5 Released WWE Superstars who now work surprising jobs

WWE has released many superstars over the years, and while several stars have remained in the business or have even made their return to the company, a few have taken on a new career path.

Sometimes a WWE release is enough to force wrestlers out of the business, and they then return to school or opt to start completely new careers which allow them to live normal lives.

The following looks at just five stars who were released from the company and now work surprising jobs.

#5. ZZ - Allegator trainer

ZZ is best remembered as the runner-up from WWE's Tough Enough competition back in 2015. The star was unable to make an impact on NXT following the tournament and was released in the summer of 2016.

Like many other stars, ZZ opted to leave the business following his release and has since returned home and adapted to the family business. His story was part of a documentary on VICE earlier this year, where it was revealed that he is now a guide and alligator trainer at Zam's Swamp Tour.

Ahead of his participation in Tough Enough, ZZ noted that he would often wrestle alligators.

#4. Stacy "The Kat" Carter - Realtor

One of the most surprising WWE releases came back in 2001 when former Women's Champion Stacy Carter was abruptly given her marching orders in the middle of a storyline. At the time, Carter was working alongside Right To Censor, and her husband Jerry Lawler even quit the company in protest of how she was fired.

Carter and Lawler have since divorced, and she has moved on to work with an animal rescue charity. The former Champion has also been able to obtain her real estate license and is working as a realtor in Dallas, Texas. Carter is also a mother and often shares updates from her family on her Instagram account.

#3. Jesse - Swat Officer

Jesse was perhaps best known for his alliance with Festus throughout his time in WWE. The duo worked well together until they were drafted apart in the annual Draft, which then saw Jesse become Slam Master J. This was a short-lived gimmick since the star was later released by the company alongside several other stars the following year.

It's been more than a decade since his WWE release, and his sister Miranda Gordy recently revealed on the Wilde On podcast that Ray [Jesse] is now working as a police officer on the SWAT team in Georgia.

“He’s retired (from wrestling)," Miranda said. "He’s living in Georgia. He’s a police officer now. He’s on the SWAT team. Ray has helped me a lot anytime I have questions and he is just guiding me because he’s been there and done that.” via WrestlingNews.

#2. Former WWE Superstar Bo Dallas - Farm worker - real estate business owner

Bo Dallas is a former NXT Champion but could not find his feet on the main roster, which led to his release in April 2021. The brother of fellow WWE superstar Bray Wyatt was already preparing for his release, having started a real estate business and having begun working on his farm with Liv Morgan.

Dallas has since teased his return to the ring, but at the moment he is working on his farm and as part of a family real estate business whilst working on the future. Whilst attending a virtual signing back in March, Dallas set the record straight.

"I guess this is a good platform to make this clear. I had no interest — not ‘no’ interest. I love wrestling, will always love wrestling but for the past year, I have had no interest in trying to wrestle. I’ve been working on a bunch of other business ventures and doing a bunch of different things that I’ve wanted to do outside of wrestling. Not saying I’m done with wrestling or that’s what I’ve been saying for the past year and now that I’ve got that squared away and that’s in the works, I can get back to my passion. I will be back in the ring in the next couple of months and that’s a guarantee because… I don’t make promises I don’t deliver on." via Postwrestling.

#1. Brad Maddox - Actor

Brad Maddox was the General Manager of Monday Night RAW, a referee, and an active talent whilst working for the company, but was released from his WWE contract in November 2015 after being repackaged as Joshua Kingsley.

Maddox deleted all of his social media accounts following his release and dropped off the radar for several years. The former star has since resurfaced on a marriage therapy website where it was revealed that he has been married to a woman named Ryan for 15 years and the couple have two daughters together.

Maddox currently lives in South Carolina. According to RingTheDamnBell, he now works as an actor under the name Tyler K Warner, and since his release, has acted in several independent films.