5 Wrestlers who were more successful once they left WWE

Not everyone tastes success once they get to WWE. Not everyone identifies with the fans. Maybe the gimmick is wrong or there is better talent on the roster or in some cases, management just makes a huge mistake. Whatever the reason, there are performers who leave the company Vince McMahon built and find success somewhere else.

We all wonder out loud what would have happened had it been AJ Styles who McMahon chose to be the ring leader of his company instead of John Cena. Would Cena have enjoyed the same kind of popularity as he has in Bristol the past 15 years? Would Cena have saved Dixie Carter many times over? How would someone like Edge fare in this kind of promotion and would the same be said for a wrestler who was on the outside looking in.

Some wrestlers have been able to move away from the big stage and forge their own identity. Their success has been dependent on a great gimmick, a solid look and a great angle in the ring. These wrestlers, above all, have been the greatest non-WWE success stories.

1- John Morrison

As Johnny Mundo, John Morrison has become an international star

I have a friend who watched WWE just to see Morrison. She hated professional wrestling, but there was something about Morrison, who had the look of a rock star that won her over. WWE never really cashed in on their appeal and regardless of whether he was a solid performer in tag teams or was an Intercontinental Champion, it seemed like he was always on the outside looking in.

Maybe it had something to do with his relationship with Melina. Morrison has found huge success as a champion in Lucha Underground as Johnny Mundo.

2- PJ Black

PJ Black was an instant star in Global Force Wrestling

As Justin Gabriel, WWE never fully capitalized on the star power of Black. As Gabriel, he as an original member of The Nexus and a former tag team champion on three occasions. Once he moved over to Global Force Wrestling, Black became a big name, a company champion with the NEX*GEN Title and someone who could headline promotions worldwide.

He is currently competing for Lucha Underground as "The Darewolf" PJ Black and has aligned himself with Mundo in the promotion. WWE had issues promoting its cruiserweights during Black’s time in the company. Today, he would be a solid addition as part of Cruiserweight Tournament.

3- Gail Kim

Gail Kim became TNA’s first Knockouts Champion

Hubba Hubba. I am a huge fan of Kim, who is clearly one of the greatest female wrestlers to get in a ring, period. WWE gave her a chance to showcase her talents, TNA has allowed her to become the company’s greatest women’s wrestler of all time. Kim won the first Knockouts Title in 2007 and hasn’t missed a beat since.

She became the first female wrestler to be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame and is a multi-time champion in the promotion. When the company needs a push for the division, much like John Cena in WWE, Kim is called upon to lead the charge.

4- Aron Rex

Aron Rex is already a bigger success in TNA than he was in WWE

He hasn’t even been in the company for a month and the impact Aron Haddad has made is shockwave material. As Damien Sandow, he toiled in the mid card and as a borderline main event star. Sandow was nothing more than a cartoonish figure who would have excelled in the 1980s WWF promotion.

Gifted on the mic and solid in the ring, he never got the push he deserved. He is a prototype wrestler with size and skill and was never utilized properly. In TNA, he is already a contender for the company’s world title and should be a champion for years to come.

5- Lashley

Bobby Lashley has worn TNA’s World Title three times

I could never get my head around the idea that Bobby Lashley was a solid performer in the ring. He looked stiff, did not have great mic skills and to me, looked too jacked. Now, with TNA as his home, he is a solid heel the company needs to build around.

Lashley has won the TNA World Title three times and is also a former one-time TNA X Division Champion and one-time and final TNA King of the Mountain Champion. Despite the fact that he is a two-time ECW World Champion and one-time United States Champion, the move to TNA has been career-defining for him.