10 WWE Careers That Flatlined After WrestleMania

Since its inception in 1985, WrestleMania has so often been utilised as the place where genuine superstars are made.

With a major win or a whole-hearted performance on the Grandest Stage of Them All, a talent can take their stock to an entirely new level as they cement themselves as a serious player within the world of WWE.

Think Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII, think Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13, think Edge at WrestleMania 22, think Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 37. All four of those contests cemented the names involved as stars who were on their way to becoming mainstays of the main event scene.

While Hart, Austin, Edge, and Belair all flourished at and after those respective 'Manias, there have been plenty of other wrestlers whose careers have plummeted in the aftermath of the Showcase of the Immortals. Some of those stars have managed to eventually bounce back in WWE or found success in other promotions, but others have struggled to ever get their career back on track following a WrestleMania outing.

To be specific, this is only about a talent's time in WWE. With that in mind, here, then, are ten such wrestlers whose time with the market leader was only on a downward slope once WrestleMania was in the rear-view mirror.

Brian Adams had so many of the attributes that will forever get Vince McMahon tight in the pants. As in, he was a big, powerful fella with a great look and who would pass the famed airport test.

The fact that McMahon made Crush the third member of the iconic Demolition should indicate how strongly the talent was thought of, and even as 'Kona' Crush it looked as if the powerhouse was being groomed to be a main event player.

In an actually nicely done heel turn, late '93 saw Crush return to TV with his Tribal Hawaiian heel persona. There, he immediately targeted Randy Savage, claiming Savage was responsible for a back injury the star had suffered when trying to slam Yokozuna earlier in the year. The logic was, Savage encouraged Crush to slam Yoko, and thus the Macho Man was to blame for the injury suffered by the former Demolition man.

This issue culminated at WrestleMania X, where Crush and Savage did battle in a slightly bizarre Falls Count Anywhere 60 Second Count contest. For all the world, it seemed as if Crush would get the win here, giving him a huge win on a huge stage against a huge legend of the industry.

Instead, Macho Man won that bout, and Crush would spend the rest of the year working squash matches on WWF Superstars and Wrestling Challenge.

An early '95 arrest and subsequent jail stint did Brian Adams no favours, and his return in 1996 and roles in the Nation of Domination and Disciples of Apocalypse likewise did nothing for the big man.