10 Superstars who left WWE in their prime - where are they now?

#6 Batista stepped away from WWE in 2010

Batista found success in Hollywood

Batista signed his first WWE contract back in 2000. He later got his big break in 2003 as a member of Evolution. His partnership with Ric Flair and Triple H proved to be quite fruitful. Batista, along with Randy Orton, quickly made an unforgettable impact in WWE.

While Batista won the WWE Championship twice, and the World Heavyweight Championship four times in his career, he decided to leave the company in 2010. At the time, he was one of WWE's most acclaimed superstars. But "The Animal" did not get the same level of respect as John Cena. This disparity led to him to depart the company. He explained the decision on MLW Radio's Writers Room:

"Basically, kind of mirror images of each other on our respective shows, but I'm getting afforded a lot less opportunities and that didn't sit well with me and I wasn't okay with that. I wasn't content with that. And so, when they said no, I wasn't going to be afforded those opportunities, I said, 'well, I'm going to leave then' and that was kind of it."

Batista has become a successful actor in Hollywood, as he was a breakout star in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy." "The Animal" has since come back to WWE twice for short stints. He finally retired after a match against Triple H at WWE WrestleMania 35 after a heated feud with his mentor.

WHAT THE?? Batista has appeared and attacked @RicFlairNatrBoy in a demand for @TripleH's attention on #Raw! @DaveBautista pic.twitter.com/NKzISy4fJ3

— WWE (@WWE) February 26, 2019