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WWE Superstars are one of the best talents the Titanland has to offer and it sure feels like a million bucks to be part of such a promotion. However, there are those who believe otherwise and have found greener pastures outside the company.
These sports entertainers have their own reasons as to why they left. Whether it be due to creative differences or not receiving the proper push for their careers, they sought other promotions or even tried out other fields outside wrestling.
Fortunately, a lot of them have thriving careers and are happy that they made the move. Here are a few former WWE Superstars who took the gamble and never regretted doing so.
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#5. Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder)
Former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona was best known during his WWE stint as Zack Ryder alongside his infamous "Woo woo woo"" catchphrase. While billed under that moniker, he managed to capture both the United States and the Intercontinental Championships on separate occasions and had also won the Tag Team Championships a couple of times alongside Curt Hawkins.
There was a moment in his career when he felt underutilized by WWE and started his own YouTube channel dubbed "Z! True Long Island Story" in 2011. His popularity grew with such a move, though it eventually fizzled out. Despite what happened, Ryder is considered one of the first wrestlers to become well-known due to his presence online.
After being released from the promotion in 2020, he made several appearances in various promotions including Impact Wrestling and AEW. In 2021, Cardona finally captured his first-ever World Championship on Game Changer Wrestling during the promotion’s Homecoming event against Nick Gage.
Rumors are making the rounds as of late that he could be making a comeback to the Stamford-based promotion after talks of his wife and former WWE Superstar Chelsea Green's likely to return to the company. Cardona is well-aware of it, though he refused to comment regarding his future status.
One thing’s for certain, though, Cardona highlighted that he’s had enough of the Zack Ryder gimmick.
#4. Sting
Sting’s final match with WWE was at the Night of Champions pay-per-view in 2015. This was for the World Heavyweight Champion against Seth Rollins. Unfortunately, he lost the match and even suffered a neck injury while the two were at it.
Albeit the career-ending injury, the then WWE Superstar believed that he could still do matches similar to The Undertaker’s Boneyard Match. He envisioned himself brawling with none other than The Deadman himself as this too was a highly requested matchup across WWE high-ups.
Sadly, this dream match never came to fruition until Sting’s retirement from the company in 2020.
Months after parting ways with the promotion, he made his debut in AEW in December of that year. Since then, he has stood as some sort of a mentor to Darby Allin and has even participated in numerous crowd-pleasing matches.
AEW valued Sting’s presence within the company. A case in point is when he gets introduced by Tony Schiavone every time he makes an entrance.
#3. Bryan Danielson (fka Daniel Bryan)
There was no bad blood between the former WWE Superstar and the promotion when Danielson left the company in 2021. That said, it may well seem that AEW’s offer was too inviting to turn down.
Prior to his departure, Danielson would wrestle several more matches within the promotion. One of which was the Championship vs. Career match against Roman Reigns where he lost. This was his final match within the promotion.
The American Dragon moved on to take part in matches within AEW that were well-received by fans. A noteworthy one was with Kenny Omega at the AEW Dynamite Grand Slam episode where he was highly praised by both critics and fans. A dream match for the ages indeed.
#2. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho left WWE in 2018 after revealing his frustrations with the company in several interviews.
One of the reasons that got him packing was his match at WrestleMania 33 against Kevin Owens. The former WWE Superstar and Owens were supposed to main event the said installment of The Showcase of the Immortals. Instead, it got scheduled as the second match of the event as this was decided by the promotion’s former boss Vince McMahon.
Check out Jericho's comments in the video below (skip to 12:35):
Come 2019, Jericho would sign for AEW and has been enjoying an impressive run within the company since. He went on to cement his name within the promotion’s history book by becoming the inaugural AEW World Champion.
#1. Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose)
Like Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley also expressed his dissatisfaction with WWE’s creative process which made him leave the company in 2019.
In a Talk is Jericho interview, Moxley revealed that there was a promo the former Chairman Vince McMahon wanted him to do. The former WWE Superstar deemed it the final straw where his Dean Ambrose character would be jabbed with syringes containing various illnesses out of fear of getting sick.
He left the promotion as soon as his contract was up, citing physical and mental reasons, and went on to point out that the company’s creative process is in need of a major rework.
Check out Moxley's thoughts in the view below. (Link to the full podcast is in the description of the video.):
By the time he stepped into AEW, Moxley was billed as one of its top wrestlers, not to mention that he is now able to perform the wrestling style that he was previously known for. This even allowed him to make appearances in various promotions outside Tony Khan’s stable.
The former WWE Superstar may have recently lost the AEW Title to MJF, but we can be certain that this won’t be the last time he’ll be holding gold in the promotion.
