5 WWE Superstars who were released for non-wrestling reasons

WWE has become one of the biggest breeding grounds for professional wrestlers from all across the globe.

Some WWE superstars carve a niche for themselves in a praiseworthy way. After they reach the pinnacle of success, they retire on their terms.

Having said this, several superstars did not have the liberty to be released per their wishes. This article looks at five such superstars who were released from WWE for non-wrestling reasons.

---

#5 WWE Superstar - Mickie James

Mickie James has been one of the biggest names on the WWE women's roster for the last two decades. The former five-time Women's Champion has had memorable feuds with established names like Trisha Stratus and Lita.

Mickie had two stints with WWE, the first one from 2005 to 2010, in which she won her first Women's Title by beating Trish Stratus at WrestleMania 22. James also won her maiden Divas Championship by defeating Maryse Ouellet at Night of Champions 2009. Her second stint came in 2016, which lasted until earlier this year.

On April 15, 2021, Mickie and a few other superstars were released from WWE owing to budget cuts. Her departure was a big shock for fans.

In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Mickie James expressed her true feelings after being let go by WWE:

"Nothing surprises me really anymore. It's hard to have expectations because nothing ever goes according to your plan but I thought I would wrap my career there. I was like so grateful to be able to go back and have the opportunity to kind of wrap up my story there and kind of bow out in a good graceful kind of way because I felt like the first time I left was on such weird terms and I did some amazing stuff when I came back. I really did, but it wasn't shocking because I kinda was in this space where I felt it coming. I kind of felt it already coming but it was just disheartening. It was disappointing, I should say, moreso than anything," James said.

As part of the same interview, she also recalled the differences between her first release and the latest one:

"Mickie James in 2010 was in a very weird space with Mickie James. It's crazy to think that with the amount of success that I had had there. I just had so much personal stuff going on that it really started to affect me and I was just burning the candle at both ends and at the middle," James said.

Mickie James is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She also served as an executive producer for NWA's first all-female event, NWA EmPowerrr.

#4 NXT Superstar - Sage Beckett

WWE NXT Superstar Sage Beckett shared the ring with famous names like Bianca Belair. She faced the former SmackDown Women's Champion at the Mae Young Classic event in 2017, albeit coming up short.

On International Women's Day, March 8, 2018, Beckett was fired due to fitness issues. She had already lost 130 pounds, but WWE wanted her to lose more weight as she was not considered 'marketable.'

After being fired, Beckett replied to a tweet by former WWE Superstar Maria Kanellis, who was also let go due to similar reasons:

#3 WWE Superstar - Eugene

Eugene, aka Nicholas David Dinsmore, has been one of the most entertaining superstars since his WWE debut in 2004. His childlike antics in the kayfabe character entertained the WWE Universe very uniquely.

The former World Tag Team Champion, in his first run since 2004 to 2007, had some memorable feuds against Triple H and Kurt Angle.

Eugene had a brief second run in 2009 in which he never made a televised appearance. He was fired for not being up to the standards set by WWE. In an interview at the beginning of 2021 on Talk Is Jericho, he said:

"I came back and apparently they’d seen me two months earlier. I must’ve gotten heat. Either I’d got so much into bad shape or the mind was turned. But they were like, ‘We’re not selling fat, old Eugene, you’re fired," Eugene recalled.

Despite being fired, the former WWE superstar holds no grudges against Vince McMahon's promotion.

#2 WWE Superstar - Gangrel

Gangrel debuted in WWE in 1998 as the leader of the kayfabe vampire clan, The Brood. While his fellow stablemates Edge and Christian went on to achieve great heights in WWE, Gangrel could only achieve mid-card status as a singles competitor.

Due to a leg injury in 2001, Gangrel gained weight which started affecting his in-ring work. This led to a 2001 match where his shirt was pulled off, revealing his huge gut. WWE, unfortunately, fired him due to this uncomfortable sight.

Gangrel made sporadic appearances in WWE from 2004 to 2007 but didn't find much success before being released for good in 2007.

#1 WWE Hall of Famer - The Late Yokozuna

The late Yokozuna was one of the biggest and most powerful superstars ever to step foot in WWE.

Since his debut in 1992, Yokozuna has had some memorable matches against Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and most notably, The Undertaker. The former two-time WWE Champion and two-time WWE Tag Team Champion had a very successful run in the business until 1996.

His weight issues were always a problem, and they got heightened in the latter part of his career when he weighed 272 kilos. WWE wanted him to lose weight, but it became very difficult for him.

Yokozuna was finally released from the company in 1998. Executive Vice President of WWE's Talent Relations and legendary commentator Jim Ross said the following on his podcast, Grilling JR had this to say:

"I would talk to him (Yokozuna) sporadically in my role. Just to touch base with him and see how he was feeling. Obviously, we wanted him to come back. The 400 pound number was the number - we thought that if he got to that level, he could better address his heart issues. He was 200 plus over that. He's got to pass a physical, and he couldn't; it's simple as that," Ross said.

Unfortunately, the WWE Hall of Famer passed away on October 23, 2000, much to the dismay of superstars and the WWE Universe.