10 former WWE Superstars that you may not know work backstage
Sometimes, a WWE Superstar’s love for the business continues even after they retire.
Some superstars feel they have to give back to the industry that made them who they are. This can be done by helping to get the next generation of wrestlers over, coaching them, or even just by helping to produce the best possible product.
WWE currently has over 800 full-time employees, some of whom are former WWE Superstars that now work backstage. Here are 10 former Superstars that moved behind the scenes after a career of headlocks and powerbombs.
The list is sorted alphabetically as this is not a ranking of any kind.
#10. Drake Maverick is a writer for RAW
Drake Maverick was also known as Rockstar Spud during his time at Impact Wrestling. He was signed by WWE in October 2017 and made his television debut as the General Manager of 205 Live on the January 30, 2018 episode.
Please give it up for the NEW #205Live General Manager, #DrakeMaverick!!!!! @WWE205Live @WWEDanielBryan @WWENetwork https://t.co/jJ5TakBgyb
During his time as GM for 205 Live, Maverick also briefly managed the Raw tag team of Akam and Rezar, who were collectively known as the Authors of Pain.
He then began to wrestle more as the 24/7 Championship was unveiled, beginning a rivalry with long-time titleholder R-Truth that saw Maverick become a six-time champion.
Maverick was then announced as part of the NXT Cruiserweight Title Tournament on April 12, 2020. He was released by WWE three days later but remained in the tournament. He managed to reach the finals, where he was defeated by El Hijo del Fantasma.
Despite not winning, he was offered a contract by Triple H, marking his return to the company on a full-time basis. Maverick remained on the NXT brand until he was drafted to Raw in 2021. He was released again by WWE on November 18, 2021.
He was then brought back in February 2022 as a writer for RAW’s creative team, a role he has maintained since.
#9. D-Von Dudley is signed to WWE as a producer
The Hall of Famer is best known for his time teaming with Bubba Ray Dudley. Together, they were known as the Dudley Boyz. One of the most successful tag teams of all time, the Dudleys won tag team titles 23 times across major companies like ECW, TNA, NJPW, and WWE.
D-Von is also a two-time TNA Television Champion.
The Dudley Boyz wrestled their final match as a team on December 17, 2016, in a match for the HOG Tag Team Titles where they faced champions The Hardy Boyz, Private Party, and matchwinners EYFBO.
D-Von was hired by WWE as a producer on September 26, 2016, and can sometimes be seen breaking up brawls between wrestlers on WWE television.
#8. Finlay works as both a producer and trainer
The Belfast Brawler was well known for his hard-hitting offense and love for fighting during his career. He held 20 championships and is a former United States Champion.
Initially a WCW wrestler, Finlay first worked as a trainer for WWE after WCW was bought in 2001. He continued in that role until 2005, notably having played a part in training both John Cena and Randy Orton.
Finlay then made his return to televised in-ring action, debuting for WWE on the January 20, 2006 SmackDown. That year, he feuded with the likes of Bobby Lashley, who he beat to win the United States Championship. He also competed in the second-ever Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 22.
Finlay was also known for his shillelagh and his association with Hornswoggle. He was released by WWE in March 2011 following an incident where he allowed The Miz to disrupt the singing of the US National Anthem during a house show.
He wrestled on the independent circuit for a year before being hired as a backstage producer by WWE on July 11, 2012. Finlay was released again in 2020 due to budget cuts but was brought back seven months later.
#7. Jamie Noble is a producer
Jamie Noble was signed by WWE after WCW was bought in 2001.
Noble was part of WCW before its demise and made his debut on the June 6, 2002, SmackDown, where he attacked The Hurricane. He won the Cruiserweight Championship from The Hurricane 17 days later at King of the Ring.
Noble left WWE on September 15, 2004, but then returned on December 17, 2005.
He stayed with the company but announced his retirement from professional wrestling on November 10, 2009, due to injuries. He then began working as a producer for WWE, a role he maintains to this day.
Noble did appear on television after retirement. In 2014, he aligned himself with Joey Mercury to form a team known as J&J Security. The team was responsible for protecting Seth Rollins and would often interfere in his matches to give him an advantage.
#6. Jason Jordan is a senior producer
Jason Jordan signed with WWE in 2011 and was sent to its developmental promotion FCW. A tag specialist, Jordan has held the NXT, RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Championships, making him one of the very few WWE Superstars to have achieved this.
He formed a team with Chad Gable during his time at NXT. They were known as American Alpha and have been praised for their chemistry as a team and their great wrestling ability. The two won the NXT tag titles on April 1, 2016, and the SmackDown titles on December 27 that same year.
Happy birthday to former #SmackDown #TagTeamChampion, @JasonJordanJJ! https://t.co/OGbXBoMrhn
Jordan went on to win the Raw Tag Team Championship with Seth Rollins as his partner.
