Why do some former WWE stars cling to the past?

I watched WWE LFG last night, and Bubba Ray said something that really hit me—it’s great advice for anyone in the wrestling business right now: At the end of the day, this is a business, and you need to have thick skin if you want to make it.

That’s a statement every wrestler should live by and apply to their professional lives.

Yet, more and more, especially with those who have left or been released from WWE, we see people doing interviews just to trash the company for not using them the way they wanted. While I can understand that kind of reaction shortly after being released—it’s emotional—I don’t get why some continue bashing WWE over a year later, unless they’re just trying to hang on to the notoriety of being an “ex-WWE star.”

This brings me to Ricochet and what he said about his WWE run last week. We’ve all seen the excerpt where he claims he lost his passion for wrestling while in WWE and that the company never got behind him. But if you followed his WWE career, you know that’s far from the truth. Still, it makes for a great soundbite to feed the narrative that WWE is some awful place.

The reality is, Ricochet got a rocket strapped to his back when he first signed. He won the NXT North American Title in his brand debut, had a solid reign, then quickly got called up and won the U.S. Title within his first month on the main roster. They gave him a strong run, kept pushing him in the midcard—even though he wasn’t really connecting with the WWE Universe. Then he got his first Intercontinental Title run, which was Vince’s last test to see if he could get over. He didn’t. That’s when Vince gave up on him—not enough to release him, but enough to job him out.

Even then, Ricochet still got involved with main-event talent from time to time until he faded back into obscurity—until Vince left and Triple H took over. HHH gave him another solid IC title run, hoping to reignite the spark. That didn’t work either, so they let him have quality matches on SmackDown and Raw until he decided to leave on his own terms.

The point is: WWE pushed him for a good chunk of his career. They let him leave when he wanted and arguably made him a bigger star than he was before. But instead of focusing on his present and future, he’s still talking about WWE and complaining about how he was used. While some in the IWC will defend him, to the rest of us, it just makes him look like a fragile whiner clinging to past fame.

And Ricochet isn’t the only one. Others have done the same—Mercedes Moné being one of the most notable examples.

After the most recent batch of WWE releases, Matt Cardona offered some solid advice: You have three choices—

* Cling to the past and complain about how WWE screwed you.

* Ride the “ex-WWE” wave until it stops paying.

* Use the opportunity to reinvent yourself and prove WWE made a mistake by letting you go.

That’s great advice from someone who did reinvent himself post-WWE and is now one of the biggest names on the indies, making just as much money as he did in WWE.

The biggest stars in this industry are the ones who take setbacks and turn them into something positive. The more you complain about how WWE didn’t appreciate or push you, the more you come across as a desperate, entitled brat—and that reputation will stick with you.

If I had advice for ex-WWE talent, it would be this: follow the examples of Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Matt Cardona. Focus on reinvention and proving your worth. Stop playing the martyr just to win over the vocal minority. It’ll serve you far better in the long run, and you’ll have a much stronger career because of it.

A Quick Note on the Wrestling Fandom

Before I sign off, I want to revisit something from my previous column on toxicity in the wrestling fandom.

As you know, we write these columns in our free time because we love wrestling and enjoy discussing it. Naturally, we all have different opinions, which can sometimes lead to harsh comments in the replies. Recently, one of our fellow columnists went on a tirade—not once, but twice—because he didn’t like what someone else wrote, claiming it came from a toxic place just because that person doesn’t regularly watch the product.

Honestly, I don’t think not watching the product is a reason to discredit someone’s opinion—especially when it’s easy to keep up with WWE or AEW just by following the news cycle. Talking about the news isn’t toxic, even if you’re not watching every show weekly.

As opinion writers, we have a responsibility to lead by example. Starting fights with each other just because we don’t agree sends the wrong message to the community. If we want this space to be a safe, respectful place to talk wrestling like adults, then it starts with us. Let’s treat each other with respect—if we do, the rest of the community will follow.

That’s it for this week. As always—stop being toxic, and just have fun celebrating wrestling.