10 WWE Stars Who Have Succeeded After Leaving Life in the Squared Circle

For many WWE Superstars, their main goal in life was to make it to WWE, become a champion and retire with a bank account full of money once their body failed to live up to their passion.

However, many wrestlers have either left the company to pursue other interests or were released and forced to find a new way to support themselves.

It can be hard to leave a business you spent so much time and effort mastering. Some wrestlers struggle with the idea of losing their fame and continue to wrestle well past their prime.

The ones who end up finding something new to occupy their time often find success in work adjacent to the wrestling business, but many have created empires for themselves in totally unrelated fields.

This article will look at 10 Superstars who left WWE and found success in a different venture. Just to be clear, this will not include anyone who continues to work for WWE in a producing or coaching capacity. 

Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus helped push the women's division to new heights toward the end of the Attitude Era, but she didn't let leaving the ring slow her down.

After a successful six-year WWE career, Stratus retired in 2006. Two years later, she opened her Stratusphere yoga studio near Toronto.

Not only did her business adopt an eco-friendly image to support people's changing lifestyles, but she won multiple awards as both a yogi and a businesswoman. However, her studio closed in 2015.

Stratus has returned to the ring a couple of times for special appearances over the years, and she tried her hand at acting in a few films and television shows.

DDP

Like Stratus, Diamond Dallas Page took his love of yoga and turned it into a successful business while using it to help other wrestlers recover from injury.

Chris Jericho has credited DDP Yoga with extending his in-ring career countless times over the years, and his work with both Jake Roberts and Scott Hall has been recognized by everyone from WWE to ESPN.

Through seminars, DVD sales, a smartphone app and a book, DDP has built himself a popular business and a whole new career.

He may not have left the Shark Tank studio with a deal when he appeared on the show in 2014, but it sounds like he is doing just fine on his own. 

Santino Marella

When someone leaves the business and doesn't make headlines, people often assume they aren't doing anything of value. That couldn't be further from the truth when it comes to Anthony Carelli, formerly known as Santino Marella.

Carelli played a comedic character in WWE for seven years, but he wasn't without success. He won three intercontinental titles, a U.S. title and the tag belts, but his greatest achievement may have been winning Miss WrestleMania. 

In all seriousness, Carelli is a legit athlete with experience in multiple fighting disciplines. This experience helped him open the Battle Arts Academy in 2013.

The 15,000-foot school offers courses in judo, boxing, MMA, fitness and both amateur and pro wrestling, with many of the classes open to students of all ages. 

Eve Torres

Eve Torres had a memorable six-year run with WWE that saw her participate in numerous high-profile storylines, but leaving the ring hasn't slowed her down.

She earned her purple belt from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy and ended up marrying Rener Gracie in 2014 shortly after she left WWE.

Together, Torres and Gracie have two children and work as ambassadors and trainers in the Jiu-Jitsu community, with Torres focused on teaching women's self-defense. 

She tried acting, but working with the Gracie Academy seems to have suited her best. She still serves as a WWE ambassador from time to time, but her appearances have been few and far between since 2014.

She also co-owns InJoy The Party, a rental company for themed parties.

Steve Austin

Steve Austin seemed like the kind of guy who would be involved in the wrestling business until the day he died, but he has diversified himself quite a bit since retiring from the ring.

The Steve Austin Show podcast is one of the most popular by any wrestler and got him several interviews on the WWE Network, including one with an unusually candid Vince McMahon. 

He has also acted in over a dozen films, created a successful reality show called Broken Skull Challenge and launched a merchandise line separate from the stuff WWE sells with his name on it. 

Stone Cold pops up on WWE television to deliver a classic Stunner every so often, but he has found great success outside the ring and continues to find new ways to capitalize on his fame. 

Austin hasn't acted since appearing in Chain of Command in 2015, but he seems happy putting people through his wild obstacle course while drinking beer on his golf cart and laughing every time they fall in the mud. 

Alundra Blayze

When you look back at the most influential names in women's wrestling history, just about everyone will include Debrah Miceli, better know as Madusa and Alundra Blayze.

Dropping the WWE women's title in the garbage on an episode of WCW Nitro may be the thing she is most known for these days, but she has more going for her than one shocking moment.

Miceli began driving her own monster truck in 2000 and became well-known in the sport, especially since she was one of the few female drivers to find success.

A few years ago, Miceli launched the Madusa Unthrottled podcast to great acclaim. She has interviewed many WWE greats on her show and continues to record new episodes regularly.

Miceli was recognized with a Hall of Fame induction in 2015. Her honest and funny speech was one of the best of the night and likely earned her a whole new generation of young fans.

Edge and Christian

Edge and Christian's careers have been linked since Christian first appeared on WWE television as Edge's storyline brother, so it seemed appropriate to discuss them together.

Both Superstars have retired from the ring, but they have continued to stay busy, often working together on the same projects.

They have a popular WWE Network program called The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness and a podcast titled E&C's Pod of Awesomeness.

They even ended up working together on the Syfy series, Haven. The duo continues to find new ways to connect with their fans, and hopefully one day Christian can join Edge in the WWE Hall of Fame, where he rightfully belongs.

The Rock

If you ask any wrestling fan who the most successful pro wrestler to transition into a different career is, their answer will almost certainly be The Rock.

Dwayne Johnson took the popularity he built up as The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment and became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

Not only is his name almost guaranteed to make any movie a box office success, but Rocky has become known for joining existing franchises and making them better.

The Fast films got significantly better once he got involved, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a surprise hit with fans and critics and G.I. Joe: Retaliation was more exciting than the original.

Saturday Night Live even wrote a song for one of his hosting gigs called "Franchise Viagra" to call attention to how many sequels he has starred in. Apparently, The Great One draws the line at a second Smurfs movie. It's probably for the best.

In addition to his film career, Johnson helped create Ballers for HBO and has supported numerous charitable causes throughout his career.

Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista got into wrestling at a much later age than the average WWE Superstar, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the most popular.

His feuds with Triple H, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio and many more are still remembered fondly by fans, but it's his film work that gets him the most attention these days.

Bautista first began acting with roles in Smallville as an alien menace and several direct-to-DVD action films, but he has exploded in recent years thanks to his role as Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Fans were blown away by his comedic ability in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and James Gunn expanded on this trait in the sequel to make him one of the best characters in the film. 

His role in Avengers: Infinity War was small due to the massive cast, but his line "I'll do you one better, why is Gamora?" was one of the funniest parts of the movie.

The Rock may be the most successful pro wrestler to transition into acting, but Bautista may have already proved he can take on more nuanced characters than Johnson.

His segment in Blade Runner 2049 displayed a wide range of emotion in just a few minutes of screentime. His next breakout performance appears to be in the upcoming Hotel Artemis alongside Jodie Foster. 

Bautista's star continues to rise, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him return for one more match before he eventually takes his place in the Hall of Fame.