Lars Sullivan & 12 Other WWE NXT Wrestlers Who Disappeared Into Oblivion
From the moment that NXT was created, the company has always focused on pushing the wrestlers to become big stars in the industry. A lot of them have had great success on the main roster, and even those that haven't become huge names have found a place, such as Bo Dallas.
Of course, not every single wrestler can make it in WWE, as there are only so many spots available. Some names that didn't make the cut became bigger stars elsewhere such as Juice Robinson. However, some simply disappeared overnight, being gone and not heard from again in a big spotlight.
Updated March 14, 2022 by Danny Djeljosevic: Even back during its early days as a demeaning game show in the mid-2010s, NXT has introduced fans to many future top stars in WWE, and can boast Bray Wyatt, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, and Big E among its alumni. Some of the below stars are completely out of the wrestling business, while others are laying low for one reason or another while still working in the industry, albeit not as high profile as they used to be. Let’s take a look at some additional wrestlers who were staples of developmental only to later disappear, as well as update on some wrestlers who have updates since this list was initially written.
13 * Lars Sullivan
Lars Sullivan enjoyed a great run as part of NXT, being built up as a monster who would dominate everybody in sight. Vince McMahon liked what he saw and brought him to the main roster, and he was given a featured role out of the gate, attacking several legends.
However, when stories began to break about his personal life, he ended up being pulled from television and fined. Lars eventually returned, but just as quickly he was gone again. He disappeared and was then quietly released, with his wrestling career seemingly being over at this point. As of mid-2021, Sullivan was reported to be training to be a bare knuckle boxer, but he has yet to compete in any fights.
12 * Jacob Novak
Introduced in Season 4 of game show NXT, Jacob Novak’s attempted romancing of Vickie Guerrero led Novak’s NXT Pro, Dolph Ziggler, to trade Rookies with Chris Masters, with Novak almost immediately being eliminated from the show. He’d return for the underrated NXT Redemption with JTG as his pro, but would be the first eliminated from the show. Novak’s release would come about a month later in June 2011, after which he’d disappear from the wrestling business. According to his personal Facebook, Jacob Novak found work in glass installation and repair.
11 * Kassius Ohno (a.k.a. Chris Hero)
Kassius Ohno enjoyed two stints with NXT, but neither of them quite worked out as he would have hoped. The second spell saw him putting other talents over, and it was a role he did well. However, when NXT UK was created, Ohno ended up being sent across the pond to do the same role there.
No explanation was given as to why he disappeared from television in America. But during the pandemic, he was also let go from the company. Fans were excited about seeing him back on the independent scene, or possibly with AEW. However, Chris Hero has yet to return to the ring, though he's remained active in the wrestling business. In addition to hosting a shoot video series, Shoot Conversations w/ Chris Hero, Hero has hosted training seminars and even done some backstage agent work for Ring of Honor.
10 * The Velveteen Dream
The Velveteen Dream was another wrestler who had a lot of controversy in his personal life, which is why WWE decided to cut ties with him. However, it took a long time for the company to make that decision after the news was initially shared online.
The Dream was taken off television and wasn't used for months before he was officially released. It led to a lot of speculation in regard to his status, especially since he was a major part of the product at one point. Since then, his first indie booking was canceled following vocal criticism from fans in 2021, so it remains unlikely that he will be back in the business.
9 * Percy Watson
Percy Watson initially joined WWE as a wrestler, and he was involved in the game show version of NXT. He had moderate success, but he ended up being released. However, he was then brought back to the company and he became a commentator, which was a role he thrived at.
Watson was fantastic in this position, and it seemed like he had a long-term career behind the desk. However, once again he randomly disappeared, departing the company for a second time. He chose to leave WWE to be part of the movie business, leaving wrestling behind. Since then, Watson's had minor roles on film and TV, and returned to the ring in 2021, portraying a character called The Unknown Hand for EC3's promotion, Control Your Narrative.
8 Tino Sabbatelli
Tino Sabbatelli was an exciting signing for WWE originally. Coming from the NFL where he had a successful career, the company had high hopes for him. He had a great look, charisma, and inside of the ring, he was a talented worker.
