he was drafted to Smackdown Live in 2017. These days, he's receiving similar reactions to when he was performing in WWE as Gavin Spears, which is to say that the crowd resorts to making cricket noises when he appears on screen.
Even though Dillinger spent more than enough time cutting his teeth on the independent circuit, he has never made a trip to Japan in his career, and while he is certainly enjoying his WWE paychecks he would likely get much more fulfillment from his wrestling career if he was in a promotion which would let him showcase his skills, which New Japan certainly would. We have seen so many wrestlers who were not entirely pleased with their WWE run – like Cody Rhodes and Trent Baretta as recent examples – make a great career for themselves in Japan, and it's certainly a stop that he should make during his career.
10 Call it Quits: Dana Brooke
Many say that due to Dana not having any prior experience before she was assigned to the WWE Performance Centre she has had difficulty performing her task as a wrestler, which has led to many sloppy matches filled with errors. Fans also say that she was brought up to the main roster too quickly during her career, and still had a lot to learn in NXT. Either way, after checking my calculations I would say that Dana Brooke’s wrestling career has not gone to way that she thought it would. Despite achieving much success in female body building and fitness modeling, she has not seen that translate into success as a professional wrestler. With a gimmick of the businesswoman of the Titus Worldwide group who also very rarely wrestles she has not made a worthwhile connection with the fans, who seem to anticipate a boring match when she is involved, despite the fact that she has been on the main roster for over two years.
The wrestling business is not for everyone, and with such little progress made during her time on television, it seems as though Dana Brooke has peaked very quickly in her endeavors with WWE, and quitting before fans really start to resent her may be a good idea.
9 Impact: Neville
When news broke in 2017 that Neville was taking a “sabbatical” from WWE, fans began to assume what this would mean for the future. As of this writing, Neville has not appeared on WWE programming since August 2017 meaning that his WWE status is completely in limbo. Very little is known for sure about exactly why Neville has chosen to sit out his WWE contract without performing on any shows – some speculate it is because he was not happy about being booked to lose his Cruiserweight Championship to Enzo Amore, and others say that he was happy about the overall direction of his character.
It's sad when a wrestler loses passion for what they are currently doing, but WWE should be asking themselves the question of “what did they do to Neville to make him feel this way”?
If you had ever watched Neville wrestle on the independent circuit as PAC over the years, you would know that he is a man who truly loves professional wrestling. It seems that just in a small matter of years, WWE was able to completely remove that passion from Neville and replace it with sadness as he no longer is interested in performing for them. If Neville were to transition to another wrestling company, he would regain his passion for the business again and we would be able to see him do what he does best – wow the crowd with his aerial assaults.
8 NJPW: Tyler Breeze
Trying to succeed in the WWE after spending him as a comedy wrestler is extremely difficult – can you imagine WWE fans every taking Santino Marella seriously if he ever returned to WWE? How difficult was it for Lord Tensai to get over with the fans once they remembered him as Albert during his previous run with the company? While Tyler Breeze’s comedy act alongside Fandango with The Fashion Files has been a bright spot on WWE programming over the past year, it has made it difficult for him to be taken seriously when it is time to wrestle.
It seems as though Breeze is having a lot of fun with his current comedy gimmick, but it is not getting him closer to being at the level he has strived to be during his career.
A promotion like New Japan Pro Wrestling is a no-nonsense wrestling promotion that does not feature North-American gimmicks like The Fashion Police and focuses strictly on the athleticism and wrestling abilities of their performers. When looking at matches such as Tyler Breeze versus Jushin “Thunder” Liger from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, we know that when Breeze is not handing out citations as a member of The Fashion Police he can really go in the ring at a high level.
7 Call it Quits: Rhyno
If I was to tell you that Rhyno was once listed as one of the top 10 best wrestlers in the world according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated, some current WWE fans would not be able to believe it, but it's true. During his run as ECW World Heavyweight Champion prior to the promotion declaring bankruptcy, Rhyno was certainly a force to be reckoned with due to his power-house style and unstoppable force in the ring. He was truly a dominant force in ECW, and was even considered an upper-mid card talent in WWE that was put into great positions during his time with the company. Rhyno also enjoyed some success following his WWE career in Impact Wrestling, earning himself a run with the famous NWA World Heavyweight Championship as well as a long stint with the company.
However, now in his early 40s and with a much heavier build which limits his in-ring abilities, it seems as though Rhyno may be well past his prime wrestling shape. There have been some bright spots in the eyes of the crowd during his team with Slater, but the best times of his career are certainly behind him and Rhyno should consider hanging up his boots like some of his other ECW-family members have over the past few months.
6 Impact: Becky Lynch
As the saying goes, “you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone” which could be the exact case when it comes to Becky Lynch if WWE is not careful how they continue to handle her character. With only a short run as SmackDown Women’s Champion in her portfolio, Becky is one of the most often overlooked women that has been a part of WWE’s Women’s Revolution. Charlotte has been positioned as the company’s top female star, Sasha Banks is in a never-ending feud with Bayley and there has been a huge influx of new women on the main roster. Despite always putting on high quality matches, Becky has never been able to break into the upper-echelon of the Women’s division.
WWE may be giving a great opportunity to all of the women by having them featured in ways that are ground-breaking in WWE, such as the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber over this past year, but there has been a company that has focused on women for much longer than WWE where Lynch would receive more “star treatment”.
Impact Wrestling’s Knockout division has been a cornerstone of the promotion for much longer than WWE.
Just thinking about Becky Lynch engaging in matches with the likes of Rosemary, Allie or Tessa Blanchard sounds better than anything he has accomplished this year in WWE so far. Perhaps absence would make the heart grow fonder and WWE would finally realize that Becky Lynch is one of the best talents that they have.
