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WWE is seen as the real Land of Opportunities in the wrestling world and is the ultimate destination for those who want to see themselves at the very top of the industry.
While many Superstars are lucky to spend their entire careers with WWE, some fall down the ranks and are either released by the company or ask for their release in order to try their luck elsewhere.
Over the years, we have seen several top Superstars leave the company on good and bad terms, and many have gone on to prove that they can make it big even without competing in WWE.
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In this article, we will look at 5 Superstars who were released by the company a decade ago in 2009, and what they have achieved over the past 10 years.
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#5 Val Venis
Val Venis entered the company in 1998 with high hopes. He was introduced to the WWE Universe as an adult movie star, who walked down to the ring with a towel wrapped around his waist.
Venis competed at all levels in the WWE and won the European Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and the Tag Team Championship once in his career.
Venis stayed over with the crowd even though he played a heel most of the time. Although he had a rather outrageous gimmick at first, fans still seemed to get behind the Superstar due to his talent.
As time went by, he began to lose his charm and engaged in repeated feuds in the mid-card before he started to fade away. He was released from his contract in January 2009 after working with the company for over a decade and becoming a renowned name in the world of wrestling.
Like many Superstars before him, Venis went on to sign with Total Nonstop Action (TNA), but only remained with the company for about a year before calling it quits.
Venis is now an advocate for the legalization of cannabis and works as a budtender in Arizona for "Health for Life".
#4 The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman is widely regarded as the most outrageous and gross character to have ever graced the WWE. Boogeyman initially tried his luck during the 2004 Tough Enough competition, but was ultimately unsuccessful. However, he was invited by the company to train and tryout at Ohio Valley Wrestling soon after. Boogeyman used to appear after a chant of “One, two, Freddy's coming for you” before smashing a large clock over his head.
The character terrified his opponents by eating worms on-screen, with many hanging out of his mouth and spilling everywhere. He would often spit the worms onto his bewildered opponents.
While the Superstar was over with the crowd due to his unique character, impressive physique, strength, and control over his opponents, he did not win any championships during his brief stint with the company.
He was released from his contract in March 2009. He straight away went to Pro Wrestling Alliance, after which he competed for numerous promotions. Surprisingly, he never really tasted gold during his wrestling career and only won the AWF Tag Team Championship in 2015 alongside Bobby Lashley.
Boogeyman made sporadic appearances for WWE several times since being released and was re-signed by the company under a legends contract in 2015.
#3 Victoria
It’s impossible to overlook Victoria’s contribution to WWE and the world of wrestling. She made her first televised appearance for WWE at WrestleMania 2000, where she was one of the women who walked out with The Godfather.
Victoria signed with the company in 2001 after former Superstar Chyna noticed her and recommended her to the company. This led to her in-ring debut in 2002.
During her run with the company, Victoria won the WWE Women’s Championship twice and remained one of the top female Superstars of the company. Victoria also formed several factions that helped newer Superstars get a push and a platform to take off from.
After a scheduled match on SmackDown in early 2009 with Michelle McCool, Victoria announced that she would be retiring from the company. WWE gave her a good farewell and the WWE Universe displayed full support for her.
She then headed out to Total Nonstop Action (TNA) in hopes of receiving new competition to further grow in the field. The move proved to be beneficial, as she became the face of the TNA Women’s Division and won the TNA Women's Knockout Championship five times. She left the promotion in 2013 and started competing on the independent circuit in order to lighten her schedule and get different bookings.
On September 21st, 2019, Victoria competed in her final match in the main event at Masters Of The Ring Entertainment. She defeated Melina in the match to become the inaugural MORE Women's Champion before deciding to hang up her boots.
#2 Hardcore Holly
Hardcore Holly began his 16-year career with WWE in 1994. He debuted as Thurman 'Sparky' Plugg, a character who was supposed to be a NASCAR driver-turned-wrestler. This mirrored Holly's real-life story.
Holly climbed the ranks rather quickly due to his attitude and strength and was repackaged as Bob 'Spark Plug' Holly once fans began to gain interest in him.
Once he won the WWF Hardcore Championship, there was no stopping him and his name was cemented as Hardcore Holly. He went on to be extremely successful with the name and the title, winning the Hardcore Championship no less than six times in his career.
He later formed an alliance with Cody Rhodes, and the two men won the WWE Tag Team Championships. However, Rhodes soon turned on his partner and aligned with Ted DiBiase, costing Holly the title in the last match he was ever featured in.
Holly remained off television and inactive for over seven months, which led to his release from the company after an extended tenure.
Since parting ways with WWE, the former Hardcore Champion has featured on several independent promotions, but has never really taken off. Holly was married in 2010 and released his autobiography titled The Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story in 2013.
#1 Mr. Kennedy
Mr. Kennedy began his career with WWE in 2005. At that time, he was introduced to the WWE Universe as Ken Kennedy. The name was chosen by Paul Heyman, who took a special interest in the Superstar during his time at Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Kennedy came into the mix as a mid-card heel who was seen as a loudmouth and could trash talk anyone. Even though Kennedy had a lot of backing, especially because his name was picked from Vince McMahon’s middle name, he never received that ultimate push to the top.
Kennedy won the United States Championship just once in his career, while he went on to win the Money in the Bank contract in 2007. However, he lost his Money in the Bank opportunity to Edge and saw his stock fall due to an injury he received during the match.
Kennedy was released from his contract in May 2009 after rumors of backstage friction with some of WWE's top Superstars.
After being released from the company, Kennedy returned to Total Nonstop Action (TNA) for a second and better run. However, after failing a drug test, Kennedy was fired from the promotion after six years of association.
Comedian David Vox Mullen joined with Kennedy in 2014 to begin the Push the Button podcast. The show covers various topics such as politics and religion.
Apart from that, he has appeared in a few movies, including Dogs Lie and Behind Enemy Lines. Since 2016, Kennedy has been running a professional wrestling school with former WWE Superstar Shawn Daivari called The Academy.
