5 WWE Superstars who changed careers following their release

#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!