Jordan has not wrestled since suffering a neck injury in 2018. Instead, he moved backstage and assumed the role of a producer. He has since been promoted to senior producer.
#5. Kenny Dykstra works as a trainer at WWE’s Performance Center
Dykstra began his WWE career as Kenny in the cheerleading group known as The Spirit Squad. As part of the group, he won the World Tag Team Championships on April 3, 2006, after they defeated the champions, Big Show and Kane.
Kenny was 20 years and 18 days old at the time, making him one of the youngest wrestlers to win a championship in WWE.
The group was disbanded after losing a 5-on-3 handicap match against DX and Ric Flair on the November 27, 2006 Raw. Dykstra then began a singles career before being released by WWE on November 10, 2008.
He was hired as a trainer for the Performance Center on October 6, 2021.
#4. Matt Bloom is the Performance Center Head Coach and Vice President of Talent Development
Matt Bloom wrestled under many ring names during his two runs in WWE. He made his debut as Prince Albert on the April 11, 1999 episode of Heat, where he came to Droz’s aid as he was being attacked by Big Boss Man. He teamed with Droz until the latter’s paralysis in late 1999.
Following his time teaming with Droz, Albert formed a tag team with Test with the duo being known as T&A. They were managed by Trish Stratus, leading to many believing that the team name was more than just an amalgamation of Test and Albert’s initials, but a reference to Stratus as well.
Albert was renamed A-Train after joining Paul Heyman and Big Show’s stable in December 2002. He teamed with Big Show to take on The Undertaker in a handicap match at WrestleMania 19, but both men were defeated by The Phenom after Nathan Jones entered to even the odds.
A-Train was released on November 1, 2004. He returned to WWE in 2012 after a seven-year stint in Japan. Based on this, the gimmick of Lord Tensai was created for him.
Accompanied by Sakamoto, Tensai had Japanese writing on his face and wore Japanese clothing during his entrance. He would also spit green mist on his opponents, blinding them.
Lord Tensai was pushed heavily during his debut. He achieved a winning streak which included victories over both John Cena and CM Punk.
Tensai was then used more comedically, teaming with Brodus Clay. He retired from in-ring competition on August 7, 2014 and began working as a trainer at the Performance Center.
He has since been promoted to Head Coach and is also the Vice President of Talent Development.
#3. Molly Holly works as a producer
Molly Holly made her WWE debut on the November 6, 2000 episode of Raw as Bob and Crash Holly’s cousin. Her first feud was against Trish Stratus as Bob and Crash were feuding with Stratus’ tag team T&A.
She then became Mighty Molly, The Hurricane’s superhero sidekick in September 2001. She turned on Hurricane at WrestleMania X8, winning his Hardcore Championship after hitting him with a frying pan. This was the beginning of her singles career.
She then darkened her hair and turned heel, beating Trish Stratus for her Women’s Championship at King of the Ring 2002. Molly decided to leave the company in April 2005 but returned later as a producer.
#2. Shane Helms works as a producer
Helms was part of the WCW talent that WWE kept after it bought the company in 2001. He made his debut as “Hollywood” Gregory Helms on the July 5, 2001 SmackDown during the Invasion storyline. It was shortly after that Helms formed his famed superhero gimmick, The Hurricane.
The caped hero first flew onto screens on August 27, winning the European Championship from Matt Hardy. Helms maintained the gimmick until the October 24, 2005 Raw, where he turned on his sidekick Rosey by leaving him to wrestle in a tag team match by himself.
Helms then began referring to himself by his real name, Gregory Helms. He won the Cruiserweight Championship at the 2006 Royal Rumble. He lost the title to Chavo Guerrero on February 18, 2007 after holding it for 385 days. This makes him the longest-reigning Cruiserweight Champion in the title's history.
Helms was released on February 26, 2010. He returned to the company in 2018 at the Royal Rumble and was hired as a producer on January 28, 2019.
#1. Tyson Kidd works as a producer
The Hart Dungeon’s final graduate, Tyson Kidd signed a developmental contract with WWE in November 2006 following an 11-year stint on the independent circuit.
He had previously competed in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Star Wrestling, and many more promotions around the world.
Kidd was promoted to the main roster and made his debut on the February 10, 2009 episode of ECW. He then formed The Hart Dynasty with Natalya and David Hart Smith, going on to defeat Big Show and The Miz to win the Unified Tag Team Championship on April 26, 2010.
The team split later that year once Kidd turned heel. He then went to NXT, beginning a feud with Yoshi Tatsu which saw the two men trade wins against each other.
Kidd formed a team with Cesaro on December 1, 2014 and the pair went on to win the tag team titles after defeating The Usos at Fastlane 2014. They lost the titles to The New Day nine weeks later at Extreme Rules.
Tyson Kidd suffered a spinal injury that forced him to retire from in-ring competition following a dark match with Samoa Joe on June 1, 2015. He was then hired as a producer on June 29, 2017.
What do you think of this list? Which entry surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments section below.