However, despite a few failed attempts to get him over, Tino was released. He ended up appearing for AEW at one point, but then he returned to WWE, which caused a real stir at the time. Fans expected him to then be used upon his return, but that wasn't the case. Sabbatelli was then released once again, and has yet to return to the ring.
7 * Eli Cottonwood
While he would be the second person eliminated in the second season, Eli Cottonwood scored a dubious claim to fame while part of NXT. A disastrous “Talk The Talk” segment, during which Cottonwood had to cut a promo about mustaches, ended up going viral thanks to The Soup, a weekly comedy show that shared funny clips from other TV shows.
After his elimination, Cottonwood returned to competing in WWE’s then-developmental promotion FCW and was initially slated to become part of the Wyatt Family before being replaced by Luke Harper. He’d get released from his contract in 2012, and would retire from the wrestling business in 2014.
6 Richie Steamboat
Those who watched NXT early on will remember Richie Steamboat and the fact that he was pushed heavily. Steamboat was set to be one of the biggest stars of the product, with the company having a lot of plans for the young wrestler. However, a career-ending injury brought things to an end for Richie. However, WWE didn't make any fanfare out of the situation. Normally audiences would get a big moment to say goodbye, but that wasn't the case here and he was gone.
5 * Mason Ryan
Mason Ryan debuted immediately on the main roster, but it was clear that he wasn't quite ready for that spot. Because of that, the Welshman ended up being moved to NXT, with the aim being for him to sharpen his skills and become one of the top stars.
Things didn't quite work out in that manner. He was used in random matches, but Ryan never really gained much of a storyline or focus. He ended up being released and left the wrestling industry, becoming a performer in Cirque du Soleil and branching out into real estate.
4 * Authors of Pain
AOP are former NXT Tag Team Champions and a duo that got a lot of attention on the main roster as well. They had a great look, brilliant size, and their physical style was enjoyable to watch. Injuries caused them problems on the main roster, but their release in 2020 did take most people by surprise.
After rumors spread in 2021 that they had retired, the former Akam and Rezar resurfaced in 2022 to not only discuss their release from the company, but also announced an NFT project as well as a pro wrestling project that would involve the Metaverse.
3 * Lucky Cannon
Another early elimination from Season 2, Lucky Cannon was a Florida Heavyweight Champion in FCW, where he initially wrestled under the ring name Johnny Prime. On NXT, he had Mark Henry as his Pro, got into a mini-feud with Cody Rhodes, and would be eliminated right after Eli Cottonwood.
During his NXT run, he’d end up losing the Florida Heavyweight Championship in FCW, and would wrestle a few more matches in developmental after his elimination. After his release in 2011, he made a brief foray in the indies, wrestling for Florida Underground Wrestling before, by his own admission, losing his passion for the sport and retiring.
2 * Dorian Mak (a.k.a. Dan Matha)
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Dorian Mak had been pushed for a brief period in NXT due to his size. He was a giant of a man, and that is something that is always going to work well within the wrestling business, particularly in WWE. However, at one point he was given a featured spotlight, and in the next moment, he disappeared. After getting into a nasty car accident, Mak was released as part of WWE's mass layoffs due to COVID-related budget cuts in 2020. Since then, he hasn't made much of a splash within the professional wrestling world, with most fans forgetting about him completely, but he did, however, start a motivational podcast called Spark In The Dark
1 * Bull Dempsey
In the early years of NXT's rise, Bull Dempsey was a featured part of the product. Had there been a North American Title at that point, there is no doubt he would have enjoyed a run with it. He was always just outside the main event spot, but he was used regularly.
WWE changed his gimmick at one point to make him more comedic, which didn't work. However, at one point the company just decided to release him, despite putting in a lot of work. Since then, Bull has been working on the independent circuit as Bull James. In 2020, accusations of stalking and other improprieties were made about him, which resulted in the former Bull Dempsey filing a defamation lawsuit in 2021.
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