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WWE has released many of its wrestlers this year with several rounds of talent releases taking place. They've certainly been ruthless when it comes to cutting wrestlers they don't think they need anymore.
In a lot of cases, WWE is right about the talent they release, in terms of how big a star that person is in the company, and how big a star they might become. However, there are many wrestlers whose releases were definitely a mistake.
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This could either be because they've gone on to prove they're a top star in wrestling and that WWE just didn't see their potential or because of the impact they've had outside of WWE.
Let's take a look at the 5 Superstars WWE should never have let go
#5. Cody Rhodes should never have been able to walk out of WWE as easily as he did.
This one's a no-brainer really, as Cody Rhodes' departure had a direct throughline from him leaving the company to WWE's biggest competition, All Elite Wrestling, being formed.
All Elite Wrestling ended up going head to head with WWE's NXT on Wednesday nights and apart from a couple of occasions, trounced WWE's black and gold brand in television ratings.
All Elite Wrestling now also looks like it's going to pull off the coup of the century in hiring both Daniel Bryan and finally bring CM Punk back to mainstream wrestling, which really should have WWE worried.
None of that would've happened if Cody hadn't left WWE.
#4. Chris Jericho joining AEW was a huge statement for the new company that WWE never should've allowed
Chris Jericho leaving WWE for AEW and being announced as having joined the company as part of their launch was a massive surprise and no one would've seen it coming given that Jericho had, up until then, been a WWE lifer.
He would go on to become the first AEW World Champion and has worked tirelessly to help build up several AEW talents, including stars like Sammy Guevara and MJF.
Jericho's experience and tutelage backstage must have been invaluable for AEW's wrestlers, and his very presence on the show gave it an air of legitimacy in its infancy that it arguably wouldn't have had if WWE tried harder to keep Jericho.
#3. CM Punk walking away from WWE at the height of his popularity is still a missed opportunity for them years later
We're all familiar with why CM Punk decided to walk away from WWE and the circumstances surrounding his abrupt departure from the company, including the fact that WWE fired him on his wedding day.
However, WWE should've tried much harder than they evidently did to convince Punk to return, because what happened afterwards, was years and years of CM Punk chants during other matches.
Even over the last couple of years when CM Punk was announced as being part of WWE Backstage on FOX, people were clamoring for him to return to wrestling for WWE.
Now that it seems like he's going to head to AEW, it's an even bigger and potentially much more damaging decision from WWE that could come back to bite them years later.
#2. Mickie James would've been invaluable to WWE's women's division but they released her
Mickie James was released from WWE only months ago and she's already done more for women's wrestling than her family company has in 2021.
James is an experienced pro and could've been a great backstage influence for WWE as a producer. However, she's now taken her producing aspirations, experience, and enthusiasm to NWA, where she'll be responsible for putting on an all-women's show.
WWE could've had James producing and making shows for them, and they'd definitely be reaping the rewards, but they released her instead.
#1. Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose) has shown WWE that he should've been the biggest star to come out of Shield.
Dean Ambrose always seemed to be the least-pushed WWE Superstar when he was in The Shield with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. But now that he's left WWE and joined AEW, he's established himself as a megastar.
WWE still has top stars in Reigns and Rollins, but if they'd given Ambrose a bit more of the spotlight when he was with the company as well, they could've had three of Wrestling's biggest stars instead of two.
The fact that Moxley has also established himself so vehemently as a star for AEW, WWE's biggest rival, will certainly be a bone of contention for some backstage in WWE.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
