10 Wrestlers Who Jumped Ship (And Ruined Their Careers)

3. Damien Sandow (WWE To TNA)

Aron Rex
ImpactWrestling.com

Though fans were aghast at Damien Sandow's WWE release in May 2016, the ensuing post-Titan run justified Vince McMahon's decision to jettison the popular performer. He was over as hell as Mizdow and 'The Intellectual Savior of the Masses,' but these were midcard characters, and Sandow had already hit his ceiling in the company.

Sandow would prove this in TNA. As Aron Rex, he opened his run with a cringe-inducing worked shoot promo in which he promised not to spend time talking about his former employers, before doing just that. Full of bluster, he buried the 'Savior' gimmick that got him over in the first place, then promised a game-changing run, seemingly fired up about the opportunities ahead.

What followed as an atrocious run, as Rex stripped away all the charm that made him so entertaining in WWE, opting for a generic, straight-talking, "INTENSE' babyface persona instead. It didn't work. Though re-branded with a Liberace-esque character as 2016 turned into 2017, he was out of the company just eight months after joining, and has since left the business entirely. Sadly, nothing about Rex's run did anything to convince the doubters he was worth more than those old WWE personas.

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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.