5 WWE firings that caused controversy among fans

#1. CM Punk

Perhaps the most controversial firing in WWE history concerns the circumstances surrounding the departure of former World Champion CM Punk. The self-proclaimed "Best in the World" walked away from WWE following the 2014 Royal Rumble match, but wasn't actually fired from the company for breach of contract until June of that year - and Punk was not happy with WWE's timing.

Punk kept his side of the story to himself for almost a year before his controversial podcast appearance with Colt Cabana. This was where CM Punk revealed that WWE not only fired him, but decided to send his release papers over to him on the day of his wedding to former WWE Diva AJ Lee.

"The day of my wedding I got a FedEx in the mail. It was my termination papers. I was fired," explained Punk. "I was fired, on my wedding day. Very calculated, very deliberate. As much as I chuckled at it and didn't let it affect my day, I was like once again, you pushed too f****** far. You pushed the wrong guy...The letter was ridiculous. It was like 'your contract is terminated, you forfeit all of your royalty rights, you're in breach of contract as of January 27'".

Punk has since returned to professional wrestling as an analyst for WWE Backstage on Fox. The 41-year-old, though, has repeatedly insisted that he is a Fox employee - and is in no way answerable to WWE. Despite much speculation, Punk has also not stepped into the ring since his 2014 firing either.