5 Wrestling stars you didn't know had quit WWE

#1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the biggest names in WWE history. The former six time World Champion became a household name due to his success in the ring.

Austin was one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era and has since been able to return to the company regularly in different roles to help push forward rivalries in the modern day.

Even though Austin is now in a place where he can come and go from WWE, this wasn't always the case, since he's another star who once decided to quit the company.

Austin was unhappy with a script that he was handed back in June 2002, when he was booked to be the star who would put Brock Lesnar over in a King of the Ring qualifying match. Stone Cold decided to walk out of WWE, get on a plane home, and refuse to return to the promotion.

Talking about his decision to leave, Austin admitted that he hadn't handled the situation well:

"What I should've done was gone to the building man to man, face Vince McMahon and said 'Hey you know I don't really like it and here's why I don't like it'...I'm extremely hot right now and I want Brock to do well and you got a real blue-chipper right there, he's an absolute phenomenal freak, and he's very charismatic, he's gonna draw a lot of money but not right now."

Austin argued, though, that he should have been better treated by WWE:

"It's my time and we need to do something else, and if you do want to do that match well let's promote it, let's build it, and let's make something of it then make some money on a pay-per-view, and so I should've went there and talked to Vince man to man, face to face and sell it rather than going home—it was the dumbest thing I could ever do."

Austin later returned to the company and settled his issues, but this was seen as one of the most controversial moments in WWE history.