5 NJPW: The Ascension
The trend of NXT wrestlers not achieving success on the main roster continues, with quite possibly one of the most disappointing stories in recent memory. When The Ascension was on top of the NXT Tag Team division with a Championship reign lasting a record-setting 364 days, fans could not wait to see them wrestle their favorite teams on the main roster. Just think about what great matches the dominant Ascension could have with other established teams like The Usos or The New Day – the sky was the limit for both Konnor and Viktor, and fans finally got their wish in 2014 when they were called up and quickly began dominating jobber tag teams for weeks. However, it seems as though somewhere along the way they rubbed someone the wrong way because their sky-rocketing push suddenly came crashing down.
The Ascension could have been big on the main roster, but have been turned into an absolute joke of a team which will be very difficult for them to recover from in WWE. However, with the team War Machine heading to NXT and leaving a gaping spot in New Japan’s tag team division, jumping ship to re-establish themselves as a dominant tag-team force would not be a bad idea for Konnor and Viktor. Recovering from the horrible booking that WWE has given them over the past two years will be very difficult to do if they stay with WWE, but transitioning to New Japan would make it much easier for them.
4 Call it Quits: Lana
Other than her undeniable beauty, I have never understood wrestling fans' obsession over Lana. Hearing arenas full of fans chant “We Want Lana” has never made sense to me, as those types of chants are usually reserved for women on the roster who are fully focused on wrestling as their career. I will commend Lana for attempting to transition into an in-ring performer, but it finally needs to be said – not everyone in the world is built to be a professional wrestler.
Try as Lana will, she does not have the basic skills and understanding to be successful as an athlete in the wrestling world, which has been fully evident not only in her performances but in the confidence that WWE Management has in her as a performer. With the exception of the Mixed Match Challenge and a brief appearance in the Women’s Royal Rumble, Lana has not wrestled in 2018 as a singles competitor, which means WWE doesn't have faith in her to be featured on television. Even in 2017 when she was given the opportunity of a match, they would each end very quickly which means she was not given the opportunity to make a mistake. While it's great that she has taken the steps to better herself in the ring, Lana should really be sticking with her strengths which have been as a manager instead of an in-ring performer.
3 Impact: Cesaro
If you were to look up the term “Underrated” in the dictionary, you would likely see a picture of Cesaro next to it due to how criminally under-utilized he has been as a performer since joining WWE. With a record-setting four consecutive wins of Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Most Underrated Wrestler award, Cesaro has been incredibly patient during his WWE career.
Cesaro is quite possibly the best pure athlete that WWE currently has on their roster and has proven just how well he can wrestle against any opponent, but he has never been given the opportunity to succeed as a main-event wrestler, despite having all of the necessary skills. During an appearance on The Steve Austin Show, Vince McMahon stated that he believed “Cesaro was lacking in charisma, verbal skills and the "it" factor” and this was hurting his WWE run. Considering that fans were literally holding up signs to say they were part of the Cesaro Section during this period, it doesn’t sound like Vince was paying attention.
Perhaps Vince would finally pay attention if Cesaro made a transition to Impact Wrestling?
Impact has been able to take wrestlers that have not received a fair shake at WWE’s main event level and turn them into Champions – take a look at Christian Cage or Mr. Anderson for example – which would be the exact treatment that Cesaro needs in order to prove Vince wrong.
2 NJPW: TJP
The way that WWE has handled the Cruiserweight Division since re-instating it in 2016 has been questionable at best – while the Cruiserweight Classic showed signs of WWE Management looking at the Cruiserweight style as a legitimate part of their show, they have not been able to recapture the magic of that tournament during the day-to-day matches on 205 Live. Case in point of this fact is TJ Perkins, who was presented a big enough deal to be crowned the first Cruiserweight Champion of the modern era and could have potentially been the face of the division. However, since initially losing his Championship to The Brian Kendrick after only holding it for 46 days, WWE seemed to sour on Perkins and he has been placed in purgatory in the division since.
For those that have seen Perkins wrestle outside of WWE, you would know that he has the ability to be everything that the Cruiserweight Division needs him to be in order to be a leader, but he seems to have lost the fire in him that he used to have. Perhaps he could find it in another promotion that is a bit more familiar to him. Prior to signing with WWE, Perkins was a mainstay in promotions across the world, including New Japan where he was featured in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, but was not able to make it far in the tournament. If Perkins were take some time away from WWE and again join a prestigious tournament that has featured winners like Chris Benoit, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Eddie Guerrero and Ricochet, perhaps it would inspire him to achieve the greatness he was meant for.
1 Call it Quits: Kane
WWE has lost the majority of its long-tenured Attitude Era wrestlers by now – with Triple H and Kurt Angle in part-time wrestling roles, The Undertaker’s wrestling career in question yet again and Chris Jericho only appearing sporadically, the roster is ruled by younger and more athletic wrestlers who are hungry to make the WWE their own. However, there is still one wrestler who debuted with WWE in 1995 and still wrestles regularly that has been nearing the twilight of his career for some time now. The Big Red Machine Kane has reached the status in WWE that he is considered a legend due to his longevity and the fans certainly respect him for all the things he has accomplished, however there is one thing that the fans collectively do when his music hits these days – there is a very audible groan.
Kane is currently 51 years old, making him the oldest active wrestler on the WWE roster, and his age has been starting to show for years now but WWE Management continues to keep him on the screen. When placed next to younger and leaner stars like John Cena or a much stronger Braun Strowman, his age really starts to show and he almost looks out of place on television. With Kane’s political career as candidate for Mayor of Knox County in Tennessee fledging as he approaches retirement, perhaps it's time to hang up his boots (and mask) to focus solely on this.