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WWE has always hunted for the most talented and skilled Superstars in the industry to add to its roster which consists of the best wrestlers in the world. The company hunts all over the world for such talent and its employees work hard to pick out the best men and women who can do wonders for WWE and help it grow in different territories.
However, talent is not always the only thing that WWE is looking for as it also relies on the looks of some Superstars to gain more interest from the fans.
While many Superstars work hard to keep their physiques in check during their career, they let it go after they are released by the company or retire from the ring. On the other hand, several other WWE Superstars get a chance to work harder on themselves after leaving the company as they get more time off the road to work on themselves.
With that in mind, several Superstars have now left the company but have had significant transformations since leaving WWE.
In this article, we will look at the 8 former Superstars who look very different now as compared to how they looked during their prime in the WWE.
#8 Spike Dudley
Spike Dudley walked into Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1996 under the ring name "Little" Spike Dudley. Dudley was part of the extremely popular and over team known as The Dudley Boyz. He then joined WWE in 2001 and continued his alliance with the Dudley Boyz in the WWE ring.
Even though Spike weighed around 150 lbs, he was a handful in the ring and his skills allowed him to take down the biggest Superstars. On top of that, Spike’s light weight allowed other Superstars to ‘destroy’ him in the ring and make an impact on the WWE Universe.
During his time in the company, Spike won the Hardcore Championship multiple times, along with the WWE European Championship, Cruiserweight Championship, and WWE Tag Team Championships along with Tazz.
How different does Spike look from his WWE days?
Spike looks extremely different today as compared to how he looked two decades ago as he has become an average Joe after trimming down his hair and letting go of his crazy gimmick.
Outside the WWE, Spike is working on building a family today and works as a financial planner behind the desk. That’s an upgrade for a man who was all too used to being driven through a table rather than working behind one!
#7 Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus will forever be remembered as the blonde bombshell who ushered in the women’s revolution in WWE. Although several former and current WWE Superstars would like to take the credit for the women’s revolution in the company, it was Trish who made the biggest difference when it mattered the most.
Trish had some of the best and most memorable female matches in the company, something that allowed her to shine above the rest and become a 7-time Women’s Champion.
Even though her full-time WWE career lasted around eight years, she managed to take the WWE by storm in that time and helped other women rise to the top along with herself.
Trish retired from WWE in 2007
Even though Trish retired from WWE in 2007, she has continued to make sporadic appearances for the company whenever it has called for her. She was part of the first Women’s Royal Rumble match in 2018, showing that she’s still got what it takes to compete in the ring, and also competed in the inaugural all-women pay-per-view, Evolution.
Even though Trish’s in-ring abilities haven’t changed too much over the past two decades, her physical appearance has. Trish now sports natural dark brown hair rather than the blonde hair had made her a hit during the initial days of her career. She even looks much fitter and more athletic in the ring than before, thanks to her work as a yoga-trainer.
#6 Gene Snitsky
Gene Snitsky signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2003 and arrived onto the main roster as a giant heel looking to wreak havoc on the babyfaces of the company.
The 6'8 tall Superstar was seen as one of the biggest forces in the WWE who could match up to anyone and give them a tough time in the ring. His catchphrase “It wasn’t my fault!” caught up with the WWE Universe and they began to follow the big guy’s work.
Snitsky worked some big feuds in the company, working with industry leaders such as Kane and Rob Van Dam before asking for his release in 2008.
Gene Snitsky looks very different today as compared to his WWE days
Even though Snitsky was a giant in the ring, his physique was never properly maintained giving him the look of a careless athlete. However, since he retired from the ring in 2018, Snitsky has transformed his physique completely and become one of the most ripped former WWE Superstars doing well outside the business today.
WWE’s former big heel now works as an actor and stuntman who is known for several movies such as 100 Acres of Hell and Way Out of Bounds.
Looking at Snitsky’s latest photos, it looks like the former WWE Superstar is enjoying his time outside the squared circle!
#5 Ahmed Johnson
Ahmed Johnson is famous for becoming the first African American to win a singles championship in the WWE after he won the company’s Intercontinental Championship by defeating Goldust in June 1996.
Johnson was known for his incredible physique and strength in the ring, something that helped him get some top matches including the headliner for WWE In Your House 9: International Incident pay-per-view event. There he teamed up with Sycho Sid and Shawn Michaels in a losing effort against The British Bulldog, Owen Hart, and Vader.
What made Ahmed Johnson leave WWE?
While it seemed like Johnson would get a major push in his career thanks to his incredible build and skills, a tragic incident involving the death of his sister led to him leaving the company soon after his match at No Way Out of Texas in February 1998.
