10 More Superstars Who Had Better Careers Outside WWE

10. Harley Race

Harley Race was one of the top wrestlers of the €˜Territories€™ Era, achieving fame mainly throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Once described Harley Race by Bret Hart as a man with nerves twice as strong as a normal man€™s, Race was a genuine tough man who became a major in several promotions. He won the World Championship in All Japan Pro Wrestling, The AWA World Tag Team Championship 3 times alongside Larry €˜the Axe€™ Hennig, won the NWA World Championship 8 times in various American promotions, and was the first ever NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. By the time the 1980s came around, Harley Race began working as a booker for the NWA. However, by the mid-1980s, Vince McMahon began expanding into other territories in order to expand his WWF and to acquire the top talents of other promotions. Unfortunately, Harley Race was one of the victims of McMahon€™s rapid expansionism. That said, Race still managed to get a job in the WWF as a performer, despite his advancing age. Since the WWF at the time didn€™t recognize other promotions, they decided to make use of his wrestling skill and pedigree by making him King of the Ring in 1986. However, despite that accomplishment, as well as a rivalry with Hulk Hogan, Race€™s WWF on-screen run was nowhere near as successful as in other companies. As the years went on, he would play an important backstage role in the WWE, and would also wrestle sporadically in smaller promotions. In the end, however, Race earned the respect of virtually everyone in the business, including Vince McMahon. So much so that Race was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004. Though that is an accomplishment in and of itself, his career outside of the WWF was clearly superior.