All 6 WWE stars who debuted after the McMahons' apology 5 years ago: Where are they now?

WWE has undergone significant changes in 2023, but the company has been widely praised for its product.

The success of the new regime has seen a spike in TV ratings, positive fan feedback, and relatively high audience engagement. However, the promotion's state was the complete opposite five years ago.

The company seemingly struggled with television ratings and decreased fan interest in 2018. Many believed it was because of the inconsistent storytelling, overexposure of certain stars, and lack of character development.

Vince, Stephanie, and Shane McMahon, accompanied by Triple H, apologized to fans, promising to bring significant changes to WWE's product. This meant the introduction of new stars and on-screen authority figures, among other things.

After the announcement, six NXT stars were advertised to move to the main roster. Let's find out where the abovementioned stars are five years later.

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#6 Lacey Evans was recently released from WWE

Lacey Evans was a promising talent heading into WWE's main roster in 2018, having held a winning streak in the developmental brand. However, her move to RAW was quite bizarre.

Evans' first official outing on the main roster came as part of the 2019 women's Royal Rumble match. She was the first to enter the bout, and lasted almost 30 minutes. The former WWE star then appeared on the red show to simply wave to the crowd before exiting.

The Sassy Southern Belle had notable feuds with Becky Lynch and Natalya during her time in the company. She was also controversially paired with Ric Flair during her feud with Charlotte Flair. However, she did not capture any championships in the promotion.

Evans left WWE in August this year and has since opened the Sunny Summers Café. In a recent interview, she said pro wrestling was never her passion.

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#5 and #4 Heavy Machinery (Otis: RAW Superstar, Tucker: Released from WWE)

Otis is arguably one of the most successful and entertaining stars on this list. The 31-year-old debuted on the main roster as part of Heavy Machinery with Tucker. The former champion's rise began when he entered a romantic storyline with Mandy Rose, which ended in a successful match with Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania 36.

Over the past few years, Otis has been Chad Gable's tag team partner in the Alpha Academy. The duo has been highly successful, capturing the RAW Tag Team Title.

Unfortunately, Tucker could not make it big on the main roster. After Otis won the Money in the Bank contract in 2020, Tucker betrayed him. The former star's only title in WWE was the 24/7 Championship. He was released in April 2021.

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#3 Lars Sullivan: Released from WWE

Lars Sullivan had a promising beginning to his WWE career, but a series of personal issues seemingly led to his release. He was one of the most dominant forces in NXT and was scheduled to debut on the main roster in January 2019, but it was postponed due to his health issues.

He finally debuted in April 2019 by attacking Kurt Angle, who had just retired. He continued to attack well-known stars like Rey Mysterio and The Hardy Boyz. Many believed he was positioned to be the next Brock Lesnar. However, Sullivan faced some problems when his previous comments at a wrestling forum resurfaced online.

The 35-year-old was released from WWE in 2021 and expressed he was done with wrestling. He has since become a fitness and strength coach. There were even talks of him pursuing bare-knuckle boxing.

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#2 EC3: Released from WWE

EC3 began his WWE career in 2009 and stayed with the company till 2013. Following his exit, he became a prominent name in IMPACT Wrestling. He departed from the latter company in 2018 and returned to the Stamford-based promotion. However, his second stint with the sports entertainment juggernaut was lackluster.

EC3's second run with the Stamford-based promotion saw him feud with Velveteen Dream in NXT and Dean Ambrose on the main roster. However, his run never really took off, and he only won the 24/7 Title. The veteran was released in 2020 and began wrestling in other promotions, including NWA and OVW.

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#1 Nikki Cross is a WWE RAW Superstar

Nikki Cross officially joined the main roster in January 2019 and had notable partnerships with Alexa Bliss and Rhea Ripley. On the other hand, she could not find much success as a solo competitor.

Cross debuted on the main roster with her deranged and violent character. In 2021, she adopted the faux-superhero gimmick called Nikki A.S.H. Although she won the RAW Women's Title, her momentum quickly fizzled out.

In 2022, Nikki Cross' unhinged persona finally returned. She currently wrestles on RAW, besides making bizarre backstage appearances. It will be interesting to see what's next for the star in the company.