Al Snow has had a fascinating career in the professional wrestling business because although he was never the most successful WWE A superstar when he had several careers with the organization, he is a highly respected mind when it comes to business. And while he was a memorable in-ring fighter during his days with the original ECW and WWE’s Attitude Era, Al Snow is perhaps best known for his behind-the-scenes training and his contributions to grooming the next generation of professional wrestlers. . Because of this, some may wonder what happened to Al Snow’s departure from WWE and the things he has been involved in since his release.
Al Snow’s legendary career in professional wrestling
There is a reason why Al Snow is among the most respected minds in the business, having been in the industry since the early 1980s. Since then, he has wrestled for many organizations and has won many championships in his most thirty-year career as a professional wrestler. Of the more well-known organizations that Al Snow has left his mark on, he is perhaps best known for his stint with the original ECW in the late 1990s.
In his second ECW run, Al Snow developed the beloved “head” gimmick which he later carried over into his second WWE run when he re-signed with the company in 1998. In that time, Snow became an established comic figure of the Era of the Attitude. him while he was lumped in with the rest of the wacky characters of that generation. As a full-time wrestler in his second WWE run, Snow became heavily involved in the Hardcore division, winning the Hardcore Championship six times.
Al Snow transitions to train up-and-coming talents in WWE
In the early 2000s, Al Snow’s in-ring career was limited as he began to focus on training rising WWE superstars. When WWE first produced MTV Tough enough in 2001, Snow became heavily involved with the show when he became one of the coaches for the first season. Throughout Tough enoughFrom the original start of 2001 to 2005, Snow remained among the coaching roster each season.
Al Snow’s WWE training duties were not exclusive to Tough enough. Fast forward to early 2007, Snow returned for a third WWE run to become a trainer for WWE developmental Ohio Valley Wrestling. His training position at OVW lasted a bit longer before leaving again in early 2008.
Outside of his WWE coaching duties during the Ruthless Aggression era, Al Snow’s last involvement with WWE’s main roster was joining the newly formed ECW brand in 2006, as his past roots with the original ECW they helped it fit right in with WWE’s relaunch of ECW as a brand. However, Snow was used as an enhancement talent during his tenure on the ECW brand before being released by WWE and returning as OVW’s trainer in 2007.
Why Al Snow was released by WWE
In February 2008, WWE once again released Al Snow from the company, as the company no longer had a working relationship with the OVW promotion. Following the end of the relationship between WWE and OVW, Snow left on behalf of OVW. However, Snow wasted no time in resuming his wrestling career when he signed with Impact Wrestling in 2008, remaining with the company for nearly a decade. Snow also fought for the independent scene, as he still performs in the ring despite being in his 50s.
To this day, Al Snow continues to train up-and-coming talent in the professional wrestling business. For example, Al Snow may never have returned to WWE, but he did return to OVW when he purchased the promotion and became the majority owner through 2021. He has since sold the majority of OVW’s shares and is currently a minority owner, although Al Snow still runs the promotion’s operations. Through OVW, it’s also worth noting that Al Snow opened a reputable professional wrestling academy called the Al Snow Wrestling Academy.
Like many wrestlers, Al Snow has also been in the podcast game as he hosts a podcast via Vince Russo’s Channel Attitude. Due to Al Snow’s many endeavors since he left WWE, it’s clear that he has always kept himself busy despite being much older. It shows that someone like Al Snow, specifically his mind for the business, is still valued by many in the industry.