Releasing a superstar from his contract can't be a fun task for any wrestling promotion across the globe, but we imagine that it's even more painful for World Wrestling Entertainment. Why? Well, let's be honest, they are by far the biggest game in town and having to strip someone of the chance to compete for the company can't be all too pleasing.
But what must be even more infuriating for people like Vince McMahon is when released Superstars go on to make an even bigger name for themselves on the independent scene. Sure it doesn't always happen, and they do often come back a few years down the line, but watching these guys, in particular, succeed must really strike a chord with the boss backstage.
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Of course, we can't guarantee that they cry into their pillows every night when they think about these names, and one of them was only released for a short period of time, but every single entry makes sense in one way or another. Obviously, there can be a good life to be had in this business beyond the world of WWE, and these men are the proof in the pudding when it comes to that statement.
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With that being said, here are five Superstars WWE regrets releasing.
#1 Cody Rhodes
How did WWE not see Cody's success coming? The American Nightmare has done brilliantly since leaving the company back in 2016, putting on great match after great match on the independent scene. He clearly hadn't been happy in WWE for a while, and that's not surprising when you hear about how they treated him towards the end of his run.
Cody played every character he was given to the best of his abilities, which was always a given when you consider just how talented his father was. Rhodes may well walk through the doors of Vince's company once again one day, but for now, he's more than happy making a name for himself as one of the most underrated stars to be released in recent times.
Onto a high-flyer of sorts.
#2 Evan Bourne
We could just start and end this by saying that Evan Bourne's Air Bourne finisher was a thing of beauty because it was. The guy had a bucket load of potential as the ultimate underdog within the WWE; but for one reason or another, he was never given the ball to run with - which may be in part down to his size.
However, as Matt Sydal on the indies, Bourne has been able to put on some truly outstanding matches which have no doubt caught the attention of a few guys and girls behind the scenes at WWE. There are rumours that he was difficult to work with, but they'd likely jump at the chance to insert Evan into the Cruiserweight division.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
#3 Daniel Bryan
You may be looking on in bemusement at this selection, but we never specified when the releases happened - so ha. Daniel Bryan was given the boot way back in mid-2010 after choking Justin Roberts with his own tie during the Nexus invasion angle. Of course, he was hired back a few months later; and as we all know, the rest is history.
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Had Bryan not been re-hired in time for SummerSlam, it would've been interesting to see how much longer he would've spent on the indies before Vince caved in and was forced to give him a second chance. Either way, we'd probably still be celebrating him as the legend that the leader of the Yes Movement is to this day.
Come on, open your eyes and see.
#4 John Morrison
John Morrison, also known as Johnny Mundo, seemed to be on a fast track towards the WWE Championship back in early 2011. As a babyface, he'd started to pick up some serious momentum on Monday Night Raw, even taking part in a match for the WWE Title against his former tag team partner The Miz. Isn't it funny how things work out?
Unfortunately, Morrison reportedly gave Trish Stratus the cold shoulder following their WrestleMania 27 match; and from that point on, he'd pretty much signed his own death warrant. To this day, Mundo has yet to return to the company, and WWE has missed out on a lot of potentially great feuds with Mundo instead becoming a massive star in Lucha Underground.
We conclude with one of the best in the business.
#5 Ethan Carter III
Let's just be honest with ourselves here - Derrick Bateman didn't work out in WWE. At all. It was a ridiculous character with no real noticeable charisma, and he should've been given another chance under a new gimmick. Instead, Ethan Carter III was born upon his release from the company as he made the switch over to Impact Wrestling.
It turned out to be a pretty good move for EC3, as he became one of the most well-rounded stars in professional wrestling. He's still relatively young, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him come back over to NXT, although he'd probably be forced into a name change - so let's just hope and pray that they pick something decent this time.
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