5 recently-released Superstars who may never return to WWE

Anyone who aspires to become a professional wrestler, the dream is usually to wrestle in WWE. While it might be different if they grew up in Japan, the fact is that WWE has taken over the pro wrestling/sports entertainment industry and monopolized it for decades.

For most pro wrestlers, there simply wasn't any other viable option, financially, apart from WWE. Even so, the reality is that the lights are brightest for Superstars on RAW and SmackDown. Every aspiring pro wrestler dreams of performing on the biggest stage of them all - WrestleMania.

However, the reality later sets in for many Superstars after being signed to WWE, that they may not be in the position that they want to be in. Everyone has a role in WWE, and for many, it results in a disappointing run.

Luckily, WWE isn't the only option for wrestlers, and in the last few years, an increasing amount of options have emerged for employment - where wrestlers can not only get a steady and satisfactory paycheque, but also get creative satisfaction that they want as well.

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Looking at many Superstars who jumped ship from WWE, it's clear that it's not always about the big-money contracts offered to them. Wrestlers want to apply their craft and do what they do best - entertain. As a result, these five recently-released Superstars are unlikely to ever return to WWE.

#5. Lio Rush - may quit wrestling following WWE release

The nature of Lio Rush's WWE release was a bit sad and unfortunate. Speaking to Forbes, Lio Rush revealed that he found out about his WWE release only after seeing it on the website:

“I saw that there were a lot of news sites posting about it. It made mainstream news, so I was like ‘oh man, this might be a real thing.’ So I called the Head of Talent Relations and I just asked—like, straight up—’Am I one of these people who is going to be released today? Because I’m seeing it all over the internet and I don’t want to find out over the internet or through one of my fans.’”

Speaking to Sportskeeda's Gary Cassidy, Lio Rush then admitted that his Tweet where he said he may never wrestle again was a clear indicator that he may move out of wrestling completely:

"There's also another layer of that tweet where it is a pretty real situation because, before the release, I always told myself and I would talk to my family members and friends, inside and outside of the business and say, 'I have a gut feeling that I'm not going to be in the world of wrestling anymore.' Obviously the memories and the mark that I left on wrestling will stay there but me physically being a part of the wrestling business might disappear sooner than later."

It's unlikely that we'll ever see him in WWE again.

#4. Maria Kanellis - a bitter end to her second WWE stint

Maria Kanellis has been one of the few recently-released Superstars from WWE who has been quite vocal about her dissatisfaction with the company and the way her release was handled.

Even though her husband Mike Kanellis had asked for his release (and once made it public as well), he was taken aback when WWE released both him and his wife during the COVID-19 pandemic - something that they were both furious about.

Since then, Maria Kanellis has put out a series of tweets of her conversations before getting released by WWE. She even revealed that in her pregnancy storyline, the idea was to have Mike Bennett/Kanellis turn face in what would be a storyline about overcoming addiction.

She seems furious about the fact that WWE released her two months post having her baby. Unfortunately for her, the second WWE stint ended with bitterness that may never see her return to the company again.

With Mike Bennett, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that he'll never return, especially since he admitted having lost all his passion and desire for wrestling while being with the company.

#3. EC3 - WWE's most recent wasted opportunity?

Is there any talent that was outright wasted in WWE in the past year more than EC3? Anybody who has seen him in his last Impact Wrestling run knows that he's a talent oozing with charisma and filled with confidence on the mic.

Given that he has a great look, many assumed that his second run in WWE would be different from the first, where his talent would be recognized. The fact that he's a more character-based performer over just relying on a flashy in-ring style means that he's the perfect prototype for a WWE main event Superstar.

However, it turned out to be a disaster from the moment he moved to RAW. Jon Moxley in his post-WWE run even admitted that EC3 was given the short end of the stick when WWE made him become a silent babyface and tried to get him over against a heel Dean Ambrose.

Most of 2019-2020 saw EC3 sitting out due to a concussion, but one could see early on that WWE wasted him and that all his passion had worn down. He's now back home in Impact Wrestling - a promotion that recognizes him for the talent that he is.

If he continues to get a good deal from Impact Wrestling, we see no reason for him to ever return to WWE.

#2. Deonna Purrazzo - a chip on her shoulder to prove WWE wrong

Deonna Purrazzo had a different vision of how her WWE run would play out. It was clear that she was a great talent, but the problem was that WWE is filled with the best female talent in the wrestling world.

Even in NXT, the era she was in had a talent-stacked division, and as a result, WWE only seemed to view her as an enhancement talent. Deonna Purrazzo knew that she was so much more and has made it vocal that she wasn't happy with her role in WWE.

Speaking to Busted Open Podcast, she said that she doesn't care that WWE fired her and is determined to make her name in Impact Wrestling:

"I don't care that WWE fired me, or didn't want me, or didn't think I was good enough! I think I'm good enough. And if IMPACT believes I'm good enough, and if Ring of Honor believed I'm good enough, if Japan thought I was good enough, I'm good enough! And I just needed to get back to believing in me and believing in the little girl who wanted to be here her entire life." H/T: WINC

She's now the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion after winning it on her first attempt. It's clear that she wants to prove WWE wrong, but her firing seemed to be a blessing for her and it's unlikely that she'll ever return to WWE.

#1. The Good Brothers - Never coming back to WWE?

Impact Wrestling's newest tag team stars

We know that these are technically two former WWE Superstars, but since they've been together as a tag team for so long (and will continue to be one), we felt it was best to group them together.

After the recent Talk N' Shop revelations, Doc Gallows (fka Luke Gallows) and Karl Anderson made it known that they weren't too happy in WWE. AJ Styles was one person who was furious and disappointed over their release, blaming Paul Heyman for "influencing" Vince McMahon to make the decision, while also blaming himself for their release.

Gallows revealed that he and Karl Anderson only signed to "roll with their buddy" AJ Styles, and they were unhappy for quite a while, having previously asked for their release as well. They now have a new home in Impact Wrestling and they expressed regret over choosing to re-sign with WWE over jumping ship to AEW.

However, in 2020, they seemed to think that Impact Wrestling was a better option for them and passed up on the opportunity to compete in AEW. Either way, we don't ever see them returning to WWE again.

Edited by Nishant Jayaram