Former Wrestling Stars: Where Are They Now?

World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE has been a mainstay of pseudo-sports entertainment for decades. It has morphed over the decades from the very early form that toured the country to a mega-operation that built up stars and generations of viewers worldwide. During that tenure, at least to date, multiple wrestlers have made their careers with the WWE, and some went even farther, using the WWE as a launchpad to something further. Whichever the case, these wrestling stars have seen it all. Some have reached further success and built whole new personas.

Born officially as Scott Oliver Hall, Razor Ramon was classic 1980s wrestler. He had been quite active and around during that decade, but Ramon’s big break didn’t happen until the next decade. It was his jump to the other big wrestling circuits, better known as the World Wrestling Federation and the WCW that opened up big career moves for Razor Ramon. During those years, Ramon was very fit and enjoyed the high life.

Most people remember Kane as the big guy with ratty hair and an evil mask. However, in real life people probably wouldn’t recognize Kane if he walked up to them in person at the grocery story. By his normal name, Glenn Thomas Jacobs, Kane is big but he would generally look like any other person walking down the road, just a little bigger than others.

Named after the infamous bass player from the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious in wrestling was one of those unsung heroes that help professional wrestling launch into the bigtime. 

As a big guy with lots of wet hair, a bit of eyeliner and a hulking appearance, Mideon was not someone a wrestler wanted to see across the ring. Of course, without all the gear and makeup, cleaned up a big and dressed right, Dennis Knight probably came across as an okay guy.

Known legally as Barbra Jean Blank, the wrestling star Kelly Kelly was an odd face in the ring. She didn’t necessarily have bulk and mass, but Kelly Kelly did have charisma and presence. And that worked well for her after wrestling too.

Among the second generation wrestlers, Goldberg was a big name who landed in the ring and made it his own. Not only did Goldberg dominate the rooting corner for the hero, he mopped the mat with the bad guys too, on a regular basis.

The grim image of death worked very well as a bad guy character in professional wrestling, and the Undertaker lived up to the role. When Mark William Calaway got out of the ring, however, he was already looking forward to a future past wrestling.

He’s made a name for himself in the movies, advertising for Ford Trucks, and continues to be a role model for youth in all aspects of life. The Rock also continues to push himself well beyond normal expectations, physically, spiritually and mentally.

One of the original professional wrestling names, Hulk Hogan was the epitome of the wrestling hero character, and Hogan lived up to the name as well. Then again, he only had to deal with bad guys like Rowdy Rodney Piper and similar instead of later characters. Officially named Terre Gene Bollea, Hogan continued his career as a celebrity but began to fade by the 1990s.

He was big, boisterous and could flatten an opponent if that person was unlucky enough to get within reach. Fortunately, Tugboat was on the side of the good guys, so original wrestlers like Hulk Hogan didn’t need to worry too much.

Aside from the hair-do change, not that much seems to have changed for Big Show. He’s still sizable and big, and he still likes to smile in front of the cameras. Big Show tried to transition like other wrestlers to the acting world, but it didn’t work quite as well.

Although looking at Stacey Keibler one would never think she was involved with wrestling, Keibler had her TV career launched by professional wrestling and being in the ring. From there she followed a well-walked path into the acting and film world, showing up on regular sitcom shows like What About Brian as well as the comedy, How I Met Your Mother.

By name and probably driver’s license, he goes by James Brian Hellwig, but in the ring he had a few other names. From the big hair guy with Twisted Sister makeup to Dingo Warrior or his official wrestling name, the Ultimate Warrior, Hellwig made a presence.

He achieved the most number of official professional championships in the ring and definitely enjoyed talking up a storm in and out of the ring. He also enjoyed putting Hulk Hogan to shame whenever possible being all about ego.

Another of the big 1980s names, Macho Man gave other characters a run for their money. Doing so, Macho Man lasted over three decades in his wrestling career, providing one of the longest lasting names in the industry.

Oscar Gutierrez utilized a classic, traditional wrestling gimmick with the mask in the ring, and the audiences loved it as a throwback to the early wrestling days from the 1950s and 60s. Gutierrez lasted well into the early 2000s and was the real Lucha Libre.

With a stage name like Sunny, what could go wrong? That was the theme and motto for Tammy Lyn Sytch, who enjoyed the career professional wrestling gave her as well as entertainment and life it provided her as well. Unfortunately, she partied a bit too much as well.

Copying the same haircut as another entertainer on a TV series named Xena, Warrior Princess, Chyna was the bulked up version of the warrior amazon. She enjoyed a unique role and character during the 1990s, and Chyna led the introduction of female wrestlers into the professional wrestling genre.

Also another well-known female figure in the professional wrestling world, Sable was seen regularly in and around the ring, showing off her fluffed hair that definitely needed some industrial hair spray to stay in place given how rowdy the ring could get.

