5 Stars who rejected big-money contract offers from WWE

WWE is arguably the pinnacle of sports entertainment, the fusion of athletic professional wrestling action, and the theatre that comes with it.

While the history of the sport is undoubtedly far more abundant than just WWE, with the NWA, AWA, WCW, and, now, AEW all battling away for supremacy, ticket sales, merchandise, and television time over the last number of decades.

For many youngsters who have grown up watching wrestling, making it to WWE represents the ultimate achievement, the chance to walk that famous aisle, and maybe lock horns with some of your all-time heroes. For others, however, the wrestling world - and indeed the universe beyond wrestling altogether - has proved too great a lure.

Indeed, some have been offered the fame, money, and notoriety that comes with being a WWE Superstar, but thought better of it. Whether it be a calling in life away from the ring or a more attractive proposition elsewhere, there have been those who've opted to shun the advances of Vince McMahon's company.

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Whether they be stars who rejected fresh terms to stay or names who've never been tempted to work there at all, here, we take a look at just five of the names who have turned down major contract offers from WWE.

#5. Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose's departure from WWE in 2019 was arguably one of the biggest stories of the year for wrestling fans.

Ambrose, who gained fame with the company during his run as part of The Shield, is now happily plying his trade in AEW as Jon Moxley, where he is the company's current World Champion.

His contract expired with the company on 30 April 2019, after he'd been given a considerable amount of television time as WWE heavily promoted action such as 'Dean Ambrose's Final WWE Match' and 'The Shield's Final Chapter.'

Ambrose reportedly told the company earlier that year that he had no intention of remaining with WWE, despite being offered a five-year deal reportedly worth in the region of some $1 million per year.

During his time with WWE, Ambrose was a former WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion, United States Champion and Money in the Bank winner.

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#4. Ted DiBiase Jr.

Ted DiBiase Jr is the son of The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, and was one of the most promising young athletes in WWE during the mid to late part of the 2000s.

The Louisiana native is perhaps most memorable for his time wrestling as part of The Legacy, alongside Cody and veteran WWE performer, Randy Orton. DiBiase and Cody had been tagging together following the former's rise through FCW, the former developmental arm of WWE.

Alongside Cody, Ted was a two-time former WWE Tag Team Champion and, following the disbanding of The Legacy in 2010, he was part of a high-profile match at WrestleMania 26. There, he, Orton and Cody wrestled in a triple-threat match in which The Viper came out on top.

DiBiase did remain with WWE for another three years but never managed to find the gimmick or storyline that took him back to the level he attained during the Legacy years.

Keen to spend more time with his family and to concentrate on his charitable work, DiBiase left WWE in 2013. This was, however, despite the company tabling him a five-year contract to stay.

According to WWE latest news, while speaking on the WWE Network, he would later explain:

"My contract had come up and I'd been offered a five-year deal. It was very generous and I am very grateful for that offer. For me, it was one of those crossroad moments. I'd just had my first son... [I thought] 'Am I going to continue down this road and spend 300 days out of the year away from him? Or am I going to make the difficult choice to give up my dream?'. I wanted to be the one who taught him how to fish, be a coach, and play sports. I made the right choice."

DiBiase, now 36, has a wife and two children.

#3.Will Ospreay

Undoubtedly one of the most popular wrestling talents in the world right now is Will Ospreay.

The 26-year old is performing and making huge waves in New Japan Pro Wrestling and, since his debut in the industry back in 2012, he has amassed an impressive body of work on the independent scene.

The Londoner has featured on home soil with the likes of Progress Wrestling, while also touring the world before settling in Japan, first signing there in 2016. He's already gone on to win their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on three occasions.

Interestingly, Ospreay has revealed that, in 2018, WWE contacted him with a contract offer to join their ranks. Swiftly turning them down, he commented:

"I appreciate it, but I'm quite happy [in NJPW] and love being a part of this. Those guys are wrestling on Christmas Day and New Year's, and that would have killed me. Christmas to me is family, and I love being with my family. I don't think I could do it. I really don't."

The Brit was voted Most Oustanding Wrestler by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2019 and Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 10th best Singles Wrestler in the same year.

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#2. Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega is one of All Elite Wrestling's biggest names, and his signature represented a real coup for them when he signed for the company.

The athlete was a free agent after leaving NJPW, and it is little surprise that WWE was keen to have discussions with the Canadian. They reportedly tabled an offer to the 36-year-old, who opted to spurn their advances and link up with the likes of Cody and The Young Bucks.

Omega has enjoyed a storied career to date, wrestling for the likes of ROH as well as NJPW, AEW, and a string of others. That all came, however, after a spell in WWE's developmental territory during his formative years.

Omega would later say that, while he didn't think he'd end up signing with WWE, he was very complimentary about how they conducted themselves during contract negotiations.

He said:

"I didn’t think they’d ever be in the running. I was like ‘yeah, I’ll hear you guys out’ but I didn’t think it’d be good because everyone was telling me, well, what to expect. I have nothing but great things to say about them. In the end, AEW was the best thing for me and, you know, it’s the most exciting choice I’ve made in my career."

#1. The Revival

In terms of pure quality in the squared circle, WWE has had fewer more able tag teams in their ranks over the last few years than Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson, known as The Revival.

The former NXT Tag Team Champions made their debut on the 'main roster' in 2017 with a surprise victory against The New Day but, since then, never quite managed to match the heady heights they'd hit during their time with the company's Black and Gold brand. That's despite numerous runs with the Tag Team Championships on both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown.

In April 2020, WWE confirmed they'd come to terms on the immediate release of the pair, but this came after protracted discussions with the duo to try and keep them under their umbrella. In fact, it's said that The Revival were offered $500,000 per year for five years to stay with WWE, but the pair rejected the terms.

Their exit came almost three months after their last broadcast appearance on WWE TV, that coming on the 31 January edition of SmackDown on FOX

Edited by Zaid Khan