5 Wrestlers Worse Off After Leaving WWE

Throughout professional wrestling history, WWE has been viewed as the company that every performer strives to work for, knowing that they have the opportunity to become one of the biggest stars in the world, while earning a life-changing income. However, where some wrestlers reach their peak following their initial stint in WWE, others fail to replicate the same success they once had with the company. Earlier this year, WrestlingInc. released a list highlighting AEW talent who struggled to succeed after leaving WWE. This time, we're looking back at performers whose careers went downhill after departing from the Connecticut-based promotion.

The five wrestlers listed below have not only been forgotten about, but also endured their own individual challenges outside the ring, such as substance abuse, political controversies, or were simply unsuccessful in trying to recapture the same magic they had with the WWE Universe.

During the early 2010s, Damien Sandow, also known as Aron Stevens, had quickly become one of WWE's most popular mid-card stars, having built himself a cult following after his Money In The Bank win in 2013. Unfortunately, Sandow's momentum was completely halted when he failed to defeat John Cena for the WWE Championship after cashing in the briefcase on "WWE Raw," a creative decision that many believed would sink Sandow's career. Thankfully, Stevens would catch lightning in a bottle with his "Damien Mizdow" gimmick alongside The Miz, which led him to capture the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Sandow's partnership with The Miz felt like a second opportunity to launch himself into the main event scene, especially after Damien finally betrayed "The A-Lister" by eliminating him during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. That said, after engaging in a short feud with The Miz, Sandow returned to his "Intellectual Savior of the Masses" persona and never managed to reach the same level of popularity due to a lack of creative direction. This ultimately led Sandow to be released in 2016, and though he's had moderate success on the independent wrestling scene, he was unable to catch lightning in a bottle again.

Today, Sandow continues to make brief appearances either as a manager or on the commentary desk for specific indie companies and continues to compete on a semi-regular basis for the National Wrestling Alliance. Outside of a short run in TNA, Sandow never had another opportunity to compete for a major wrestling promotion.

Muhammad Hassan famously had one of the more controversial wrestling gimmicks in WWE history, with his character portraying an Arab-American competitor who faced prejudice following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. However, shortly after his WWE debut in 2004, Hassan would quickly be positioned as one of the company's next top stars, with his solid in-ring work and excellent promo ability catching the attention of fans, but his thought-provoking persona also made him one of the better heels during the Ruthless Aggression era.

Hassan would eventually find himself wrestling the likes of John Cena and Shawn Michaels, while being given multiple opportunities to capture some of the promotion's top titles, but one match on "WWE SmackDown" would completely change the trajectory of his career.

In the midst of his feud with The Undertaker, Hassan's manager, Daivari, competed against "The Deadman" on a pre-recorded episode of "SmackDown." The Undertaker quickly defeated Daivari, but the post-match angle remains one of the ill-fated moments in WWE history. Before The Undertaker made his exit, Hassan began a prayer ritual, which was followed by a group of masked men dressed in black entering the ring and attacking "The Phenom." The disturbing segment, which resembled a terrorist attack, unfortunately took place just days before the 2005 London Bombings, leading WWE to face severe backlash on a global scale following the broadcast. 

In response to the controversy, Hassan's push was completely diminished in the months that followed, and he was fired from WWE in September 2005. Outside of a short stint competing in The Dynasty seven years ago, Hassan has left the wrestling world behind him, as he went back to college after his WWE career and is now a principal at Fulton Junior High School.

Throughout his seven-year stint with WWE, Ryback often found himself in the main event scene against the likes of CM Punk and John Cena following his run with the Nexus, as the company pushed him as its next powerhouse star. Despite his numerous world title opportunities, Ryback never managed to capture the WWE Championship, and quickly began to be featured as a mid-card star rather than a main event player by 2014. Many fans often feel that Ryback's lack of victories on Premium Live Events was when he began to lose momentum, with failing to defeat Punk for the world title at Hell In A Cell being viewed as the start of his downfall.

Ryback would spend the next two years trying to obtain mid-card titles, and eventually became Intercontinental Champion, but he never felt as important as he did in 2012. Ultimately, Ryback began to grow frustrated with his creative direction in WWE, with things reaching a boiling point when he was bumped to the pre-show of WrestleMania 32 against Kalisto for the United States Championship. After losing to Kalisto again at Payback, Ryback would explain in a lengthy Tumblr post that he was not interested in staying with WWE due to the amount of money he was being offered to continue working for the company.

Ryback would enjoy a short run on the independent wrestling scene, but ultimately stopped competing in 2018 and has since grown a massive social media following on TikTok and Instagram, where he answers fan questions about the business and opens up about his WWE experiences. However, it's worth mentioning that Ryback's controversial comments on social media about WWE or other wrestlers have hurt his career, having burnt bridges with many he used to work with.

Despite Adam Rose never being considered a main event talent in WWE, he definitely earned himself a cult following during his time with the promotion, having entertained fans with his energetic persona, comedic segments, and most importantly, his entrance to the ring alongside the "Rosebuds." The former WWE star would also find himself in one of the more unique factions in company history, having joined Bo Dallas, Heath Slater, and Curtis Axel in the Social Outcasts in 2016. However, that same year, Rose would be indefinitely suspended for violating WWE's wellness policy, and shortly afterward,s asked for his release from the company following a domestic violence arrest.

Although Rose's domestic violence charges were eventually dropped, the incident not only put an end to his WWE career but also made it difficult for the former FCW Heavyweight Champion to find work elsewhere. Nearing the end of the 2010s, Rose competed on the independent wrestling scene for three years, but would officially hang up his boots in 2019. Before his retirement announcement, Rose had completely transformed his physique, having bulked up after being sober for over 400 days thanks to WWE's assistance. This created fan speculation that Rose would reacclimate himself with the company, but he's decided to stay out of the spotlight for the past six years.  

Rose has kept a low profile since 2019, having been silent on social media and featured in very few interviews, but has thankfully found peace following his WWE career.

During the early 2010s, Alex Riley was most known for being The Miz's apprentice in "WWE NXT," before eventually being called up to the main roster to accompany "The A-Lister" throughout his rise to becoming WWE Champion. However, Riley would get a chance to solidify himself as a singles star after betraying The Miz in 2011 and defeating him at Capitol Punishment, but a famous behind-the-scenes incident has unfortunately become what he's most remembered for today.

Although multiple wrestlers and personalities have detailed several versions of the story, Riley reportedly engaged in a backstage altercation with John Cena, which effectively ended his push in WWE despite being popular with the fanbase. Between Cena being overly critical of Riley's in-ring work, ribbing him backstage, and trying to take him under his wing, there's been many different interpretations of what truly transpired between both stars. Ultimately, Riley seemingly stood up for himself whenever he felt that he was being mistreated, causing him to be involved in many controversies behind the curtain. 

After his singles push quickly diminished, Riley found himself on the commentary desk before eventually starting a social media campaign titled #FreeRiley, to help convince management to put him back in the ring. The campaign led him to return to "NXT" where he would feud with Kevin Owens, but the following year, Riley was rarely booked on television and was featured in a round of talent cuts after WrestleMania 32. Riley briefly returned to wrestling three years ago where he enjoyed a short run on the indie scene, but otherwise has remained inactive. That said, he has appeared during several interviews throughout the 2020s where he shares his perspective of his downfall in WWE.