4 most iconic WWE exits

WWE is the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and so it's no surprise that the company is home to many of the world's finest wrestlers.

Throughout WWE history, there have been quite a few impactful debuts. From Kane kicking down the door of Hell in a Cell to Chris Jericho appearing after a long-drawn countdown, fans have seen some iconic first-time appearances. Unfortunately, the opposite also rings true, and we have seen some truly shocking departures from the company.

While there have been some fantastic kayfabe exits from Vince McMahon land (CM Punk after Money in the Bank 2011), the best ones are those that took place legitimately.

The entire industry was shaken when these exits happened, and to this day, they are immortalized in wrestling folklore. On that note, here are four of the most iconic WWE exits of all time.

#4 On our list of the most infamous WWE exits in history: Alundra Blayze leaves and throws the Women's Championship in the trash

Blayze left WWE in a BLAYZE of glory

In the mid-1990s, WWE brought back the women's division, with Alundra Blayze being the woman to beat in those days. She won the company's women's championship and contested many great feuds with her colleagues. Despite her legendary status with the company, she left for WCW, but not before completing one of the most shocking exits in wrestling history.

Blayze was released from her contract despite being women's champion. She wasn't one to sit and take the injustice served to her, and decided to flip her former employers off. She showed up on rival show Nitro with her title and tossed it in the garbage, effectively burying WWE in incredible fashion before taking her next step.

#3 Goldberg and Brock Lesnar depart on a whimper

Heading into WrestleMania XX, everyone knew that rivals Goldberg and Brock Lesnar were both leaving WWE. As a result, they were greeted with jeers, boos and heckling throughout their match at the show, with the crowd only interested in cheering special guest referee 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.

Goldberg and Lesnar subsequently wrestled a stinker, with both wrestlers reluctant to do anything interesting in the match. It was so bad that The Texas Rattlesnake had to ask them to engage in physical action. After one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history, Da Man pinned The Beast with a Jackhammer. The highlight of the match was the conclusion, with both men sent packing courtesy of some Stone Cold Stunners.

#2 CM Punk walks away frustrated

Punk was frustrated enough to walk away for good

CM Punk's storylines in 2013 were a far cry from the critically-acclaimed ones he was part of two years before. He was spinning his wheels in meaningless feuds and spending most of his time being chokeslammed by Kane and being overlooked in favor of part-timers.

Punk has always been one to let his actions back his talking, and he did so by walking out of the company after the 2014 Royal Rumble. He did not appear on the following episode of RAW or SmackDown, prompting WWE to withdraw him from future events and acknowledge his departure.

In subsequent interviews, The Best in the World proceeded to bury the company, stating that they don't treat their superstars right and that he could have died if he hadn't taken things into his own hands.

The relationship between both parties is extremely strained at this moment in time. Punk didn't wrestle for seven years until he made his triumphant return to professional wrestling by joining rival promotion AEW last year.

#1 Steve Austin takes his ball and goes home

This is without a doubt the most iconic exit in WWE history. The undisputed face of the company walking out is the kind of nightmare wrestling promotions try their best to prevent, but that is what happened to Vince McMahon and company when 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin left without warning.

There were multiple minor walkouts, but the most shocking one came when Austin reportedly scoffed at the idea of losing to a rookie in Brock Lesnar. He publicly buried WWE for presenting bad storylines to him, prompting McMahon and Jim Ross to return the favor on live TV, saying that he "took his ball and went home."

The two parties resolved their differences after a while, and The Texas Rattlesnake returned for his final match against The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, where he was defeated. Even though the story had a happy ending, the exit made headlines for all the wrong reasons.