Wrestlers Who Fell Off After Their WWE Career Ended

What's good y'all? It's your boy Ross back at again with another video. So, I'm going to check out wrestlers who fell off after WWE. Now, sometimes wrestler gets into WWE, doesn't really work out long term. Maybe they're there for a little bit and for whatever reason they get released and they go back to the indies or maybe they go back to another wrestling promotion. Who knows? But there are some instances where the wrestler doesn't they're not able to capture uh the momentum that they once had and you know they ultimately may end up falling off. Maybe they're not as good as they once were in the ring or there could be a multitude of situations. But these are some of the, you know, cases that, you know, we've seen over the years where people, even if they weren't utilized great in WWE, they still kind of fall down when it comes to like maybe the quality of their matches on the independent scene. Maybe they get into some trouble. Who knows? It's a lot of multitude of factors that could lead to someone's downfall, per se. But we're going to check this out. Appreciate all the love support you guys have shown on the channel. Let's get right into it, man. During his time in WWE, EC3 always looked in peak physical shape. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to save his career, and WWE fired EC3 in April 2020. Over 6 years later, in August 2026, a video of EC3 competing at an independent wrestling show went viral. The clip showed the XWB star staggering to the ring with a distended belly and a face that looked like he didn't want to be there. EC3's shocking appearance alarmed fans with some making fun of him while others reacted with concern. EC3 responded by saying he had had a long travel day, little sleep, and wasn't hydrated. Additionally, he was dealing with digestive issues, and his leg was legitimately hurt. EC3 also added that he was selling the effects of an earlier match he had wrestled on the very same show. However, this looks like nothing compared to what happened to Scott Hall. Scott Hall, >> and look, if you want to be fair, a lot of people that make those type of comments, half of them, most of them are probably out of shape themselves. And if you were to ask them to take their shirt off, you would be reposted. But we know as a professional wrestler, for certain people's images, you have to be in tiptop peak shape. And as you know, when you get older, it's harder to bounce back like you were, you know, in your younger years. So, I like to try to give people grace there because we all going to get older and we're not all going to have the same physique that we had when we were in our 20s, you know. try to give people grace. So, it's unfortunate. Hopefully, he's good, you know, healthwise. Hopefully, EC3 is good as well. But, I'm not going to be one of those people, you know, a damn you you're just some fat slob when the person that's typing it is probably a fat slob themselves. Let's just be honest. And he's probably in better shape than most people typing those type of comments. >> The definition of a wrestling legend. His Razor Raone character was in. And he had some amazing matches, particularly those against Shawn Michaels. Hall then became an even bigger star when he along with Kevin Nash jumped over to WCW and created the nWo. While things in the ring were fantastic, trouble brewed backstage. Scott Hall had developed a bad drinking and drug problem. He managed to keep it mostly in check until he returned to WWE in 2002. Hall and some other wrestlers were on a flight back to the US after a tour in Europe. During the flight, Hall became intoxicated and began behaving inappropriately toward the flight attendants. Due to this and his drug and alcohol abuse, Scott Hall was fired from WB not long after the incident. Hall continued to struggle with substance abuse and this became very public in 2011. Hall was making an appearance at an independent wrestling show in Massachusetts. The moment he came out from behind the curtain, it was clear Scott Hall was in no condition to do anything. Hall looked completely lost and needed help getting into the ring. Hall got on the mic and spoke incoherently. Chico. >> Oh man. >> Despite this, Scott Hull insisted on doing something physical in the ring, which went about as well as you would expect. This incident went viral online and it was a definite low point for one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Thankfully, this wasn't the end of the story. With help from fellow wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, Scott Hall took back his life. And just a few years after this public embarrassment, he was inducted into the Deb Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Camala's story doesn't have as happy of an ending. It can be easy to assume that when a former WWE wrestler falls on hard times, it's because they weren't wise with their money. While that can be true, it's not always the case. The Ugandan giant Camala was a memorable character in WB during the 80s and 90s. However, Kamala shared they didn't make much money during his career, especially compared to others on the same shows. The Ugandan giant went as far as to say that for his SummerSlam match against the Undertaker, he was paid $13,000 while Taker was given $500,000. This led Camala to sleep in his rental car while wrestling WB to save money. But by the late '9s, Camala wasn't employed by any major wrestling company, and he began working as a truck driver while still wrestling part time. Camala wrestled at various independent events that were a far cry from WWE. At times, the Ugandan Giant was wrestling at shows with fewer than 50 people watching. Sadly for Camala, his income would soon disappear completely. Beginning in 2011, Camala began to suffer a string of health issues, eventually losing both of his legs due to diabetes. For the next decade, he relied on disability checks and donations to survive before ultimately going into cardiac arrest in 2020 and passing away. After his death, Camala would be honored when he was inducted into the legacy wing of the WB Hall of Fame. Camala's story is tragic, but this next one is just embarrassing. Sunny