April Mendez, fondly known as AJ Lee, rose to WWE stardom after her debut in 2009. She even found herself winning the Divas Championship on three separate occasions. But in 2015, Mendez decided it was time to hop out of the ring and focus her efforts elsewhere. So, what did she do? She wrote a tell-all autobiography about her incredible life.
Mendez’ book, that she called Crazy is My Superpower, details the struggles she faced when dealing with poverty when she was young, along with mental illness and her rise to fame and fortune. The book was a hit and earned a spot on the NY Times list of bestsellers. She also operates her own website where she sells her books.
Sara Lee: Super Mommy
Sara Lee made her WWE debut in 2015, after winning their competition, Tough Enough. The win secured her a one-year spot with the company, but that’s all she seemed to need! At the end of her contract, she was due to have a child and announced that she would be retiring from the sport altogether.
In late 2016, Sara Lee (Sara Weston,) gave birth to her daughter, Piper. Today, she lives in Florida with her daughter and husband, WWE’s own Wesley Blake. She devotes her time and energy to her family, committing herself to full-time mommy duties.
Virgil Seems Confused
Virgil is another former wrestler that got out of the ring to venture into something…different. Virgil went into teaching high-school mathematics in Pennsylvania. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that! It’s actually pretty noble to leave a job that pays a ridiculous amount of money to educate children, instead.
However, Virgil wasn’t exactly satisfied by his newfound teaching career, either. Could it be the fact that he missed the fat paychecks? It would seem so, as a few years back he decided to launch a crowdfunding operation because he missed the big money. Cue the mass amount of eye rolls.
Jesse Ventura: Governor
Jesse “The Body” Ventura made a pretty big stir during his time with the WWE. He debuted back in 1975 and worked in wrestling for a decade. In 1999, he began to dabble in acting, working with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger. And looking at that is pretty funny when you consider that both men ended up in politics.
Yes, Jesse Ventura also went into politics, hitting in the scene in 1991, when he became mayor of a town in Minnesota called Brooklyn Park. Seven years later, he successfully ran for Governor of Minnesota, taking the seat from 1998-2003. According to the rumor mill, you may just see Ventura running for President next year, too.
Shad Gaspard: Jack of All Trades
Shad Gaspard made his WWE debut in 2006 when he was introduced as part of the duo, Cryme Tyme, who became an instant fan favorite. But just a year later, they both vanished from the WWE for reasons that remain a mystery. Shad would return for a few appearances, between 2008 and 2010. But in 2010, he was released again and this time, it was for good.
But Shad’s departure from the WWE led him to be able to explore different creative avenues. In 2011, he published a graphic novel that he dubbed Assassin and Son, which won multiple awards both that year and the next. Shad also dabbled in acting, appearing in Get Hard, alongside Kevin Hart and Will Ferrel.