10 Largest WWE Superstars Of The 21st Century: Where Are They Now?
10) Chris Masters
When Chris Masters debuted in the WWE,
his incredible physique and grand entrance quickly earned him the nickname ‘The Masterpiece’
Posing like Auguste Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’,
the colossal 6 foot 4, 275lbs star was given a huge push during his initial run
presumably because of Vince McMahon’s love of muscly men,
,before being suspended and later released in November 2007 due to violating the company’s wellness policy.
Working on the independent scene from 2007-2009,
Masters would eventually be forgiven and return to the company, thanks in part to his friend Randy Orton.
Despite clearly developing his skill in the ring whilst away,
this second WWE run didn’t go well,
,with Masters quickly being reduced to lower mid-carder, where he would put over other stars.
Being drafted to RAW in April 2011, Masters would never actually compete on the red brand,
as he would be showcased solely at house shows and WWE Superstars,
where he wrestled his last match in August, unsurprisingly losing to Jack Swagger.
After being released, Masters has returned to the indie scene,
, with his reputation as a former Superstar helping him to receive steady bookings.
Mostly working as the muscle for smaller heels,
Masters found himself in Impact Wrestling, but parted ways with the company in January 2018.
Whilst the future may be unclear for the Masterpiece,
his success outside the company must certainly be impressive to WWE executive,
meaning a return to WWE may be on the cards.
9) Nathan Jones
There’s fewer ways better to start than your career,
than aligning with one of the WWE’s biggest stars
ever: The Undertaker.
But despite debuting with a lot of hype,
the gargantuan 6 foot 11 Nathan Jones quickly lost his push in the worst way
as the company decided he was too green to appear at WrestleMania 19,
pulling him from a tag match with the Deadman at the last minute.
Returning months later as a psychotic heel,
the 330lb star overpowered many opponents on SmackDown,
though left the company as he was tired of the hectic schedule.
After competing on the indie scene for several years,
Jones would find himself in TNA Wrestling, though would never compete for the company,
as an accident with a cement mixer left the Australian’s left arm with severe nerve damage.
Walking away from Wrestling entirely not long after,
Jones has been far more successful as an actor,
working with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Whether it be working alongside Brad Pitt in Troy
Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road
or Stone Cold Steve Austin in The Condemned,
it’s clear that Jones’ massive frame and imposing look has made him
into a great villain on the big screen.
8) Judas Devlin
Many fans will never have heard of Judas Devlin,
but if things had panned out differently, he may have been one of WWE’s top stars.
Signing with the WWE in 2012, Devlin’s 6 foot 5, 233lb size made him an impressive big man,
with the company putting him in FCW,
and even considering him to be a part of the Wyatt family later in NXT.
Once in NXT though, Devlin failed to make an impact
,competing almost exclusively at house shows, before being released in 2014 after a severe spinal injury.
Never one to give up though, Devlin would keep competing,
and made his biggest splash when he joined Lunch Underground in 2016
,where he capture the company’s trios Championship.
Despite being killed off the show by a sword wielding Johnny Mundo,
Devlin has continue to remain relevant, working several independent promotions,
and even appeared on the 2015 edition of Big Brother, where he came in fifth.
That same year, Devlin would reconnect with WWE,
though as one of several former Superstars who spoke out against NXT trainer Bill DeMott.
Alongside stars such as EC3, Devlin claimed that DeMott made rookies perform dangerous drills,
and often bullied talent, using homophphic and racist slurs, whilst also condoning sexual harassment.
Devlin’s comments, as well as statements by others caused a PR nightmare for the company,
and whilst DeMott has denied the allegations, he resigned from the WWE in March 2015
saying he wanted to “avoid any embarrassment or damage” to the company.
When TNA’s Chris Harris
jumped ship to the WWE,
many fans wondered
how the former Tag Team Champion would fare on his own.
Unfortunately for Harris,
his new character Braden Walker was doomed from the start,
with the name itself sounding like an G.I. Joe character instead of a WWE Superstar.
Despite being 6 foot 2 and 232lbs
it was clear to all fans that Walker was overweight and rusty
after not competing for six months following his WWE signing.
After an embarrassing promo where Walker said he was going to “knock your brains out”,
Walker appeared on the ramp, hands on his hips, as if he’d already given up on the character.
