10 Wrestlers Who Proved There's Life After WWE

Laugh, if you want, at CM Punk's opening UFC bout, but however badly he was beaten by Micky Gall inside the Octagon, you can't really argue that Phil Brooks is any worse off today than he was four years ago.

For one thing, he pocketed at least $500,000 for his sole MMA fight to date - which, regardless of the circumstances, isn't a bad return for two minutes and 14 seconds of work (and given that most wrestlers' salaries take a big hit after parting ways with Vince McMahon, it's mightily impressive).

Second, he's still relevant - despite having not appeared in a WWE ring since 2014. He's still the man whose name wrestling fans chant incessantly, and still the man that Stephanie McMahon can't resist the odd dig at from time to time.