6 WWE Superstars who found huge success after leaving the company

Not every Superstar succeeds in WWE. Or if they do, they move on and find more success elsewhere. WWE was once the end-all, be-all for wrestlers, but that isn't the case anymore.

Not only do Superstars have more viable options financially, but there could be bigger things waiting for them. This list focuses on Superstars who benefited from leaving WWE in the world of wrestling, and those who found success in WWE, only to find greater success in the world outside.

#6. Jon Moxley - Left WWE after a major burn out

Jon Moxley is a Superstar who was very vocal about the reason why he left WWE. Not only was he dissatisfied with the creative aspect of things, but he was ultimately burned out after being one of WWE's "Iron Men" for many years. There was a point where no Superstar in WWE was wrestling as much as he was.

Ultimately, despite his popularity, the Dean Ambrose character was a toned-down version of himself. And given the circumstances, he was never going to reach the ceiling he desired. Jon Moxley, on the other hand, is a whole different story.

Jon Moxley made a huge impact by debuting for All Elite Wrestling and instantly becoming one of the company's centerpieces. While Chris Jericho was the inaugural AEW World Champion, Jon Moxley was the longest-reigning one.

Kenny Omega would ultimately dethrone Jon Moxley, but it took 277 days for anyone to come close to doing so. Jon Moxley's success outside of WWE was instant, and not just in AEW.

In New Japan Pro Wrestling, it didn't take him long to become the IWGP United States Champion. Jon Moxley was always going to find success outside of WWE - he just needed the platform to do so.

Ultimately, it was one of those cases where alternatives to WWE work out for the best, and certain Superstars happen to benefit from it. Jon Moxley was one of those.

#5. Cody Rhodes - Left WWE to become one of wrestling's biggest stars

Cody Rhodes was dissatisfied with his WWE run and decided to make a name for himself outside of the company. After stints with Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and a generally hot run in the independent scene, Cody Rhodes emerged as one of the biggest stars in wrestling - including WWE.

He started making millions, and slowly but surely, the idea of All Elite Wrestling emerged. He is now the Executive Vice President of WWE's biggest competitor, and AEW has been largely successful.

While his post-WWE career was a big success, the formation of AEW was a culmination of his efforts since leaving the company.

#4. Batista

Batista's post-WWE career has been a massive success, even though it took a few years for him to get started in Hollywood. Ultimately, his role in The Guardians of the Galaxy proved to be a break-out. However, WWE failed to capitalize on his return in 2014 fully.

Within WWE, Batista is among the most successful stars of his generation and is set to enter the Hall of Fame soon. Not only that, but he got to retire from WWE on his own terms in 2019 - putting over Triple H in an underrated classic at WrestleMania 35.

Batista has been nothing short of unselfish and deserves the increasing success that he has found in Hollywood.

#3. Drew McIntyre - From getting released to becoming WWE Champion

Drew McIntyre is the only Superstar on this list who would find success outside of WWE and return to more of it. Since 2009, it appeared as though Drew McIntyre's destiny was to become a WWE World Champion. Vince McMahon himself had declared it but never realized that it would take 11 years for his prophecy to come true.

Drew McIntyre had fallen out of favor with WWE management and would eventually get released. Never one to feel sorry for himself, he picked up the pieces and returned to the independent scene and found success there and in IMPACT Wrestling, where he became the World Champion.

Surely enough, the opportunity would come to return to WWE again, and he did so in 2017. His run in NXT was brief, winning the NXT title before losing it and suffering an injury. He would be out of action and jump directly to RAW, where he spent the next two years rebuilding himself as a new Drew McIntyre.

His success outside of WWE led to the company calling him back, and it seemed as though this time around, Vince McMahon was determined to make his prophecy come true. In 2020, Drew McIntyre became the face of Monday Night RAW and one of the company's pivotal stars in the COVID-19 era.

#2. The Rock - The biggest star to ever emerge from WWE

It's hard to argue about any star from WWE being bigger than The Rock. While Batista took four years to get his breakout Hollywood role, it took The Rock a lot longer. The Scorpion King was a mainstream success, but he didn't have it easy in Hollywood.

Today, The Rock is a global box office megastar, often featuring in movies that reach high levels of mainstream popularity. The Rock was in a comfortable position in WWE and could easily have gone on to win more World Championships, but he chose to take a chance on himself.

It took quite a few years for him to establish himself in Hollywood, and as he has mentioned on many occasions, his hard work paid off. From having seven dollars in his pocket before his wrestling career, he used the opportunity to become one of the world's biggest movie stars.

It's safe to say that he has been the most successful star that has left WWE.

#1. Brock Lesnar - One of WWE's last megastars

Brock Lesnar was only in WWE for two years at first, but he was given a massive push right from the get-go. By the time he finished his two-year stint, he already had multiple WWE Championships and a WrestleMania main event to his name as well.

But it was his stint with the UFC that made him a megastar. While he was a box office draw in the UFC due to his WWE days, his instant success and Heavyweight Championship victory made him a megastar.

He returned to WWE following his first retirement from MMA, and he was bigger than ever before. He managed to negotiate a great part-time contract with WWE and has often used UFC against them to get a more favorable contract.

Brock Lesnar's success outside of WWE made him one of the company's last megastars, and it's not surprising that Vince McMahon holds him in such high regard.

UFC President Dana White even stated that he couldn't compete with Vince McMahon, who reportedly "threw the vault" at Brock Lesnar to secure him to a contract.

Edited by Zaid Khan