A year ago today (Sun. May 7, 2017) the WWE made a big slew of cuts, including seven WWE Superstars and one manager.
Those Superstars are Damien Sandow, King Barrett, Cameron, Hornswoggle, El Torito, Santino Marella, and Alex Riley. The one manager was Zeb Colter, the former frontman for Jack Swagger (also now departed) and the 'Real Americans.'
Now a year removed from their releases some fans may be wondering where they are now. Let's take a look:
Damien Sandow
Sandow got his start with the WWE back in 2002 where he mainly competed on WWE Heat. He made his pay-per-view (PPV) debut as the Easter Bunny in a match against the APA at Vengeance in 2003.
After a brief stint in OVW he made his SmackDown debut in 2006 as Idol Stevens alongside KC James where they had multiple Tag Team feuds. He was released by the company in 2007.
He returned in 2010 on a developmental deal with the WWE in FCW and was brought up to the main roster in 2012. He had a decent run up until 2016 when he was again released by WWE.
Today, Sandow is currently working the indie scene after recently departing from Impact Wrestling last month. He became the company's inaugural Impact Grand Champion during his brief stint with the promotion.
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett was the first winner of the NXT competition in which the victor was granted a WWE contract. After the competition's end, however, he led all the NXT rookies in the 'Nexus' stable that had a great run after attacking John Cena and CM Punk on RAW.
Soon after Barrett embarked on a singles career, at one point dubbing himself 'King Barrett' after winning the 2015 King Of The Ring tournament. In 2016 it was announced that Barrett and the WWE had come to terms on his release.
After a hiatus from wrestling in order to focus more on acting, Barrett returned to the wrestling world on April 29th to do commentary for What Culture Pro Wrestling at the No Regrets iPPV.
Cameron
Cameron was the first person eliminated on WWE Tough Enough in 2011 but earned a spot at WWE's developmental program in Florida. She made her main roster debut in 2012 as a member of the Funkadactyls with Brodus Clay and Naomi.
She then began competing as a singles competitor from 2014 - 2016 before being handed her walking papers in May after two months of inactivity.
Today Cameron works as a model and runs her own YouTube channel.
Hornswoggle
The little man under the ring known as Hornswoggle was one of WWE fans' favorite characters upon his debut in 2006. He was known then as 'Little Bastard.'
He was a great comedic act for the company and competed in a variety of memorable angles with D-Generation X, serving as the anonymous RAW general manager, being an NXT pro, and the famous Wee LC match.
After violating the WWE's Wellness Policy, Hornswoggle was released from the company in May of 2016. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling and goes under the name 'Swoggle.'
El Torito
Speaking of Hornswoggle, El Torito was the leprechaun's most famed rival as he was the man who competed against him in the Wee LC match. For the majority of his time with the company Torito served as the mascot for the tag team Los Matadores.
He was released from the WWE in 2016 after not being used for some time and currently is working the indie scene under his old ring name Mascarita Dorada.
Santino Marella
Santino Marella signed with the WWE back in 2005 and was sent to developmental in OVW. After making his main roster debut in 2007 he went on to have a fairly successful career.
Marella won titles such as the Intercontinental Title, United States Title, and aligned himself with the likes of Maria, Beth Phoenix, Vladimir Kozlov, and Emma.
After suffering a career-ending injury and being forced to retire, Marella was released from his contract in May of 2016. He currently operates the Battle Arts Academy in Mississauga, Ontario, as well as having joined the Sportsnet 360 Aftermath panel as an analyst.
He currently operates the Battle Arts Academy in Mississauga, Ontario, as well as having joined the Sportsnet 360 Aftermath panel as an analyst.
Alex Riley
Alex Riley made his WWE debut in 2010 and The Miz's rookie on NXT. He helped The Miz in many of his matches and at one point served as his VP Of Corporate Communications. After being separated from The Miz via the draft in 2011, Riley began his singles run up until 2013.
He then made the switch over to color commentary for two years before returning back the the squared circle. After a year of resuming in-ring competition, Riley was released from his contract in May of 2016.
He is currently on a hiatus from wrestling and was involved in the production of Netflix's new GLOW series.
Zeb Colter
Zeb Colter is better known for his time in the WWE serving as Jack Swagger's manager during the 'Real Americans' angle. Cesaro also joined the team before being poached by Paul Heyman soon after.
After returning from injury, Colter aligned himself with Alberto Del Rio and announced MexAmerica, a new union between The United States and Mexico. The team split up soon after and Colter was released from the WWE in May of 2016.
He appeared on various indie shows after that and is currently serving as head of creative over at Impact Wrestling.
What do you think about what the former WWE Superstars are doing with their lives now?Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here!
Check it out via this link. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-all-the-fallout-from-wwe-payback