had one of the most public downfalls in arrest due in large part to her numerous arrests, ultimately leading to her being sentenced to prison for 17 and a half years. However, even before that, Sunny's downfall had already begun. In 2005, Sunny appeared at a women's extreme wrestling show. However, the moment she walked out, Sunny appeared to be in rough shape. She was wearing sweatpants and looked tired and uninterested. Two wrestlers held Sunny's hands as they made their entrance, and Sunny also awkwardly crawled over the bottom rope to enter the ring. This only added to the feeling that Sunny wasn't all there. To Sunny's credit, she seemed to get more animated as the show went on. And this instant looked like nothing when compared to what Shane Douglas did. The franchise Shane Douglas had a successful career in the9s, wrestling for WWE, WCW, and ECW, and winning championships in all three. However, in the 2000s, Douglas's career began to spiral downward. He had a rocky relationship with WWE, to say the least. And once WCW and ECW shut down, Douglas didn't have many major companies left to wrestle for. The franchise was also openly critical of WB, which basically banned him from ever returning. Partially due to this, Shane Douglas started his own wrestling company called Extreme Rising. This was a respectable decision. However, it led to arguably the most embarrassing moment of Douglas's career. Shane Douglas bought a ticket to the March 19th, 2012 episode of Monday Night Raw. Douglas disguised himself under a mask and during the show, Shane removed it along with his shirt and started an ECW chant. ECW ECW ECW. >> The stunt was supposed to promote Douglas's company, but it came off as desperate and embarrassing. Extreme Rising's first show was panned by critics and fans, and the company shut down about 2 years after it launched. However, this wasn't the only cringeworthy moment from Douglas's career. In 2026, Shane competed in a first blood match at an independent wrestling show. During the fight, a fan didn't know who Douglas was and shouted this. >> Come on, yellow. >> Even more humiliating was what happened just a few seconds later. After walking and brawling amongst the crowd for a bit, Douglas had to sit down and punch his opponent while sitting on a chair. While that was sad, what happened to this next wrestler was just plain disgusting. Balls Mahoney became famous for dishing out and taking insane levels of punishment in his matches. Particularly when it came to VICIOUS CHAIR SHOTS. >> GOD, even though >> I don't even think that chair shot that that definitely wasn't protect. Yeah, that wasn't protected, bro. He is swinging for the fences and you see the chair bend. Look at this. >> Shots to the >> Oh my god. That wouldn't even protect it. Straight CTE for what? head. Even when his days with ECW and WB were long over, Balls continued wrestling hardcore matches. One such match saw him get hit in the back of the head with a chair. After winning the match, Balls proceeded to throw up while still in the ring. This is the one time you didn't want to be front row. Fans who were there didn't think it was because of the chair shot, though, but rather due to the substances Balls took before the match. Sadly, just 4 years later, Balls Mahoney would pass away at the age of 44 due to a heart attack. Fortunately, no one was threatening Mahal's safety. But this next wrestler wasn't so lucky. Luke Gells joined WWE in his early 20s and wanted to have three separate runs in the company. However, a career low point for him came after he was fired from WWE in 2010. Following his exit, Gals had gotten the opportunity to wrestle in Nigeria. He didn't realize it at the time, but the financial backer had connections to the Nigerian military, and the places Gals would be wrestling were unusual. The shows Luke G performed on didn't have many people. Goss was told they were filming his matches for a TV show, so they didn't need a big crowd. It was weird, but Luke G did what he agreed to and got through the shows. However, on the day he was supposed to go back home, Gallows was informed that he needed to fly to another part of Nigeria and wrestle one more match. Gallows didn't want to, but feared the consequences if he refused and agreed. Gallows opponent was a wrestler named the great power Yudi. Before the match, Yudi told Gallows that people in Nigeria were convinced wrestling was real. So, the match had to be stiff and bloody. Since Gallows was on the verge of being held hostage, it's not surprising that the match was awful. Ultimately, the great power UI got the victory by hitting the former WWE wrestler with a punch to the head. After the match, Luke Gallows did make it to the airport only to discover that the financial backer hadn't paid for the tickets. Gallows ended up paying out of his own pocket, but he returned home safely and eventually came back to WWE a few years later. This next wrestler will never >> That's scary as hell. Hey, bro, if you don't do this match, he going to be held hostage. So, you better do this damn match. That's That's definitely scary. returned to WWE and you'll soon see why. Valvenus is remembered as one of the rottiest wrestlers from the attitude era. He enjoyed decent success with his adult film star persona before he fell down the pecking order and ultimately left the V in 2008. For roughly 15 years, Valenus stayed pretty low-key. Over time though, Valvenus began wrestling in a t-shirt and fans eventually found out why. In July 2026, Venus competed at an independent wrestling show in New Jersey. Footage of Venus's match blew up on social media as Val portrayed his classic character. However, the discussion focused less on the match and more on Val's appearance. Fans online, as well as some fellow wrestlers, called out his unflattering physique and disheveled look. In response, Valenus took a shot at the current rosters of both WWE and AEW, saying, "Just remember Pro Wrestling fans, at the awesome age of 55, I took a spear better than 90% of both the WWE and AW rosters." And that was without any ring time for at least three or four years. It's hard to believe, but at one point Alberto del Rio was seen as the future. The >> thing is