10 WWE Stars Who Managed To Shake Off The 'TNA Stink'

8. Marcus Cor Von

Consequences Creed Xavier Woods
TNA.com

The case of Marcus Cor Von is a fascinating one, due to the fact that he'd appeared to have shook off any of the proverbial TNA stink and was set for big, big things in WWE - only for Cor Von to depart the company after just 10 months.

As Monty Brown in TNA, the dynamic, powerful performer became one of the company's hottest rising stars as he tangled with the likes of AJ Styles, Christian Cage, and Sting. And given the look and charisma of the 'Alpha Male,' it came as no surprise to see WWE pick him up in November 2006.

Placed on the relaunched ECW brand and renamed Marcus Cor Von, an impressive win over Rob Van Dam suggested big plans. Given how ECW became a testing ground for future World Champions such as CM Punk, Sheamus, and Jack Swagger, it's not beyond the realms of possibility to imagine Cor Von would've been mixing it up at the top of the Raw or SmackDown card had he remained with WWE.

Due to the tragic death of his sister, the former NFL star was granted his WWE release in September 2007, hanging up his boots to look after her children.

There will always be a case of 'what could've been...' for Marcus Cor Von in WWE, but his decision to step away to care for his family is an admirable one that speaks volumes about somebody often labelled one of the most genuine, sincere people to have been involved in the business.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.