Former WWE talent that made it BIG after leaving

[Hyorinmaru]

I'm watching Lucha Underground season 1 on Netflix and talking to Matrix over on Discord and during season 1 I have seen former WWE stars like John Morrison/Johnny Mundo, Davari, Ezekiel Jackson/Big Ryck as well as Alberto El Patron/Del Rio & Chavo Guerrero all tear the house down in ways they really weren't allowed to in the WWE.

all of these guys have had some measure of success after WWE but ho had the most?

you don't have to pick from my small list and they didn't have to have performed in LU either but out of all the ones I've been able to see I have to pick Johnny Mundo.

The man kills it in LU as either a face or a heel and is a triple crown champion in the company. Through LU's working Relationship with AAA and became a huge star in that company going all the way to the top when he beat El Texano Jr, El Hijo del Fantasma to win the AAA Mega Championship & AAA World Cruiserweight Championship as well as retain his AAA Latin American Championship (That he won from Pentagon JR )all in the same Triple Threat match. He still holds all 3 titles as of me typing this out.

I can't think of anyone that has made it bigger after leaving WWE than that.

 

[Hello... I'm Awesome]

Bobby Lashley. He is a 4 time TNA world champion and their current champion. One time recently he held ALL their titles at once. Also, he is an accomplished MMA fighter with a career record of 15-2. I would say he has to be one of the most successful and at least comparable off the top of my head.

 

[sikkbones]

Bobby Lashley. He is a 4 time TNA world champion and their current champion. One time recently he held ALL their titles at once. Also, he is an accomplished MMA fighter with a career record of 15-2. I would say he has to be one of the most successful and at least comparable off the top of my head.

And yet the match he will be remembered for will be the one where he shared the spotlight with the current president,

Massively disagree.

 

[ISkye]

Overall I don't think anyone really compares to Mundo. It was kind of crazy to see him putting on matches like that "All Night Long" match with Puma in Lucha Underground. He's actually gotten around a lot more than even I initially think about despite not hearing his name dropped as much as others.

I suppose you could say Cody Rhodes if you saw where he was at towards his last WWE run, and where he is now. He's worked pretty hard and consistent to establish working relationships and is doing pretty well for himself. Drew Galloway also worked his ass off around the independents, TNA, and what not to really polish himself. Now he's been all over and signed to NXT the same day as Takeover. Brian Kendrick as well had similar in regards to floundering in WWE going to the indies, and then after proving himself returning.

You have a lot of guys like those 3 and especially from that brief era in WWE where talent (A lot of them being smaller guys or big guys brought up to soon) flopped and went back to the indies. Mundo pretty successful in regards to north american pro-wrestling. Galloway did a lot in the European / U.K. circuit and I think he was still WCPW champion during or prior his signing back to WWE / NXT. Kendrick came back to the indies for a very, very long time and kind of just worked around / trained, and innovated / contributed. Matt Sydal / Evan Bourne had pretty good stuff going whether it be in NJPW, ROH, or even PWG. Colt Cabana? I guess you could add him to discussion if you really wanted to?

A lot of guys were popular prior or had that spot like Del Rio, Chavo, Cody, Hardys, Angle, Dudleys, Colt, Chris Hero, etc.

There always is Matt Bloom if you want a guy who got huge after WWE, and then returned to WWE and they destroyed him a second time. He went from teaming with Scotty 2 Hotty to become a huge deal and taken pretty seriously in Japan. Won titles in NJPW, and NOAH and had a long great run. Then he came back and they debuted him as Lord Tensai. They somehow found a way to bury 10 years of a pretty illustrious pro-wrestling career in japan and bring him to comic relief level. He seemed okay with it at the end of the day though, and got a pretty sweet gig at the NXT center as a trainer I'm sure he enjoys considering he's retired.

 

[sikkbones]

Bully ray was a better solo character than bubba... But what's going to be in his hall ofame induction?

