What Are These 10 Former WWE Women Up To?

Female wrestlers are no longer relegated to 3-minute matches where they barely have enough time to show any sort of character work or their athletic talent. It was a long road, and while there's still work to be done, the women's divisions across major wrestling promotions have gotten some much-needed respect.

How would the WWE women of yesteryear fare in the current, improved environment? They managed to make an impact when they were far from the focus, so we can only imagine how they'd thrive now. While we may not see these women compete full-time in a WWE ring again, we take a look at what's currently keeping them busy.

10 Melina

Melina was one of the "M's" in MNM, a tag team featuring Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury that captured gold multiple times. Her career would really blossom when she moved to Raw, becoming a singles competitor who won multiple championships (3x Women's, 2x Divas).

WWE released her in 2011. Melina would spend some time on the indy scene, including Lucha Underground, where she helped her former partner John Morrison. She would appear on Raw's Reunion show in 2019, before making her debut on NWA Powerrr, where she has become one of the focal points of their women's division.

9 Kelly Kelly

So nice, they named her twice... whatever that means. Kelly Kelly was a product of a bygone era, pre-Women's Revolution, where many of the female wrestlers were popular for their looks and not their in-ring talent. She definitely improved over the years, even becoming Divas Champion, until she moved on to reality television.

Having just landed her first acting role, Kelly Kelly remains an Instagram influencer who continues to make sporadic appearances in WWE. Not only did she come back for the Women's Royal Rumble, but she also won the 24/7 Championship back at the Raw Reunion show!

8 AJ Lee

While her road to stardom might not have been easy, AJ Lee managed to captivate WWE fans as a manager, an authority figure, and as a wrestler. She was involved in major storylines with Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and John Cena, before her popularity got her the Raw GM position.

As a wrestler, AJ Lee had underrated feuds with Kaitlyn and Paige over the Divas Championship. She would win the title and have a dominant reign lasting 296 days. Following some injuries and WWE's difficult relationship with her husband CM Punk, AJ retired from wrestling in 2015. Since then, she's focused her time on being a mental health and animal welfare advocate. She penned a book, Crazy Is My Superpower, which became a New York Times bestseller.

7 Kaitlyn

While her stay with the company was relatively short, Kaitlyn still managed to leave her mark both in NXT and on the main roster. She became the Divas Champion and is mostly remembered for her feuds against Vickie Guerrero and AJ Lee.

Before WWE, Kaitlyn was into body fitness, having competed in the Arnold Classic as well as appearing in Flex Magazine. Following her WWE tenure, she took her love of fitness and opened an athletic clothing company, "Celestial Bodiez Collective." In addition to multiple side ventures, she's made some appearances in the WWE, such as competing in the Mae Young Classic. She's still wrestling and is currently the Slamforce Africa Women's Champion.

6 Jazz

Jazz is one of the very few wrestlers to have competed in multiple triple-threat matches at WrestleMania, and both were for the Women's Championship. She's a former 2-time champ who most notably feuded with Trish Stratus.

Jazz has kept busy since leaving WWE, wrestling on the independent circuit. She was the longest reigning NWA World Women's Champion not named Fabulous Moolah, clocking in at 948 days. She even participated in AEW's Casino Battle Royal at All Out. Besides wrestling, she and her hubby, former WWE wrestler Rodney Mack, run a fitness gym and wrestling school.

5 Emma

While Emmalina might be one of the most short-lived gimmick changes in wrestling history, Emma was still able to carve out a nice role in WWE along with a decent fanbase. Her better years in the company were in NXT, where she even managed to win a match she wasn't scheduled to win.

Emma was released in 2017 because WWE didn't seem to find anything for her creatively. She would tour the indies, entering the ROH Women of Honor Championship tournament. Fans can now catch her on Impact Wrestling.

4 Eve Torres

Eve Torres was the last winner of WWE's Diva Search in 2007. She learned the ropes really well and ended up becoming one of the better Divas Champions while the title was still active, holding the belt a record 3 times (tied with AJ Lee). She even became the Executive Administrator of Raw and SmackDown.

Eve is currently an instructor (the first woman) and spokesperson for the Gracie Women Empowerment Self-Defense program. She's a role model who continues to impress following her short WWE stint.

3 Trish Stratus

Only one of the GOATs can have a retirement match in her hometown of Toronto and actually win. Trish Stratus is a deserving Hall of Famer who left a lasting impact on the women's division. She's an inspiration and role model for many of the women in WWE today.

While her "last" match was in 2006, we all know retirements don't mean much in wrestling. Stratus has made sporadic appearances for WWE throughout the years, including her participation in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match, as well as the historic Evolution PPV. She also faced Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019. Beyond wrestling, Trish has found massive success as a yoga and fitness instructor with her company "Stratusphere Yoga."

2 Lilian Garcia

Lilian Garcia was the voice of WWE for many years. While their current announcers are fine, Garcia is definitely missed, as she exuded charisma and professionalism. She was also involved in some angles, showing her diverse talents - she even got legitimately injured when Charlie Haas knocked her off the apron!

Lilian parted ways with WWE in 2016, but, like many others, has made some guest appearances. She now hosts a podcast, "Chasing Glory," where she often speaks to former wrestlers. She's also the announcer for Professional Fighters League, so she's keeping busy.

1 Molly Holly

"Mighty" Molly Holly was an underrated performer who was ahead of her time. Still only 42, there's a reason WWE keeps bringing her back in short appearances, most recently as part of the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble. She held the Women's Championship twice, but her Hardcore title reign was one fans will always remember - that, and her shaved head at WrestleMania XX.

Alongside some WWE alumni (Mr. Kennedy and Shawn Daivari), Holly now operates a wrestling training academy, where she is the female lead coach.

NEXT: Predicting The Next 5 WWE Champions (& The Next 5 Universal Champions)