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WWE has been the gold standard of wrestling for a long long time and in many ways, it won't be wrong to say that it is synonymous to the word "Pro-Wrestling". Such has been the impact and reach and the coverage that it has generated that it's tough not to associate stardom with anyone who is not associated with this juggernaut.
But then at the same time, there have been exceptions. There have been wrestlers who have left WWE due to various reasons and made their name away from the glittering lights of the company.
Many left because of creative differences, lack of opportunity and many others just left because they could see themselves not being able to break Vince McMahon's virtual glass ceiling (a world in which you need to be big and have crazy muscular stature to actually become "The Guy" in WWE).
In the earlier times, there were viable alternatives as well with WCW becoming a lucrative and viable option for wrestlers who felt they were just not suited for the rigours of a WWE contract. Many wrestlers have in the past gone out turned into a much bigger star than they ever were in WWE, let's go through the list of a few of them who made it big after leaving WWE.
#1 Kevin Nash
"Big Daddy Cool" was a legitimate star in WWE in his gimmick as "Diesel". He had risen up the ladder, became champion and even headlined WrestleMania alongside The Undertaker. But then all of a sudden WCW came calling with a huge sum of money and creative independence which was just not what WWE was willing to provide Nash at that time.
Losing to 'Taker also meant he was not the top "big guy" in the WWE either. The timing seemed right and Kevin Nash made the jump to WCW and rest as they say is history. Nash was involved in one of the most influential factions (NWO) in the history of wrestling which took his career to the next level and was instrumental in the success that WCW achieved.
#2 Scott Hall
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (also known as Diesel) left the WWE together for WCW and were offered the same contracts. Scott Hall, also known as Razor Ramon had a great run in the WWE but WCW was successful in luring him away by offering huge sums of money and providing him with the opportunity of a decreased workload.
Razor Ramon (Known as Scott Hall in WCW), along with Kevin Nash was instrumental in the growth of WCW and were pivotal in making it the formidable force that it was. Alongside Nash, Hall formed NWO, one of the most influential factions of all time in pro wrestling which made him the star of WCW, the faction and the face of the organization. NWO arguably changed the landscape of wrestling all over the world and took everything up a notch.
#3 Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega's situation is different in the sense that he was very raw (no pun intended) and very new to wrestling when WWE had offered him a one year contract at one of its developmental grounds, Deep South Wrestling.
Kenny was still pretty fresh when he left and he has slowly and steadily made his name first on the independent circuit and then later in NJPW. He's done it so well that currently he's the hottest wrestler in the world and every promotion wants him.
Despite him not having stepped a foot inside a WWE ring ever, it's been his amazing in-ring work and out of it on the mic charisma that has won him fans all over the world.
If you talk about the most complete package in wrestling right now it's hard to look beyond Kenny Omega (pretty much why WWE offered him a handsome contract as his stint in NJPW ends).
#4 Cody Rhodes
There's no doubt that Cody had already proven himself in WWE as a solid performer. He was a reliable mid-carder but somehow after a while, WWE couldn't figure out what to do with him which led to the introduction of the "Stardust" gimmick. It almost became evident that Cody would never be given that main event push and he'll never climb the ladder to be the face of the company.
Realising that, Cody left the organization only to go to rebuild himself as a main eventer first in indies and then with NJPW that WWE has since made multiple offers to Cody only to get declined again and again. Ever since Cody has left WWE, he has grown immensely in terms of popularity and gained well-deserved respect from all quarters. The biggest regret for WWE? Cody is the face of its most recent competition in the form of All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
#5 AJ Styles
Just like Kenny Omega, not many would know that AJ Styles had actually featured in WWE before getting released at a very early stage of his career. This was before Styles made TNA Impact Wrestling his home and slowly rose up the ranking to become the face of TNA. He then moved to NJPW, became the leader of the Bullet Club and saw his popularity rise even more.
So much so that AJ was a star even before he even stepped into the WWE ring. Any doubts? Just have a look at the ovation he received when he debuted in the Royal Rumble. You've got to respect AJ for his achievements though. He's been the marque champion in all the wrestling promotions he's stepped into, and even without conquering the final frontier of WWE he would have been a legitimate superstar.
#6 Jeff Hardy
Whenever it comes to WWE, Jeff Hardy has always been a wildcard. A high flyer and someone who started his career as nothing but a jobber (alongside his brother Matt), Jeff slowly grew in the ranks and at one point of time, challenged none other than The Undertaker for the WWE championship.
Even despite that Jeff was never seen as a main eventer or someone who could main event a PPV. It was at this time that Jeff made the switch to TNA and was a legit front runner for championships. He was able to make such a progression that when he was signed back he went on to win the WWE Championship beating none other than Triple H and Edge. Even his second stint with TNA as "Brother Nero" rose Jeff to even bigger heights before the Hardy boys made their way back to the WWE
#7 Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy, just like his brother started merely as jobbers and worked their way up to become one of the most formidable tag teams in the history of wrestling. After splitting up, Matt had his own singles run which was pretty good as a mid-card wrestler but that was always the glass ceiling as far as Matt was concerned.
He was always looked at as an upper to a mid-card wrestler who won't be able to make it at the top levels or in the main event. But then Matt made the switch to TNA and changed his look to become something completely different and an all-new gimmick which propelled him to the top of the charts as the "Broken" Matt Hardy. He created history with his creativity and became one of the biggest names in the industry after he left WWE.
