5 Times WWE Superstars surprisingly let their contracts expire

#2 The WWE contract of Jeff Jarrett expired while he was still Intercontinental Champion

Good Housekeeping match No Mercy 1999. Chyna vs Jeff Jarrett..History making moment! #ThankUChyna #ThankUJeffFelix pic.twitter.com/yZkTiOdsKP

— Chyna (@ChynaJoanLaurer) April 29, 2016

WWE enjoyed one of the hottest spells in its history during the Attitude Era. In 1999, the company was fiilled with top-tier talent including The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker, Kane, and Mankind.

One man who apparently wasn't high on WWE's list of priorities, though, was Jeff Jarrett. Having signed a two-year deal with WWE in October 1997, Jarrett's deal was due to expire on October 16, 1999. As the reigning Intercontinental Champion, Jarrett was initially confident he and WWE would come to terms on a new deal before his existing contract ended.

However, this didn't happen. Negotiations between Jarrett and then-WWE executive Jim Ross to extend the contract stalled - meaning Jarrett still held the Intercontinental title but was working without a written deal.

Realizing that a resolution to his contract situation was not in sight, Jarrett reached out to WCW and quickly worked out an agreement to start with the promotion the following Monday.

This was a major problem. WWE had already advertised an Intercontinental Championship match for the day after Jarrett's deal expired - with Jeff defending the title against Chyna at the No Mercy 1999 pay-per-view event in a Good Housekeeping match.

The company not only needed to get Jarrett to appear at the event without a contract but also convince him to drop the championship to Chyna as planned.

Chyna vs Jeff Jarrett pic.twitter.com/QiKbWzcs7r

— Chyna (@ChynaJoanLaurer) August 29, 2016

To his credit, Jarrett arrived at the arena with the championship and was happy to work the match with Chyna as planned. However, Jarrett did have one demand. He wanted all of the outstanding money owed to him by WWE to be paid in full - before he went to the ring.

A period of tense negotiation followed, but Jarrett eventually received $300,000 to settle financial matters between himself and WWE. Jarrett lost his title as agreed and then left the building. He would not be seen again in the promotion until his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.