Val be saying some [ __ ] that he be having some interesting takes and people be like, "Yeah, [ __ ] you, Val. I've seen some of the stuff he said." I'm like, "Huh? All right, buddy. Too old to be doing all that j rating, bro." W he won the 2011 Royal Rumble match and became a four-time world champion. However, after leaving the company in 2016, Del Rio had a number of run-ins with the law, mostly stemming from violence against women. Because of this, he hasn't been offered many opportunities to wrestle. In the times he does, it looks depressing to say the least. In April 2026, a clip of Del Rio wrestling in front of a small crowd gained traction online. He battled fellow XWB wrestler Caro in a match where they're both wrestling in shirts. To make matters worse, the two appear to be wrestling at a snail's pace. On top of all that, they're performing in front of a limited crowd, which only made the clip seem more depressing. Additionally, this footage only reinforced the perception that Alberto Del Rio was past his prime. While many laughed at Del Rio, this next wrestler had fans seriously worried about his health. Charlie Hos had a promising career. He made his WWE debut as a member of Team Angle and won the tag team championship on multiple occasions. However, Hos's career became stagnant and he was ultimately fired from WWE in 2010. Charlie Hos became a regular on the independent circuit and remained in good shape, but that wouldn't stay the same. In 2020, Hos gave an interview where he looked completely unrecognizable. He'd lost a considerable amount of weight, displaying a gaunt and unhealthy appearance. Part of the reason was that Hos had recently gone through a difficult divorce with fellow former WWE star Jackie Gada. Hos hadn't wrestled for 2 years leading up to the divorce being made official, so the time away and the turbulence in his personal life took its toll. Thankfully, Hos has gotten himself in better shape, and he continues to compete while also working as a high school wrestling coach in Florida. One of the saddest and most public downfalls in wrestling was Jake the Snake Roberts. Roberts became a WWE icon in the 80s, but by the '90s, his career and life began to spiral down. He struggled with addiction issues that left him completely estranged from his family. They also prevented him from working in WB, and Jake was forced to compete on the independent circuit. there. He had a number of embarrassing performances with Jake Roberts wrestling drunk or high multiple times. Despite this, there was always someone willing to pay him. And this created a cycle where Jake had a steady stream of money to feed his habits and demons. Adding to the embarrassment was that Roberts would take just about any opportunity that paid him, which caused him to wrestle in some depressing venues in front of extremely small crowds. However, the story has a happy ending. In 2012, fellow wrestler Diamond Dallas Page took Jay again, got him clean, and nursed him back to health. While it wasn't easy, the time and effort paid off. Roberts got his life back and was inducted into the WB Hall of Fame. In the early to mid2010s, it seemed like Ryback >> and shout out to DDP, bro. Always DDP. He's a god saying doing these things for his fellow wrestlers, you know, that's dealing with addiction and dealing with all those, you know, devices, you know, they've been doing for so many years, it's hard to kick that. So, the fact that he has a place for them where they can get their life back in order, that's awesome, bro. That is awesome. And it comes from a place of love and care cuz he's a former wrestler like an active wrestler that used to be on the road and he understands what comes with that. So I think that's awesome, man. He's doing great work. >> Would have become WWE's next major star. He feuded with the likes of CM Punk and John Cena and competed for the WWE Championship. However, by 2014, Ryback's career had peaked and he had moved from the main event to the middle of the card. Part of the reason for Ryback's decline might be due to being unsafe in the ring. Multiple wrestlers shared this critique of Ryback was CM Punk even saying that wrestling Ryback took years off his life. Ultimately, Ryback left WB in 2016 after the two sides couldn't agree on a new deal. Ryback wrestled briefly as an independent wrestler, but stopped competing in 2018. And that's when Ryback's downfall would arrive. Ryback became a content creator and in addition to posting videos of him eating food, Ryback would also discuss wrestling. He took shots at a few wrestlers and became defensive about his WWE career. While some things were valid, Ryback started to come off as whiny and even a bit of a bully, especially when he started going after people like Vince McMahon's mother. But Ryback's biggest L came when he tried to return to the ring. In 2021, Ryback created a poll on Twitter asking which wrestling company fans wanted to see him return to WWE, AEW, or Impact. However, fans chose the fourth option, retire. Ryback didn't accept the result, claiming that trolls and fraudulent accounts polluted the vote. Ryback then published a second poll, and this time, fans voted even more overwhelmingly to retire. More recently, it seems like Ryback has learned from all of this. He's become much more positive about his former employer, co-workers, and the wrestling business in general. Now, another way wrestlers embarrass themselves. >> You know what? That's good. All jokes aside, in past situations, that's actually good. I hadn't really heard much from Ryback or seen any of his posts or anything like that since our last interaction a few years ago. But the fact that he seems more positive and and you know, just kind of more upbeat, that's actually good. All jokes aside, like I don't really have no beef with nobody to be honest with you. Especially not over no wrestling, you feel me? Like, you know, I'm I'm glad that he's doing well and you know, wishing nothing but the best for him, you feel me? But nevertheless, comment down below. Let me know some other wrestling related videos y'all want me to check out. I definitely will. I appreciate all love, support, road to 20K. I'll see you on the next one. Peace.