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WWE is the most popular pro wrestling company in the world. The company's global appeal allows its Superstars to achieve mainstream success. Many people dream of being a WWE Superstar. For some wrestlers, this dream works out. But sometimes, the roster sometimes gets so stacked that the company has to trim the fat.
As a result, some of these stars feel relieved that they were finally released after they were underutilized for years. But others are unhappy about the nature of their departure.
Over the decades, several major WWE Superstars have left the company on a bitter note. This pattern could be linked to disagreements stemming from their creative direction or a variety of other reasons. Regardless, it sours the reputation of a company that has time and again made it clear how much it values its performers.
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Here's a look at five instances where WWE Superstars were dissatisfied with the way they left the company.
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#5 Maria Kanellis (Released by WWE in 2020)
Maria Kanellis had two stints with WWE. During her first stint, which began in 2004, Kanellis was mainly used in a non-wrestling role in her early years. While she became an active in-ring competitor for a few years, she couldn't win the championship gold. After she was released in 2010, Kanellis performed on the independent scene along with her husband, Mike Kanellis.
The couple signed with WWE in 2017, and fans expected Mike and Maria to be featured on WWE programming. But their careers were marred by numerous factors. They were finally released from the company in April 2020 due to budget cuts.
Upon their release, Maria was unhappy with the company, and she made her dissatisfaction public. On the ROHStrong podcast, Kanellis elaborated on her release.
"From this company that prides itself on being this family-based company, to be fired. I didn’t receive a phone call after I had Carver to ask if I was okay. If the labor went okay. I didn’t receive a phone call seeing how my recovery was going with either of my children. But I received a phone call to be fired in a pandemic. I had given a lot of years to WWE, and a lot of years to wrestling, and that is not how I thought my relationship with WWE was going to end. I didn’t think it was going to end in that very cold way."
Since they left WWE, Maria and Mike Kanellis have performed for Ring of Honor, and they have started their own podcast called "Non-Essential Wrestlers."
#4 Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (Released by WWE in 2020)
When the Good Brothers joined WWE in 2016 along with their Bullet Club stablemate AJ Styles, virtually everyone expected them to instantly become a dominant force in the tag division. Though they won the RAW Tag Team Championships on two occasions, the Good Brothers never really became main event acts.
The Good Brothers wanted to leave the company to leave on more than one occasion, but they inked a new contract in 2019. As a result, their release in April 2020 came as a shock. The duo blamed Paul Heyman as the reason for their departure from the company. The two stars made that abundantly clear on their Talk'n Shop podcast.
“Apparently, he thought we were making too much money for what we were doing, and he’s a f–ing liar and he’s a piece of s---."
The duo did not mince words, and they put the blame squarely on Heyman. While the Good Brothers seemed to agree it was Vince McMahon who made the last call, they believe that Heyman initiated the conversation about cutting them from the roster.
#3 Alberto Del Rio (Released by WWE in 2014)
When Alberto Del Rio debuted on the WWE RAW main roster in 2010, he was instantly pushed like the foreign villains of the past. Despite his stereotypical gimmick, he was a fantastic wrestler. It seemed like he was destined to enjoy a lot of success in his WWE career. While he did become a four-time heavyweight champion, he received start-and-stop pushes that didn't go anywhere.
But a heated incident in 2014 forced the company to fire him. Del Rio claimed that an employee said something racist, so he confronted and eventually attacked the individual. He elaborated on the controversial incident in an interview after the company fired him.
Del Rio was unhappy with his release, as he believed he did the right thing by calling out racism. Despite the incident, the Mexican Superstar returned to WWE in 2015, though his second stint lasted just over a year. Since 2018, Del Rio has hardly wrestled, and he does not currently have a contract with a wrestling promotion. He has been at the center of a few legal issues in recent years.
#2 CM Punk (Released by WWE in 2014)
CM Punk himself wanted to leave WWE because he was unhappy. He also claimed the company was negligent towards his medical condition. But the nature of his departure left a bad taste in his mouth. In 2014, on Colt Cabana's podcast, Punk claimed that he was fired from WWE on his wedding day.
"The day of my wedding, I got a FedEx in the mail. It was my termination papers. I was fired. So, take that, everyone who says I need to be... I'm a quieter (sic) on Twitter. I was fired, on my wedding day. Very calculated, very deliberate. As much as I chuckled at it and didn't let it affect my day, I was like, 'Once again, you pushed too f**ing far; you pushed the wrong guy.'"
While Punk felt relieved to retire from wrestling at the relatively young age of 35, he was clearly upset that he got his termination papers on a very special day in his life. Since he left the business, Punk had a lackluster MMA career, but his acting assignments have kept him busy. His 2019 horror movie, "Girl on the Third Floor" earned plenty of praise, and Punk has found plenty of success outside of WWE.
#1 Bret Hart (Released by WWE in 1997)
Yes, Bret Hart eventually returned to WWE, but the situation leading up to his departure in 1997 is a vital part of pro wrestling history. At a time when kayfabe was still very much prevalent, the incident, dubbed the "'Montreal Screwjob," became infamous.
Hart made up his mind about leaving WWE shortly before Survivor Series 1997. But he presented two conditions to Vince McMahon, as he said he wouldn't drop his WWE Championship in Canada, his home country. He made it clear that he would not lose the title to Shawn Michaels.
Heading into Survivor Series, it was decided that Hart would retain his title and forfeit it at a later date. But McMahon and WWE planned a screwy finish where the referee called for the bell, even though Hart did not not tap out to the Sharpshooter locked in by Michaels.
It was a controversial ending, and Hart was visibly angered by this outcome. He left the company on a very bitter note, but he eventually made his return in 2010. Years after the Montreal Screwjob, Hart buried the hatchet with McMahon, and he has made a few appearances on WWE programming in recent years.
