10 WWE Superstars Who Went AWOL After WrestleMania
A-List to AWOL.
WrestleMania is rightfully considered a zenith within the wrestling industry, but paradoxically, the strenuous WWE schedule doesn't ever really allow a superstar's journey to end no matter their conflict at the 'Showcase of the Immortals'.
Barring a retirement, a superstar is likely to be back in the saddle the very next night, fresh off the apparent finale to end all finales just 24 hours earlier and ready to mix it up on Monday Night Raw like every other week of the year.
Wrestling can be a mysterious beast though, and there have been occasions where some of the biggest stars have vanished without trace immediately after one of the biggest moments of their professional career.
Often masking the reality of a situation or more broadly exhibiting basic negligence, WWE often 'forgets' to advise the viewer exactly what has happened to the absent hero.
Several superstars may have this treatment this year, as the 'Show of Shows' leans more on employing part-timers that fill major spots on the big card before disappearing in a cloud of smoke once their spotlighted conflict has concluded.
Looking back through a cavalcade of hidden headliners and missing main eventers, here are 10 Superstars who disappeared without explanation after WrestleMania.
10. Jake 'The Snake' Roberts
It took an almighty Tombstone on the arena floor to give fans vindication for the year of heinous crimes they'd seen Jake 'The Snake' Roberts commit in the run-up to his WrestleMania 8 encounter with newly-minted babyface The Undertaker.
A white-hot heel in the summer of 1991, Jake had built on a cruel turn on the Ultimate Warrior which saw Warrior locked in a room of deadly snakes and left for dead at the mercy of 'The Deadman' (Jake's accomplice at the time).
But that couldn't compare to his epic feud with Macho Man Randy Savage, which saw Jake set his king cobra on Savage in one of the most incredible segments in company history.
With the snake bite coming months after Roberts had ruined Randy and Elizabeth's SummerSlam wedding, and days before he'd strike Elizabeth herself in their first encounter at the 'This Tuesday in Texas' pay-per-view, Jake had built an unbelievable aura around himself as a villain, and would have been perfectly placed to re-start conflicts with Savage after his World Title victory against Ric Flair.
His Undertaker defeat would be the sudden end of the line.
Offered monster money from WCW boss Kip Frey, Jake refused to even work the match without getting his WWE release. Held to ransom, Vince granted it, and Roberts did the memorable job.