The lifespan of a professional wrestler can depend on a number of factors, one being how injury prone a particular wrestler may or may not be. These guys and gals put their bodies through a tremendous amount of trauma, all for the sake of entertaining us, the fans. In the beginning of their careers, many of them work for little or no pay at all.
Most wrestlers also pay a significant amount of money to be trained by a professional as well. Once they have received an acceptable amount of training, life doesn't automatically get easy for these aspiring sports entertainers. Now they hit the road, travelling from one town to another, often times performing in front of fewer than 100 fans or so.
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Life isn't always going to be all that rough for professional wrestlers, if they end up making it onto a big time roster, such as WWE, Impact, Ring of Honor or one of the other notable promotions. Once they make it this far, the fruits of their labor begin to harvest and now wrestling goes from being a passion to a career.
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But, what happens when it’s all over? What happens when the industry suddenly doesn't need you anymore? What happens when injuries prevent you from ever stepping foot into a ring again?
For many WWE Superstars, they end up back at square one, in a way. Many will go back to the indie scene, and they are much more valuable, thanks to their exposure on WWE television. Others could end up right back with the WWE, only in a different capacity, such as a backstage producer, or perhaps working with the creative team.
Regardless, there are multiple uses for a former WWE Superstar. Let's take a look at 7 former WWE Superstars who are still employed with the company, only being used differently.
#7 Arn Anderson
2012 WWE Hall of Famer, former member of The Four Horsemen
Currently a producer for WWE
Arn Anderson was an important component to perhaps the greatest faction in the history of professional wrestling, the Four Horsemen. Dubbed “Double-A,” Arn served as the enforcer for the Horsemen during their reign over the sports weaker stables.
Arn was a powerhouse in the sport all the way until the demise of WCW. Once his head-thumping days were over, Vince McMahon knew there was too much knowledge stored inside Anderson's brain, so he knew WWE needed to find a spot for him.
When it was said and done, Arn Anderson was serving the younger generation as a producer and at times, an agent. Many of today's WWE Superstars consider Arn to be one of the primary sources of knowledge to draw from when they need some guidance.
#6 Ranjin Singh
Former manager of Great Khali
Currently WWE Creative Assignment Editor
Ranjin Singh joined the WWE in 2007 as a heel manager for the Great Khali and was only involved with in-ring activities for a short time. For the most part, Singh was used in more comedic skits than anything else.
For instance, you may recall the time he challenged Hornswoggle to an arm wrestling bout. This is just an example of the comic relief Singh would often provide.
Currently, Ranjin is a vital member of the WWE Creative team, working as an assignment editor. He is very influential in the writing process for RAW and Smackdown Live.
#5 Dean Malenko
Former WCW/WWE Superstar
Current agent/producer for WWE
He was once known as the man of 1000 holds, but nowadays, Dean Malenko has taken his decades of superior in-ring knowledge and put it to use by raising up a new generation of WWE Superstars.
Dean Malenko was one of the anchors of WCW’s success during the peak of the Monday Night Wars. Alongside the other stars of that era, Malenko was at the forefront of the birth of the cruiserweight boom.
Retirement was not an option for a man with so much left to give the business, as shown in his efforts today as one of WWE’s go-to backstage brains. Malenko serves WWE Superstars as an agent, as well as a producer, which are essentially two job titles, with similar duties.
#4 Mike Rotunda (I.R.S.)
Former 5 time WWE Tag Team Champion
Current WWE Road Agent
Over the course of 30+ years, Mike Rotunda accumulated a plethora of wrestling knowledge. Rotunda was used primarily in tag team action, but also saw his fair share of singles competition as well. Most fans remember him best as “Irwin R. Schyster,” or I.R.S. for short.
Together with The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, the team had a tremendous amount of chemistry, which translated to massive in-ring success.
A lot of today's fans know Mike best as the father of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas. Not to mention that his daughter Mika Rotunda has joined the WWE Creative Team as well. Rotunda works now as a producer, as well as an agent backstage for today's WWE Superstars.
#3 The Boogeyman
Former WWE Superstar
Currently signed as an ambassador, under a WWE Legends deal
The Boogeyman remains one of the most disturbing, menacing figures of all-time. He was truly one of the most feared Superstars we have ever witnessed.
While he made his opponents give in to the provocative power of his treats we know as the worm, it's also important to know that he was also very skilled in the ring.
Boogey made his initial WWE departure in 1999, but it would not be long until his phone would ring, with a unique offer on the other end. From that point forward, The Boogeyman has made several sporadic appearances at WWE events, but his primary role remains as a WWE brand ambassador.
#2 D-Von Dudley
9 Time WWE Tag Team Champion(Dudley Boyz)
Currently a backstage WWE Agent/Producer
D-Von Dudley is one-half of arguably the greatest tag team of all-time, The Dudley Boyz. Together, with Bubba Ray, the duo began winning championships in 1996 with ECW but would go on to dominate and win over 20 titles as a tag team.
D-Von and Bubba also achieved a wealth of success individually as singles competitors as well.
Last summer, The Dudleys completed their final WWE run together, but D-Von didn't stay away very long. WWE officials recognised his value in knowledge, so less than a month after leaving, D-Von was hired back as a backstage agent.
#1 Lex Luger
2-time WCW Champion
Now serves as WW Wellness Counselor
This one may very well come as a huge surprise to many fans. Lex Luger was at one time on top of the world, as one of the most over and successful figures in professional wrestling. However, Luger lived a very dark life of drug addiction, which would eventually catch up with him.
Thankfully, Luger was able to eventually recognise his faults, turn from his self-destructive ways and get control of his life.
There is this misconception that Lex Luger is somehow blacklisted from the WWE and not welcome at all. This actually could not be further from the truth. In fact, his services are welcomed with open arms.
In 2011, Vince McMahon and the WWE began using Lex Luger to assist with the WWE Talent Wellness Policy. Luger gets an opportunity to deal one-on-one with today's Superstars that may be struggling with dependency issues or some sort of growing addiction.
