5 WWE Superstars who recently allowed their contracts to expire 

#2. Former WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan was once one of the top stars in WWE. In an all-time classic moment, he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship following the main event of WrestleMania 30 in 2014. He was forced to retire from the ring the following year, but the beloved star later returned in 2018.

Following this amazing comeback, Bryan won the WWE Championship again, and he also enjoyed a successful run as a heel. Still, he wasn't given the freedom that he wanted, so The American Dragon opted against signing a new deal with the company earlier this year.

Bryan's contract expired following his match against Roman Reigns on the April 30 episode of WWE SmackDown. The former champion noted ahead of his departure that he wanted to find a balance between wrestling and his home life.

"My contract is up soon," said Bryan. "We need to figure out what's a good balance between home life and wrestling. I never want to stop wrestling, I love it, it's just figuring that out.

The former champion ultimately signed with AEW under his real name, Bryan Danielson. He has been on an incredible run during his time there; The American Dragon will challenge for the AEW World Championship at AEW Winter is Coming.

Many fans were disappointed to see Danielson leave Vince McMahon's promotion, but others have enjoyed seeing him thrive in AEW.