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WWE has been the pinnacle of wrestling for many years and is the dream destination for most wrestlers. Not everyone can make it to the professional wrestling juggernaut though. Wrestlers who make it to the top are rewarded with a great deal of fame and fortune and they get to compete against the best that this business has to offer.
However, the grueling schedule, poor booking, and backstage politics which exist within the company's structure are enough to turn even the most loyal WWE Superstars away. While some wrestlers went on to find success in their future endeavors, others ended up regretting their decision to leave the company.
The grass isn't always greener on the side, and many wrestlers have found that out the hard way. Here are three stars who regretted leaving WWE and two who were happy after their departure.
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#5 Star who regretted leaving WWE - Ric Flair
The Nature Boy Ric Flair has been a part of some of the most iconic moments in WWE. He made history in 1992 by capturing the WWE Championship in the Royal Rumble match and had a memorable bout with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24, which ended the majority of his in-ring career.
Although it seemed like Flair was retiring for good after his loss to The Heartbreak Kid, the 16-time World Champion went on to wrestle in several matches at TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. Ric Flair later admitted in 2016 that he regretted leaving WWE for TNA after his "retirement."
"There [are] a couple of things I regret. Number one was ever going to work for TNA. That’s my own fault. It was just a lot of money to wrestle 65 days a year, right? 65 days and make a lot of money. Do you know what I mean? Not WWE money, but pretty good money to do nothing. And I made a lot of friends. I like Kurt Angle very much and I like [James] Storm and [Bobby] Roode. I liked AJ [Styles]. Everybody treated me great."
"I mean, I don’t have any bad things to say about TNA or the people there at all. After being in the WWE, it’s pretty hard to work any place else because you’re always comparing them no matter how hard you try not to.”
Ric Flair would still have had a role in WWE if he chose to remain with the company after his retirement. Instead, he chose to sign with another promotion where he still had the option to wrestle despite his age.
Eventually, The Nature Boy returned to WWE and continued to portray an on-screen role in a non-wrestling capacity.
#4 Star who was happy after leaving WWE - CM Punk
CM Punk left WWE in 2014 after he was released by the company on his wedding day. Punk subsequently retired from professional wrestling and went on to pursue a career in MMA. He stated in multiple interviews that he was unhappy with his role in WWE, which considerably affected his health.
Punk's time in the company took a major toll on his body. But after his departure, it felt as if all the weight was lifted off his shoulders. He is currently in a much happy place since leaving WWE. Punk confirmed the same by stating in 2016:
"Now my days aren't consumed by constant TV and radio hits. I'm not in a different time zone every day, and I no longer have to make desperate searches for healthy food options near whatever motel I am staying at in Scranton. I sleep in my own bed every night for more than three hours, I wake up, kiss my wife and then walk my dog around the block before going to the gym to get better at something I'm passionate about. Now I'm just a guy living his life, which is something I could never be as CM Punk, WWE star."
Although CM Punk is adamant that he will never return to WWE again, his vocal fanbase still wants him to return to professional wrestling in the future.
#3 Star who regretted leaving WWE - Bret "The Hitman" Hart
WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart is undoubtedly one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He was a huge star in WWE and a top champion in the company. In 1996, Hart was offered a contract by WCW to leave WWE and sign with the promotion.
WCW's interest in The Hitman made perfect sense from a business standpoint. They wanted to have all the big names, and they were prepared to throw a lot of money to get them. Bret Hart initially declined the offer, but he later became part of WCW after the infamous Montreal Screwjob incident.
However, it was a decision he later regretted making. Hart's run in the promotion failed to live up to expectations and his career was cut short after a botched kick he received from Golberg.
During his appearance on WWE Backstage last year, Bret Hart admitted that he made a huge mistake by leaving WWE for WCW.
"If I could do it all over again, I think would find a better way to stay in WWE. Knowing what I know about WCW, I'm sorry I ever went there."
Bret Hart did return to WWE in 2010 and was featured in a feud with Vince McMahon, but the damage was already done.
#2 Star who was happy after leaving WWE - Jon Moxley
Former WWE star Jon Moxley set up the entire world of professional wrestling abuzz when he made his AEW debut almost two years ago. During his interaction on Talk is Jericho, Moxley cited the cause of his departure from WWE as mental and emotional exhaustion, as well as the terrible booking of his on-screen character.
Moxley's wife Renee Paquette recently revealed that her husband had rediscovered his passion for wrestling and was in a much better state.
"As soon as he left WWE – and I mean, similar to what it was like for me leaving. I mean, he was in a different boat when he was getting ready to leave WWE. So, seeing the way that he would function within WWE – but as soon as he left, seeing his love of wrestling come back was crazy. He really had a shift in his creativity. He would wake up super early excited to watch old matches, or thinking about different promotions he wanted to work in. And this was before he knew whether he was going to go to AEW, or what he was gonna do."
Jon Moxley went on to sign with AEW after he left WWE. His contract with the promotion also allowed him to compete in NJPW.
The former AEW Champion is doing much better now compared to his last days as Dean Ambrose in WWE.
#1 Star who regretted leaving WWE - Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is a major name in the wrestling business and a huge box office attraction. Austin knows how valuable he is, so when the company proposed him to put over Brock Lesnar on a normal episode of WWE RAW in 2002 with no build-up, The Texas Rattlesnake wasn't going to have it.
He downright refused to do as told and walked out on the company a few hours before RAW went live. It took almost a year for The Rattlesnake to step foot in a WWE ring again. He admitted years later that he regretted walking out on the company and Brock Lesnar.
“My biggest regret is when I walked out on Brock Lesnar in Atlanta. I’d worked with [Ric] Flair in a cage the night before in Columbus, Georgia, and had a blast because he’s my all-time favorite pro wrestler. Then, all of a sudden, I get the creative that they want me to do the favors for Brock in a non-advertised, qualifying match for some bull— thing."
He continued:
“I disagreed with it. I never like to blow smoke up my a**, but guys like myself, like Hogan, and a few others, they don’t grow on trees. So you want to sacrifice what you’ve built up in me? And with no buildup? But that walk out was still total stupidity and hard-headedness on my part. I should have shown up, and that is my biggest regret in the business of pro wrestling. Life is hard, and it’s even harder when you’re dumb. Sometimes you go through life and make mistakes, but the goal is to learn from your mistakes the first time and move on down the road.”
Brock Lesnar vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin sounds like a big-money match, and it would've been a poor decision to just give it away on weekly WWE television with no substantial buildup.
However, Steve Austin's walkout from the company left a lot of fans and wrestlers heartbroken and frustrated at the time. Luckily, Austin and WWE management were eventually able to move past the incident in the long run.