Bubba.
Get the tables.

 

[Lowdown]

Arguments can be made for most of the aforementioned stars. However I must admit that the true standout is Mundo. While I've never been a fan of his during his WWE run (or now for that matter), he's been killing it as the top heel in LU. I don't know about his runs in Mexico, but I've heard of his accomplishments in AAA and the like.

 

[sikkbones]

You know the superstar that was most successful outside of wwe?

Jesse Ventura.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I don't think he qualifies as big yet but Juice Robinson in NJPW is one to watch for the future and I think hell find far more success and opportunities than he ever would've as CJ Parker in NXT.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

AJ Styles did a few things of note after leaving WWE the first time. Judging by this thread, I'd say he wasn't well known in WWE before leaving. Pretty sure by the time he came back, people were excited.

 

[ShinChan]

There are many but only a handful stand out. Johnny Mundo. Drew Galloway. Heck even Alberto Del Rio was interesting in Lucha Underground. Just watch his match against Mundo at Ultima Lucha, I guess.

If AJ Styles can be considered then Ethan Carter III should be considered as well. The guy was a joke in WWE and he's the best IMPACT Wrestling has now. Cody Rhodes might get near as he's already better than what he was in WWE.

AJ Styles, Ethan Carter III, Drew Galloway and Johnny Mundo (obviously) are the top standouts. Two of them are back, get the other two as soon as possible.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

The Rock? Can't really top what he's done since moving on from wrestling even though he pops back once in awhile. He's currently the biggest action star on the planet. No other wrestler has come close to achieving that status after pro wrestling.

 

[stingray11214]

Does the name Mark Jindrak mean anything to anyone on this board? He was a jobber in WWE. Went to Mexico, and has become one of that country's most recognizable people. His WWE career is but a footnote to all that he has accomplished in CMLL and AAA and outside projects in Mexico.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I can't really count someone like Alberto Del Rio as he was a 4 time World Champion in WWE, winner of the largest Royal Rumble match in history and Mr. Money in the Bank all during his first run. If you've been a main eventer in WWE, then I don't count them.

I think it'd have to go to Bobby Lashley and Johnny Mundo. Since leaving WWE, Lashley's become a highly respected MMA heavyweight and is currently on his 4th run as Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion. All in all, Lashley is probably the most dominant main event level guy in Impact Wrestling since Kurt Angle.

Mundo was a significant mid-card and tag team guy in WWE and accomplished a lot, but he never broke on through to the other side. He's the 2nd Lucha Underground Triple Crown Champion, even though all three title reigns totaled 113 days but still. As has been mentioned, he's currently the simultaneous reigning AAA Mega, Cruiserweight and Latin America Champion so that's pretty impressive. Although, to be honest, I'm a little less impressed with Mundo's AAA title wins because, as with a lot of Japanese companies, the titles aren't defended that often. He's only recently won the Mega & Cruiserweight Championships in the last 3 weeks or so and has been Latin America Champion for around 220 days or so and it's potentially much easier to be a champion for 8.5 months if you only defend the title once every 4 to 6 months.

Another possibility is Matt Hardy as he's made it to a level that most everyone never believed he'd reach. The whole Broken thing didn't appeal to me personally, but it made him one of the biggest and most talked about stars on the indy scene in a long time.

Still though, I'm probably gonna go with Lashley.

 

[harrythem]

I'm going to pick Scott Hall...yeah he had a pretty good career in WWE but look at what he did when he went to WCW. He helped change the entire business (for good and bad) and was one of the top names in the biggest boom period in wrestling history...

just for how his wages went up outside WWE he deserves praise...

Or pick Kevin Nash, he did pretty well after leaving WWE

Then there's Brock Lesnar....yeah he was a main event guy in WWE but he went to UFC and the money he made for the few days he had to work was amazing...plus he then came back and look at what he gets in WWE (even the sponsors on his shorts is impressive)