Among all the wrestlers that have enjoyed a career in the WWE, Lesnar was one of the view who could easily claim being a bona fide athlete and competitor well have high school or college. He was an accomplished MMA fighter, as well as a professional football player in the NFL.

Among the wrestlers who would wear makeup for their gig, Sting was a notable character. His act and performance worked so well, he was able to keep wrestling going solid for three decades. Many recognized Stings face because he was on so many of their marketing images, T-shirts, lunchboxes, stickers and similar.

A classic character in the early decade of professional wrestling during the 1980s, Jake Roberts lasted another decade before ending his career before 2000 arrived. Roberts handled roles and circuits both in the U.S. and Mexico, gaining a sizable following due to diversifying his market.

As one of a few wrestlers who have made the jump from the professional wrestling ring to the far more demanding MMA circuit, CM Punk has achieved accomplishments only a handful of wrestlers have pulled off. On the wrestling side, CM Punk put in a decade of work nailing the Triple Crown Championship.

If Stan Hansen walked up to someone today, he would be assumed to be someone’s Texan grandfather with a big smile. However, Hansen was a long-running name in the wrestling world. He started his career in 1973 and stayed active until just after the Millennium in 2001.

An early classic before the first big generation of wrestlers in the 1980s, Terry Funk was a predecessor who taught the classic crowd how to do their sport. Funk started in 1965. He lasted in wrestling well after many others until 2006. Then Funk kept wrestling more as an independent.

Legally known as Johnathan Coachman, the Coach was a fixture for a bit in the 1990s wrestling, especially when the industry was interested in developing diversity. Coachman worked for a number of years as well as commentator in the industry.

In the original WWF genre, Skinner was a well-known name during the 1980s. And he gained sizable following on his own as well. Wrestling was everything for Skinner’s life, and even after he was done in the ring, he stayed involved.

One of the “pretty boys” in the professional wrestling circuit, Scotty 2 Hotty was a big darling draw for female fans because of his looks. Fortunately, the career didn’t damage his looks any.

Viewers were often confused when Vincent Kennedy McMahon entered the ring. Given his size, it was hard to tell if he was wrestler gone actor or really was a WWE executive. As it turned out, McMahon was running the whole show. He was the key player as both the CEO and owner of the WWE.

A ground breaker by both physical presence as well as historical importance, Yokozuna became the first Samoan to professionally wrestle and make a career of it. Legally known as Rodney Agatupa Anoa’I, was a giant in the ring and gained a huge following.

Some kept mixing her up with Diana Ross, but Jacqueline was all about the wrestling ring. In fact, she was so serious, Jacqueline won the Cruiserweight Champion title among her awards.

When he started in wrestling, Steve Austin had long blond hair, believe it or not. A good amount of that hair disappeared over time, but Stone Cold Steve Austin became the hero persona of the All-American wrestling character.

What do you do with a guy in the ring who was already huge and missing two front teeth? Don’t get in his way for one thing. Michael Francis gained a persona wrestling in the ring, and Mick Foley was one of the more famous names, but it also gave Cactus Jack a good run for its money.

Most people will recognize David Bautista today as the big violent guy in the movie franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy (Drax to be exact), but Bautista was well established in wrestling before the movies came along.

While not one of the big names so far, Orton isn’t an unknown on professional wrestling either. Randy Orton has been very active in the industry, and he has done some crossover mid-career into acting, garnering a role in TV shows as well.

The Edge was another of the long-haired huge monsters in the ring, with a physical dominance of the scene. However, Adam Joseph Copeland decided to leave that look and persona behind when he finished with wrestling for good.

A famous female face and name in the wrestling circuit in the mid-2000s, Lita didn’t stay in the ring very long. She decided to call it quits by 2006 and pursue a different career in singing and stage entertainment instead.

His original name was Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, not the sort of surname one might want to have in high school. However, given Shawn’s size, it probably wasn’t a good idea to say anything to him directly.

Michaels definitely developed a reputation in the ring and produced a notable career in professional wrestling.

Born as Debrah Ann Miceli, her mother probably didn’t expect that Debrah would make a name for herself via professional wrestling. However, dubbed “Alundra Blayze,” Debrah surprised everyone when she won Rookie of the Year in the late 1980s.

Booker T was a big name in the ring, and he worked that fame to an advantage. Booker T had size, ego, and swagger, all of which allowed his wrestling character to build fame.

After professional wrestling, Booker T went back to his legal name of Robert Booker Tio Huffman and branched out into other career paths.

Comparing to how he looks in the ring, Triple H is a totally different man today. When Paul Michel Levesque entered the wrestling world as Triple H, he had long dyed-blonde locks and an evil smile that worked well in front of the camera.