After two sloppy matches
the company quickly released him in 2008,
with Harris reuniting with James Storm in TNA not long after.
Despite his short WWE tenure, and it being over a decade ago,
the character has become a running punchline
for many wrestling fans.
The more creative of these jokes have included a promotional video
for Walker being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame,
and a 3-disc boxset of the character’s best moments and matches, yes all 2 of them,
as part of the company.
Now 44 years old, Harris remains active on the independent scene
where he isn’t hesitant to tell interviews how much he despised Braden Walker.
6) Matt Morgan
At 7-foot-tall, Matt Morgan is the tallest Superstar on this list
which you’d think would’ve guaranteed him a World title run.
After all, there have been plenty of giants who have captured the world title,
with names like the Big Show
Kane
and the Great Khali all coming to mind.
The first-time fans saw Morgan
was on the second season of Tough Enough,
and whilst he had to leave the show due to injury,
the 330 pounder was signed to the WWF in 2002.
Debuting in OVW in October as the Blueprint
Morgan dominated the brand for the year
before joining the main roster,
where he was reportedly going to become Abel
the third brother to The Undertaker and Kane.
Upon appearing on SmackDown, Morgan failed to impress
as his in-ring ability and mic skills left mch to be desired.
Being sent back to OVW didn’t help either,
and by the time Morgan resurfaced on the blue brand
it seems the company wanted to accentuate his shortcomings
giving him the gimmick of a stuttering monster, defensive over his speech disorder.
Leaving in July 2005,
Morgan competed in Europe and Japan
before finding a new home in TNA, where he competed as both a heel and a face
winning the company’s Tag Team titles twice.
Leaving the company in 2013,
Morgan returned briefly in 2015 and 2017
but has turned to other ventures
providing reviews of WWE programming for Wrestling Inc
and even became District 4 City Commissioner of Longwood, in 2017.
5) Tyler Reks
Joining the WWE in 2008,
Tyler Reks had a very unique look,
as his long dreadlocks only accentuated
the massive height and size of the 6-foot 5 Superstar.
After a year in FCW,
his big break came in ECW in June 2009,
debuting as a surfer in a backstage promo with Zack Ryder.
Unfortunately for the 246lb star,
the gimmick didn’t exactly get over, with Reks being repackaged as a brooding monster
with no mention of his fun-loving ECW days.
Reks would quickly drop down the company’s totem pole
becoming part of a jobber tag-team with Curt Hawkins and another gimmick change.
This time, Reks would be a stripper,
though the gimmick only lasted a week
as the big man asked for his release in August 2012.
Reks’ relationship with the company wasn’t exactly helped by him
and Hawkins creating the animated YouTube series
Mid-Card Mafia in 2011,
as whilst the WWE love social media now
they didn’t appreciate the true trying to get themselves over.
Leaving wrestling entirely
Reks founded an internet company called Local Marketing 2.0,
and even ran for Senator in 2013, though didn’t win.
Not being defeated, Reks would later found BodySpartan,
a fitness website to help customers lose weight,
with Reks proving that there is a life for Superstars
outside the WWE.
4) Ezekiel Jackson
2) Tyson Tomko
4) Ezekiel Jackson
When Brian Kendrick shunned his pretty-boy babyface ways to become the cocky heel ‘THE’ Brian Kendrick
the future Cruiserweight champion needed some muscle.
Enter Ezekiel Jackson, who certainly had plenty of muscle on his 309lbs frame,
who helped Kendrick win many matches
before the duo were split in April 2009.
Now going it alone in ECW,
Jackson impressed officials enough to earn himself a push
with the personification of domination being the final ECW Champion,
later joining the Corre
and capturing the Intercontinental Championship in 2011.
After losing the title to Cody Rhodes though, things would quickly head south for Jackson,
as a series of injuries derailed his WWE career,
with the company releasing him on April 6th 2014
bizarrely, the same day as WrestleMania 30.
Joining Lucha Underground as Big Ryck not long after,
Jackson once again found himself once again in an evil stable
where the ginormous 6-foot-3 star once again provided the group’s muscle.
Not wanting to be tied down to just one promotion,
Jackson also joined TNA that same year,
appearing alongside fellow WWE- alum Gene Snitsky,
aligning with Dixie Carter.
