The past few years have been quite a wild ride for members of the WWE Universe, with WWE massive release of talent, going through its ThunderDome era and rebranding and re-developing NXT from scratch, among other things. Now, with Vince McMahon gone altogether, things are looking to change once again for the biggest wrestling company in the world.
Now that Triple H is running the talent and creative relationships within WWE, things are starting to look a little different for RAW and Smackdown, with big returns and debuts for the likes of Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett and Dexter Lumis. . As fans search for who could be next, it’s worth seeing what former active WWE stars have been doing away from the sports-entertainment giant, for better or worse.
10 Jeff Hardy – Worse
Despite being a fan favorite and making an extremely fun debut in AEW in early 2022, Jeff Hardy’s demons still haven’t let him go. After a series of questionable performances in the ring, Hardy would again be charged with DUI, confirming that his sobriety was not intact.
Following the arrest, Hardy was suspended and has not been seen on AEW Television since. While fans may have been excited for one last big run from Matt and Jeff together, Hardy’s actions outside the ring likely prevented that, as his departure from WWE and subsequent signing to AEW looks much worse today. .
9 JONAS – Enhanced
Making a name for himself during the Black and Gold era of WWE NXT as Bronson Reed, JONAH would be released from the company despite being a former NXT North American Champion and having wrestled several Dark Matches for the main roster as tryout matches. .
While things were a bit of a mixed bag for the start of his post-WWE career, JONAH has recently made some big strides thanks to the ongoing New Japan G1 Climax. With a string of big matches against Kazuchika Okada, Lance Archer and Jeff Cobb, the first of which he picked up a big win over, JONAH seems to be showing why he should be a major player in any company.
8 EC3 – Worse
Returning to the WWE System after thriving in TNA Impact Wrestling, EC3 would sign with the NXT brand in 2018, during a fan-loved period where WWE and NXT were non-stop signings, similar to AEW in 2021/2022. As part of the NXT brand, EC3 would find himself in contention for the North American Championship before feuding with Velveteen Dream.
After being called up to the main roster, EC3 would score a huge upset over Dean Ambrose during the latter’s departure from WWE, before languishing in the 24/7 division, eventually being released. Since then, EC3 has appeared in ROH and Impact Wrestling, although he is now infamous for starting the Control Your Narrative promotion, which has followed a downward spiral for a once-promising star.
7 toni storm – enhanced
After being called up to Smackdown in 2021, things seemed to be looking up for Toni Storm’s WWE run after staying in NXT for far too long. Going into a match with Charlotte Flair, then the Smackdown Women’s Champion, Toni would be well enough positioned, although she would end up being humiliated on TV, even having her thrown to be stripped naked on TV. Having had enough of the bullshit, Storm would leave WWE before making his AEW debut months later.
Since coming to AEW, Storm has quickly become one of the best women in the company, delivering one great match after another. Storm looks set to dethrone Thunder Rosa for the AEW World Women’s Championship, without being humiliated in the process, which means she’s in a much better place in AEW than she was in WWE when she left.
6 John Morrison – Worse
Coming off another WWE run in which he was paired with The Miz, John Morrison has appeared in numerous venues since his departure from the company. Wrestling in AEW, AAA and GCW, the high-flying superstar has toured through a number of promotions and yet nothing has landed.
While his original AEW debut against Samoa Joe was fun, many fans expected it to be a debuting Johnny Gargano, and after some not-so-stellar in-ring performances from Johnny Dynamite, it’s hard to argue with the fact that AEW hasn’t brought him in. back. While Morrison’s charisma is undeniable, his high-octane offense doesn’t look as good as it used to.
5 Deonna Purrazzo – Enhanced
Making her debut for Impact Wrestling during their era of crowd-free shows during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Deonna Purrazzo would come into the company pretty hot after having a meaningless stint in WWE. Upon signing with the company in 2018, Deonna would be signed by WWE for two years before being released in 2020, and during that time, she was treated as nothing more than an enhancement talent.
Debuting on Impact, La Virtuosa would immediately position herself as one of the brand’s top stars, becoming Knockouts Champion in record time and defining herself as one of the best female fighters in the world. In the two years since her arrival, Purrazzo has become a multiple time Knockouts Champion, AAA Women’s Champion and Knockouts Tag Team Champion.
4 Karrion Kross – Worse
After being called up to Raw during the summer of 2021, Karrion Kross would be without his real-life valet and partner, Scarlett. In his place, he would be saddled with a ridiculous costume and would be strangely reserved to work with Jeff Hardy in his debut match. Kross wouldn’t last much longer before being part of a massive WWE release.
Having made a stunning return to WWE on SmackDown, Karrion Kross and Scarlett are now positioned in the main event scene within WWE, facing Roman Reigns. Time will tell how Kross shakes out in WWE, but based on his brief time away from the company, wrestling in New Japan and MLW and failing to deliver in any of his matches, Karrion Kross leaves a lot to be desired.
3 Robinson Juice – Enhanced
One of the poster boys for proving that WWE isn’t always the best place for wrestlers, Juice Robinson would get his release from the company in 2015 before announcing his retirement. That was short-lived, as he would go off to Japan, restarting his wrestling career at the New Japan dojo and working his way back to being a young lion.
Years later, Juice Robinson has already found success playing one of the biggest babyface wrestlers in NJPW, and is now in the midst of a fantastic run as part of the Bullet Club, while also being a multiple time champion in the promotion.
two alberto del rio – got worse
Becoming a multiple time World Champion in WWE, Alberto Del Rio remains an incredibly decorated star in WWE history. Despite this, after his second departure from the company in 2016, Del Rio never managed to see the success he once had during his time at the top of the Sports Entertainment Giant.
Notably spending some time in the main event scene of Impact Wrestling, Del Rio has managed to continue wrestling for some time, though many don’t want to root for him. With his past issues with Paige, numerous legal charges against him, and diminishing star power, finding a once-promising WWE Superstar who has had a further fall from grace in recent years would be a difficult task.
1 FTR – Enhanced
While FTR were never bad wrestlers, their time on WWE’s main roster would ultimately leave tag team fans hurt and disappointed. When fans expected greatness from a show between The Revival and The Usos, they were presented with the current “World’s Best Tag Team” being humiliated on screen by Jimmy and Jey before leaving the company after being introduced to an embarrassing character change, with circus costumes.
Since leaving WWE and joining AEW, now called FTR, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have once again been recognized as one of the best, if not the best tag team in all of wrestling. Shining both in AEW and outside of the company, the two men have become the pinnacle of tag team wrestling, representing AEW, ROH, AAA and now New Japan to great effect, while also showing themselves as singles wrestlers from time to time.