5 WWE legends who had disappointing runs in other pro wrestling companies
Most of the WWE Legends who have mesmerized the crowd during their heydays have historically bounced from one promotion to the next before making it big on Vince McMahon’s Stamford-based promotion. Despite them cutting it in the company, there eventually comes a time when they venture out once again.
There are numerous reasons for such a career move. While some of them had awesome runs, there were those whose careers tanked swiftly.
Check out these five WWE Legends who had upsetting runs in other promotions.
#5 Bret Hart (WCW)
Bret Hart was one of the biggest wrestling Superstars of the 90s. He was knowing for going all out and giving the crowd their money's worth.
The WWE Legend landed a lucrative three-year contract with WCW in 1997 with an annual salary of 2.5 million dollars. This included having more creative freedom over his in-ring persona, not to mention a lighter schedule.
Hart also got involved in epic feuds during his stint, including rivalries with Diamond Dallas Page, Sting, and even Ric Flair. Despite the huge payday and acclaimed matches, his WCW run was plagued with misfortune.
He had a couple of serious injuries and one of them forced him to hang up his boots. The most painful part of it was the passing of his brother, Owen Hart.
#4 Booker T (TNA)
@jalex_819 All time favorites from TNA will always be Chet Lemon and Black Snow https://t.co/SZmvlW0kAg
TNA, now known as IMPACT! Wrestling, also signed huge names, and one of them was WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.
His time with TNA featured a rather different side of the Superstar as the promotion green lit some of his creative pitches. A notable part of his TNA run was him being a member of the faction dubbed "The Main Event Mafia" which was led by fellow Superstar and WWE Legend Kurt Angle. The stable was named so due to it being composed of the champions at the time.
Booker was also known for his Black Snow character in TNA where this alter ego of his had a penchant for commentating during a match.
Some of the storylines that Booker got into during his stay with TNA did help elevate his career within the promotion. A notable example was the feud between him and Robert Roode.
Beyond that, it was not a very remarkable phase of his career.
#3 The Ultimate Warrior (WCW)
The Ultimate Warrior was another WWE Legend who worked for other promotions, specifically WCW. He joined WCW in 1998 after leaving WWE in 1996.
His stay with the promotion was shortlived as he only participated in three matches that year. Warrior’s third and final match within the company came during Halloween Havoc where he was defeated by another WWE Legend, Hulk Hogan. The match was heavily panned by both fans and pundits and it was deemed to be one of the worst wrestling matches of that era.
He made a few more appearances, cutting promos until his final showing in November that year.
#2 The British Bulldog (WCW)
The British Bulldog, also known as Davey Boy Smith, was one of World Championship Wrestling’s biggest signings in 1993. Smith was set for a major push at the time as WCW wanted him to be one of the top babyfaces of the company.
A notable part of his WCW career involved him forming an alliance with Sting who was also one of the promotion’s top faces. Talks of Smith becoming a WCW Champion did the rounds during his stay there..
The hype eventually died down and he was released by the company after he got involved in a bar fight and beat up a guy who was allegedly hitting on his then-wife Diana Hart Smith.
#1 Scott Hall (TNA)
Another WWE Legend who jumped over to TNA was Scott Hall, who became part of the promotion in 2002. It was during this time that the WWE Hall of Famer was losing the battle against his personal demons and it got worse during his stay with the company.
There were times when Hall ditched his scheduled appearances on some of TNA’s events. Just days prior to the company’s Sacrifice pay-per-view in 2010, Hall was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, intoxication and resisting arrest. Albeit such a predicament, Hall managed to wrestle during the event and went on to retain his TNA World Tag Team Championship alongside another WWE Legend and Hall of Famer, Kevin Nash.
Hall and the promotion would eventually part ways that same year.