10 Wrestlers Who Revived Their Careers On The Indies
3. Cody Rhodes
One year removed from his WWE release, Cody Rhodes has become one of the hottest wrestlers on the planet. Long-held frustrations with his creative direction led to Rhodes asking to leave last May. WWE granted the request, and finally free of the ludicrous Stardust gimmick forever, Cody made his independent debut against Zack Sabre Jr. that August.
Expectations were high, but Rhodes’ post-WWE run has delivered on every level. He has worked for almost every notable company on the planet, and regularly draws huge levels of attention to everything he does. From Germany to Japan, Cody has been everywhere, and has now settled into a regular schedule with Ring Of Honor and NJPW, while still appearing on wrestling’s smaller stages.
Rhodes’ example will be hard for any released WWE superstar to follow, but his success proves that it’s still possible to be a buzz-worthy American wrestler without the support of the country’s biggest promotion. Few wrestlers have ever benefited from leaving WWE like Cody has, and whether he ends up signing with a major company again or not, his story provides a perfect blueprint for how to survive sans WWE.