10 Wrestlers Who Jumped Ship (And Ruined Their Careers)

5. Public Enemy (ECW To WWE)

Public Enemy WWE.jpg
WWE.com

Serial bridge-burners Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock jumped ship between America's big three promotions several times in the '90s. Being kind to them, they were never the most refined performers, but seemingly a perfect fit for ECW's grittier, messier style. Nonetheless, they dipped in and out of the company on several occasions. The first saw them spurn a WWE contract offer to try their luck in WCW in 1996, but the tandem bottomed out a couple of years later, before eventually inking with Vince McMahon after a brief ECW return.

Their run was a disaster. Public Enemy entered a locker-room full of resentment after their decision to choose WCW over WWE a few years prior, prompting Faarooq and Bradshaw to beat the absolute sh*t out of them in an infamous shoot beatdown on Sunday Night Heat. This would ultimately go down as the most notable moment of their entire run, as the duo were shunted out of the promotion soon after, with their fortunes taking an almighty nosedive.

Having somehow pissed WCW, WWE, and ECW off, Public Enemy's employment options were limited, and they faded away.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.