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What's the story?
Ray Leppan, also known as former WWE Superstar Adam Rose, has announced his retirement from professional wrestling. He made the announcement via his Instagram account late last night.
In case you didn't know...
Leppan, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, began his wrestling career in his home country before moving on to the indie scene in Philadelphia, PA where he was trained by the father of his then Pure Juice tag team partner, Paul Lloyd, Jr. (now known as P.J. Black.) He would move on to WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, where he would stay from 2010 to 2014, during which the territory was rebranded as NXT.
Starting his FCW as Leo Kruger, a South African bounty hunter named after former South African president Paul Kruger, Leppan's lack of success with the character moved him to switch gears. In 2014, he was repackaged as Adam Rose, a British party enthusiast with a colorful entourage based loosely on comedian Russell Brand. This character would see him called up to the main roster that same year.
Rose's NXT career was chronicled in an ESPN E:60 documentary titled "Behind the Curtain", which also focused on the career paths of Corey Graves and Xavier Woods.
The heart of the matter
Rose never really took off on the main roster following his highly anticipated debut. After a heel turn, partnering with Rosa Mendes, and joining Heath Slater's "#SocialOutcasts" stable, Leppan was suspended for violating WWE's Wellness Policy for 30 days - then suspended indefinitely when he was arrested for domestic violence. He asked for, and was granted his release in 2016.
After a few years working on the independent scene, the former Adam Rose decided to call it a day.
What's next?
Well, that's up to Leppan. A lot of relatively young former wrestlers have gone on to other industries, such as acting or personal training. Whatever it is, we hope he's happy doing it.
