MAJOR Wrestling Stars Who Jumped Ship (...And FLOPPED!)
WWE has had its fair share of 'the grass isn't always greener' moments!
Success in one promotion doesn't guarantee stardom in another.
That one sentence perhaps sums the entries on this list up best, and it's one recent AEW > WWE jumpers like Jade Cargill or brave WWE > AEW leaps made by Adam Copeland should pay close attention to. Of course, early signs are that both will smash it on their new platforms, but they wouldn't be the first to show flashes of promise before totally tanking.
Copeland has decades of experience and star power to draw from, granted. Nothing is certain in the 'Wild, Wild West' world of pro wrestling though, and the folks here prove it. These heroes from WWF/WWE, WCW and ECW surely thought they'd become made men after jumping ship, but then reality hit them harder than a peak ROH-era Nigel McGuinness clothesline.
It was all downhill for most from there, sadly. Others managed to bounce back by jumping to yet another company - follow up success there only made miserable flops beforehand even more glaring. These workers shouldn't have experienced such hardships or despair.
Strap in, because this one will be rather bumpy!
10. Davey Boy Smith (WWF > WCW)
When: 1993
Why He Flopped: The British Bulldog was hot sh*t when he landed on WCW television in 1993. Davey was fairly fresh off headlining SummerSlam '92, and that main event opposite Bret Hart was the best match of his career. Sure, Bret carried a knackered and drug-addled Bulldog through the entire thing, but people didn't know that at the time.
He was a star on the rise.
Typically, WCW couldn't capitalise. Smith wasn't joining a company mid-nWo boom - WCW was WWF-lite, and simply didn't have the know-how to make the most of an incoming McMahon-made star. Despite teaming with top babyface Sting, Bulldog was mired in some seriously dreadful mini-movies during a feud vs. Vader and Sid.
He'd last a year with the chaotic group before working some indy dates back home in the UK then rejoining the WWF by 1994. That WCW run probably wasn't as fruitful as Smith (or Turner suits) had hoped it'd be when the ink dried.