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WWE has been home to some of the greatest wrestlers the industry has ever seen. Wrestlers such as Kane, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, John Cena, and Sheamus have enjoyed some of the longest tenures as wrestlers with the company.
However, not all competitors have been as blessed as the ones mentioned above when it has come to continuous tenancy with the company. While some have tripped and fallen after getting far, many have failed completely.
Superstars of yesterday such as Kurt Angle and Booker T have taken to other promotions before returning to the WWE on their way to find more success and better contracts. Currently, there are many superstars who have done the same and left the company to pursue a better contract and career for themselves.
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Other wrestlers have simply been fired by the WWE for either underperforming, or breaching contract clause and wellness policies.
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Lets take a look at some wrestlers who recently parted ways with the WWE, and where they are today.
#7 Ryback
Ryback saw some success with the WWE during his time in the company. His Feed Me More gimmick did well with the fans, and his size and strength could have helped him reach greater heights for the company.
Since he saw himself as a better prospect than he was being portrayed in the WWE, he requested the company release him because of the creative differences which had developed. He believed that he would get what he deserves on the independent circuit instead.
Instead, the same did not happen as he did not manage to get many bookings. None of the bookings he actually got was of any worth, nor did he have noteworthy performances.
It is heartbreaking to see such a good wrestler go to waste on both the independent circuit and the WWE. Hopefully soon someone with actually ‘Feed Him More’.
#6 Big Cass
Big Cass was seen as a big deal when he first stepped into the main roster with Enzo Amore. Even though it’s impossible to teach someone to be 7-feet-tall, it is also impossible to teach them how to be successful in the business. Big Cass learned that the hard way.
Big Cass first saw some success during his partnership with Enzo Amore in his initial run with the WWE, but both men did not do well going ahead.
Big Cass soon feuded with his tag partner Enzo, after he made Big Show his tag partner. Soon after, Cass suffered a legit knee injury, a torn ACL, during a Brooklyn Street Fight against Enzo Amore. Cass underwent surgery and was out of action for eight months.
His return saw him drafted to SmackDown where he attacked Daniel Bryan, igniting a feud between the two. After unsuccessful attempts at beating The Underdog, Big Cass was released for both disobeying Vince's orders during a segment on SmackDown, and misbehaving during an European tour.
After his 90-day No Compete clause ran out, Big Cass changed his name to Big C and made his way to the independent circuit. He hasn’t seen much success on the independent circuit as yet, compared to other former WWE wrestlers.
#5 James Ellsworth
Ellsworth’s initial work was to compete in squash matches for the company, which turned into matches against Braun Strowman and WWE Championship opportunities against AJ Styles. However, his best work was playing Carmella’s assistant, as it worked well for both superstars.
Due to being released by the company in 2017 after losing an inter-gender match to Becky Lynch and being attacked by Carmella, Ellsworth was out of the WWE for nearly a year.
He returned in 2018 to assist Carmella for a few weeks, helping her win a championship defense match against Asuka among causing other distractions.
He was once again fired by General Manager Paige from SmackDown, and has returned to the independent circuit. As compared to Big C, he has found much more success on the independent circuit, and even made appearances for Impact Wrestling.
#4 Summer Rae
As the WWE decided to bring the Women’s Revolution into wrestling, they thought it was time to let go of some female wrestlers on the main roster in order to make room for newer talent. Those with the least wrestling experience and ability were the ones who took the fall.
Summer Rae was with the WWE for four years, and she worked in a valet capacity for most of her career. Even though she was trying to improve her wrestling abilities, and make her in-ring performances look better, much like Lana, she couldn’t make the changes quick enough.
After being released by the WWE because of her limited wrestling skills, she tried to sign with other promotions, but wasn’t too successful. She has kept herself busy by making appearances at conventions and other promotions, and going for autograph signings, but has competed in the ring much less.
Summer Rae has also found some outlets to showcase her modeling potential.
#3 Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger is another man who found success with the WWE, but thought that he was being underutilised and under-rewarded.
But that wasn’t the only reason for him parting with the company, as his own Wellness Policy violations got in his way and caused him to look for opportunities outside of the WWE.
Since being released in 2017, Swagger has been doing fairly well on the independent circuit. He has made appearances with former WWE wrestlers, MVP and John Morrison, but has still not reached their level of success. Currently, he can be seen on Lucha Underground under the name “The Savage” Jake Strong.
Aside wrestling, Swagger has signed with Bellator MMA, and has been training hard to make his debut as an MMA competitor. As yet there have been no dates announced for his first MMA fight.
#2 Neville
The Man That Gravity Forgot still lives in the hearts of the WWE Universe. Neville was ruling the cruiserweight division in 2016 even though the WWE had made a mockery out of his main roster career.
He topped the cruiserweight division for over a year when suddenly the WWE pulled him back and he was nowhere to be seen.
Reports suggested that he walked out of the company after being asked to lose to Enzo Amore on an episode of RAW. After over a year of inactivity, and fans waiting for his return, his release was finally announced by the WWE who had kept his contract frozen for a long period of time.
Now Neville is enjoying his time in his home promotion Dragon Gate, where he competes under his former ring name PAC. He has many title victories under his belt with the promotion, and is looking for even more success.
#1 Cody Rhodes
Stardust was one gimmick which did not do this extremely talented wrestler any justice. Even though Cody Rhodes won a few championships with the WWE, he was still underutilised, and did not get the bookings he deserved.
Now Cody is one of the biggest names in wrestling outside the WWE. The reason was simple, he saw his own worth and decided to make his own name rather than follow the path laid out by WWE creative.
Since leaving the company, Cody has managed to work for major promotions such as Impact Wrestling, PWG, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Ring of Honor.
To add to his glorious run, he has won the ROH World Championship and IWGP United States Championship, proving to the fans that he is worth more than he was in the WWE.
For any wrestling fan who has been living under a rock, Rhodes also co-produced the largest independent wrestling show alongside The Young Bucks when they promoted All In.