As the final ECW Champion as part of the WWE’s third brand
Jackson claimed to be the personification of hardcore wrestling
much to the chagrin of the actual ECW talent,
including Bully Ray,, Devon
Rhyno
and Tommy Dreamer.
Whilst he may have retired from in-ring competition in October 2015
Jackson still remains a large part of the wrestling community
opening his own promotion, Bryckhouse Pro Wrestling,
where he works as a trainer for the next generation of stars.
3) Vladimir Kozlov
It’s no secret that
the WWE aren’t afraid to use
being from a different country as a means to get heat,
with the Iron Sheik
Bret Hart
and Rusev
all being portrayed as anti-American.
So when Vladimir Kozlov debuted in the WWE,
the massive 303lb Sambo champion
was quickly pushed into the main event,
competing with then WWE-
Champion Triple H
After losing to the Game though, Kozlov quickly lost all momentum
though did have an entertaining face run
with Santino Marella in 2010,
shortly before his release the next year
After parting ways with the company
Kozlov competed for the Inoki Genome Federation,
before calling it quits with wrestling, retiring from the industry in October 2012.
Instead focussing on a career in acting
Kozlov has appeared in several shows in Russia and Ukraine,
as well as appearing in hit US series’
including Burn Notice
and The Wire.
The Russian’s huge 6-foot-6 frame also
made him the perfect candidate to be a stuntman for Fast and Furious 6
with his work in John Wick 2
cementing the former Tag Champion
as a bonafide actor.
Perhaps wanting to give opportunities to other stars,
Kozlov took a step behind the camera,
forming Quaser Entertainment in 2014
a full service production company where he serves as vice president.
Despite leaving wrestling, Kozlov has maintained his incredible physique
meaning the company are probably regretting releasing him in 2011.
2) Tyson Tomko
Tyson Tomko is probably most fondly remembered
as being the enforcer of Christian and Trish Stratus
and standing at an imposing 6 foot 7, it was clear why Captain Charisma picked him.
But before he was helping the Canadians out
Tomko joined the WWE In 2002,
working primarily as the monster heel bodyguard
until his release in 2006.
After going his own way, Tomko would travel to Japan
, working for New Japan,
where he captured the IWGP Tag Titles on two occasions.
Reuniting with Christian in TNA around the same time
Tomko would shockingly sign a contract
to return to the WWE in November 2008,
with the 292 pounder hoping to be the center of attention,
instead of just the heavy.
Working a dark match against Paul Burchill as a face in December,
thinks were looking good for Tomko,
before a tear in his back left him on the shelf,
as the company released him in March 2009,
without ever reappearing on WWE TV.
This clearly didn’t help Tomko physically or mentally,
as problems with substance abuse derailed is career more
and getting caught for robbery forced him to check into rehab.
Cleaning himself up, Tomko returned to the independent circuit,
making a handful of appearances before retiring in 2016.
Marrying his bodybuilder wife Bethany, Tomko is a changed man
and now works as a motivation speaker,
hoping to inspire thousands of people to avoid the same mistakes he made.
1) Gene Snitsky
The WWE have never been the best
when it comes to dealing with pregnancies
but their absolute worst moment may have been
when Gene Snitsky debuted on Monday night RAW
After shoving Kane into a pregnant Lita,
the former Women’s Champion suffered a miscarriage
and whilst it was all just a storyline
it didn’t make things any easier to watch.
Playing the role of a psychotic heel,
the plan was for Snitsky to go over Kane
though the objectively massive 6- foot-8 Snitsky was dwarfed by Kane,
and after failing to live up to the hype
he was quickly downgraded to a lower mid-carder.
After being released by WWE
Snitsky would compete on the indies
even joining TNA in 2014.
After leaving the company though,
it seems that the 307lb monster of a man fancied a change,
becoming the pitchman for Tristar Products,
where he demonstrated the company’s pressure cooker.
Outside of advertisements
Snitsky has also taken up several acting roles,
appearing as a criminal on ABC Primetime’s What Would You Do
and even playing a part in a 2014 Power Rangers fan film
After working on the indies for a decade
Snitsky announced his retirement from wrestling in June 2018
and now seems more contempt,
balancing acting with his own life
where he’s able to perform death defying stunts, without having to take bumps.
Well guys,that's our list. Who are you wondering where they have dissapeared to?
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