Johnson left the WWE but joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) a year later, however, he never really took off. Injuries took a toll on his body and he decided to retire from the sport.
After retiring, Johnson returned to college and graduated with a degree in Criminology from Huston-Tillotson University.
Today, Johnson looks nowhere near what he looked like during his time in WWE as he seems to have put on a lot of weight and given up on his fitness routine.
#4 Adam Rose
The South African born Adam Rose debuted in WWE in early 2010 after competing on the independent circuit for several years. Rose went through several gimmicks in WWE before he was handed the "Party Animal" gimmick where he would come out with his “Rosebuds” to compete in matches.
Many WWE Superstars who worked as his Rosebuds, such as Becky Lynch and Braun Strowman, have now become much more successful in the company as compared to he could have ever been.
After a stint in NXT, he was moved to the main roster with a similar gimmick but failed to get too over with the WWE Universe and became an enhancement talent even though he was good between the ropes.
Adam Rose asked for his WWE release in 2016.
WWE continued to change some aspects of his character but never fully zeroed in on one gimmick which led to the Superstar losing a lot of value. He requested his release from the company in May 2016 and was granted the same.
Today, Rose looks nothing like his former self as he is all jacked up and looks like a true beast of a human being. The former WWE Superstar has chopped off his hair and gained a lot of extra muscle, something that would have worked well for him in today’s WWE.
#3 Lex Luger
Lex Luger was the prototype of WWE long before John Cena (The Prototype) made his debut. He had the perfect body that made him an instant crowd favorite, and he continued to work on that angle to ensure that he remained at the top of his game.
However, controversies got the better of the Superstar who could have been much more than he ended up being, and it’s almost criminal that he never won a single title during his WWE run even though he won the 1994 Royal Rumble match along with Bret Hart.
Where did Luger go after leaving WWE?
After he retired from the ring, Luger suffered nerve damage in his neck and ended up paralyzed. Luger suffered a lot due to the nerve damage and was unable to stand or walk for nearly a year.
In 2010, Luger stated that he had regained some movement in his lower body and was able to walk more comfortably and drive himself. However, the man with one of the best physiques in the business looks nowhere near his former self today and we hope he can continue to live a healthy life after all that he’s gone through.
#2 Vladimir Kozlov
If you were ever a fan of WWE in the late 2000s and early 2010s, then you’d be well aware of one of the biggest heels in WWE during that time, Vladimir Kozlov.
The Ukrainian Superstar was handed a villainous gimmick by the company and was hailed as a Russian villain known as “The Moscow Mauler”. At 6 feet 8 inches tall, Kozlov did a great job at playing the perfect heel even though he had limited in-ring skills.
Kozlov even got in contention for the WWE Championship in early 2010 but was released from the company after just a single WWE Tag Team Championship run with Santino Marella.
Kozlov looked like the perfect heel but WWE failed to build a great gimmick around him, which resulted in his release in 2011. Following thatm he went into the independent circuit before he gave up on wrestling.
What is Kozlov up to after leaving WWE?
Today, Kozlov works as an actor and stuntman who has featured in some top movies. He was a Stuntman for John Wick 2 and Dywane "The Rock" Johnson's Fast & Furious 6 and has even got a starring role in the movie Wolf Warriors 2. Apart from that, he’s appeared in Marvel’s The Punisher in 2019.
Kozlov looks much more fitter and ripped today as compared to his WWE days which makes it seem like he is enjoying his time outside the WWE ring more than anyone could have imagined!
#1 Shawn Michaels
The “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels is arguably the most accomplished Superstar on this list, and rightfully so. Michaels started his WWE career back in 1987-88 and became a true star who is known as one of the best in-ring workers to have ever taken to the WWE ring.
The First Grand Slam Champion of the company also won two consecutive Royal Rumbles in 1995 and 1996 and became “Mr. WrestleMania” in the process.
HBK’s interesting gimmick along with his ring attire, long locks, and clean-shaven look helped him become a top star in the industry and the man of every woman’s dreams. He is well-known for putting up some of the best matches in the history of WWE, including ones against John Cena, Ric Flair, and The Undertaker.
HBK since leaving the WWE ring
While HBK may have retired from the ring, he hasn’t gone far away from it and the WWE. He is now a backstage producer and coach for WWE’s NXT brand and has undertaken a more professional look for his current assignment.
Michaels has chopped off his long locks and grown a beard, something that makes him almost unrecognizable as compared to his older fans. However, I believe that his current look suits him as much as his look from his HBK days!
