5 WWE Superstars who changed careers following their release

Not every WWE Superstar who gets released from the company continues on with a pro wrestling career.

Some performers, after leaving/retiring from WWE, have gone on to have very successful acting careers, for example - such as the likes of John Cena, Batista, Stone Cold Steve Austin and, most famously, The Rock.

Having said this, there have been other superstars who have had to look for different career options outside of the business - or "regular jobs" - to continue their livelihoods after their release.

In this article, we look at five WWE superstars who changed careers following their release:

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#5 WWE Superstar Bo Dallas - Real Estate Agent

Former WWE superstar Bo Dallas is a third generation wrestler, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Blackjack Mulligan, and his father, Mike Rotunda, who was known as IRS in WWE.

He is also the younger brother of former three-time world champion Bray Wyatt . While Dallas did not reach the heights his brother did in the business, he was a former WWE NXT and 24/7 Champion and had also won the RAW Tag Team Championship with his partner, fellow 3rd-generation star Curtis Axel.

In April 2021, Dallas was released from WWE after being inactive on the roster since 2019. During this time, Bo had already started preparing for life after wrestling and subsequently joined his family Real Estate Business upon being released by Vince McMahon's promotion.

"In his case, because he hadn’t been used at all since late 2019, it was a huge surprise he wasn’t cut last year. As noted here, he’s been working in real estate and preparing for a life after wrestling because in his case you’d have to be blind not to see the handwriting on the wall."

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer noted in the above-mentioned quote at the time that this was Bo Dallas' backup plan after almost two years of inactivity on WWE TV.

#4 WWE Superstar Muhammad Hassan - School Principal

Muhammad Hassan worked in the WWE from 2004 to 2005 where he portrayed an "Arab-American pushing against discrimination" gimmick. It was one of the more high-profile stories in WWE at the time, and put a major spotlight on Hassan.

Despite not winning any championships in WWE, he still built up a heck of a career. For example, he managed to beat The Big Show in a singles match on SmackDown in June 2005. Hassan also had a pay-per-view match with arguably the greatest superstar in WWE, The Undertaker, at the Great American Bash in July 2005.

In September of the same year, however, he was released from WWE - for reasons we don't have time to go into here. His entire story would make for an article in of itself.

After being released, Hassan became a history teacher at Hannibal High School in Hannibal, New York. He then moved on to become Assistant Principal at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton, New York. Currently, Marc Copani is proudly the principal of Fulton Junior High School.

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#3 WWE Superstar Dawn Marie - Nurse

Dawn Marie debuted in WWE in 2002 - following her time in ECW - as Vince McMahon's on-screen legal assistant.

Marie also had some memorable feuds with superstars like Torrie Wilson, Miss Jackie and Michelle McCool. In July 2005, Dawn was released from WWE during maternity leave.

After her release, Marie would become a nurse in one of the hospitals located in her native New Jersey. She was very active during the Covid-19 pandemic, putting in long hours to serve patients.

#2 WWE Superstar Paul Burchill - Firefighter

Paul Burchill worked in WWE from 2005 to 2010. He was a very gifted performer but somehow never got the push from the company that he had hoped for.

Paul's most memorable gimmick in WWE was that of a pirate - inspired by the Johnny Depp's character Captain Jack Sparrow from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie series. During that time he would feud with such stars as WWE legend William Regal. Eventually, he would move on from his swashbuckling persona to other guises.

Burchill was released from WWE in February 2010. After his release, Paul went on to do bigger and better things by helping people. He became a first-responder as a firefighter and a paramedic. So, instead of swinging into harm's way as a scoundrel, he would dive into it as a genuine hero.

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#1 WWE Superstar Eva Marie - Actor and Fitness Model

Eva Marie bears the ill-fated accomplishment of being released by WWE twice. Her earlier stint in the promotion was from 2013-2017. Marie made a comeback earlier this year under her new gimmick 'Eva-Lution' - a celebrity who wants to "help" others in WWE.

During her second stint in WWE, she would mentor - and then feud with - her protoge, Doudrop (previously known in WWE NXT UK as Piper Niven.) Eva was last seen in action on the September 27 edition of Monday Night RAW where she was attacked by Shayna Baszler.

Marie was one of the 18 superstars who were released from the company on November 4. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that the reason for the release might've been because the company could've held that 'acting' break against her.

"She left to do some acting work right after she [returned] she wasn’t getting over. She’s not young, you know. Great look, of course, great look and all that, great body; but she left. So, I think that probably was held against her. It was an idea, but she wasn’t that good of a wrestler at all. It wasn’t going to work. They gave her a chance.”

After her second release, it is believed she will completely focus on her acting and fitness modeling career, with WWE now being a thing of the past.

What other WWE stars have gone on to other careers that you can think of? Share their stories in the comments down below!