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Being a WWE Superstar is a tough job. Even though you get all the name and fame in the world if you make it to WWE, it's not everyone's cup of tea to stay out of controversies every now and then.
Throughout the years, there have been many Superstars who've wrestled for the company. Naturally, there have been a lot of releases as well - be it due to both the parties not coming to a mutual agreement to renew the contract, cost-cutting measures, or WWE firing them due to various reasons.
Interestingly, there have been some instances where the Superstars were instantly rehired after been showed their way out as well. The world of WWE is filled with many such interesting stories and cases, and we'll be taking a look at a few of those in this article today!
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So, here I present five WWE Superstars who were fired/released only to be rehired by the company almost immediately. Be sure to let us know your opinions and thoughts on the same in the comments section below.
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#5 Drake Maverick
The first and most recent entry into the list is that of Drake Maverick. Previously known as Rockstar Spud, he made a name for himself on the independent circuit and Impact Wrestling/TNA before signing with WWE in October 2017.
He has played multiple roles for the company throughout his WWE career - from being the general manager of 205 Live to hustling after the 24/7 Championship alongside R-Truth and others. Unfortunately, he was released by the company in April 2020 with several other Superstars as a cost-cutting measure due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Drake Maverick went on to post a very emotional video of himself after getting released and fans all over the world started talking about it. WWE allowed him to compete in the tournament to crown the interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The real-life situation was turned into a storyline as losing the tournament would've meant Drake losing his job. After a great showing throughout the tournament, Maverick came up short in the finals as he lost to El Hijo del Fantasma.
Just when it looked as if he'll be bidding farewell to the WWE Universe, Triple H came out and offered him an NXT contract, thus re-signing him. It was a great moment to rejoice for his fans all over the world as he finally got what he deserved. While making his way out of the arena, Drake said to the WWE cameras - "this is the best job in the world", proving how much it meant to him. While there is no confirmation on when WWE decided to turn the entire thing into a storyline, but it was nicely done.
#4 Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy is one of the legends in the industry of pro wrestling who has adapted his character to stay relevant through multiple decades of the industry. Currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, Matt Hardy rose to fame along with his brother Jeff Hardy and Lita as part of Team Xtreme in WWE. Interestingly, Matt Hardy was also in a relationship with Lita at that team in real life.
Unfortunately, things didn't go too well for him as Lita started an affair with fellow WWE Superstar Edge. Matt Hardy revealed all of this on his blog which led to WWE firing him on 11 April 2005 for unprofessional conduct. After the news broke out, there was a massive fan outrage who began to rally for Matt Hardy to come back and booed Edge and Lita on every single show.
Looking at his massive popularity among fans, WWE decided to rehire Matt Hardy on July 11, exactly three months after firing him. He was put into a program with Edge and Lita where WWE converted the real-life issues between the two into a storyline. Unfortunately, Matt didn't end up winning the feud as Edge defeated him on multiple occasions.
#3 Daniel Bryan
To the fans who have not been watching WWE for a long time, Daniel Bryan wasn't always the fan-favorite and a huge Superstar that he currently is. He was a part of the first season of NXT rookies and went on to appear on the RAW in June 2010 as a member of The Nexus.
The NXT rookies invaded the main event match on the show and laid out John Cena, and every other person in and around the ring. It was during this segment that Daniel Bryan was caught on camera strangling ring announcer Justin Roberts with his necktie. The act was considered to be unsuitable for the PG era and WWE fired Daniel Bryan.
Daniel Bryan returned to the independent circuit but his popularity was so high for WWE to not show interest in him again. After a total of 65 days after being fired, Daniel Bryan returned to WWE at Summerslam 2010 as the surprise seventh member of Team WWE against The Nexus, thus turning babyface.
#2 Emma
Emma aka Tenille Dashwood signed a contract with WWE in March 2011. It was the next year in August when she revealed her new ring name - Emma. Soon, she debuted her weird dancing gimmick which somehow became very popular in NXT. She competed in the tournament to crown the inaugural NXT Women's Champion and reached the finals before getting defeated by Paige there.
She made her main roster debut on RAW in 2014 but wasn't very successful there. It was during July of this year when reports surfaced that Emma had stolen an iPad case from a local Walmart. This led to WWE firing her almost immediately and distanced themselves from her.
WWE faced a lot of backlash from the fans and it later came out that Emma simply forgot to pay for the case. Realizing their mistake, WWE instantly rehired her after just a few hours of firing her.
Emma returned to NXT in 2015 and improver her character and in-ring work a lot. WWE went on to tease a complete makeover for her as vignettes of "makeover of Emma to Emmalina" were aired on RAW for months. Things never fell in place though and Emma was finally released from her WWE contract in October 2017.
#1 Eddie Guerrero
The late great Eddie Guerrero's death was one of the biggest tragedies in WWE history. Considered to be one of the greatest in-ring workers, Eddie Guerrero made a name for himself in various other promotions before arriving at WWE in January 2000.
Unfortunately, Eddie was struggling with substance abuse and addiction problems during his initial run with WWE. The company sent him to rehab in May 2001 to get him sober but after the incident of him being arrested for driving under influence, WWE decided to release him on November 12, 2001.
As shocking as it is to imagine one of the biggest stars in WWE being released, it turned to be a great decision as Eddie made his way to the independent circuit and tore the house down on several occasions. He soon went sober, and WWE rehired him on April 1, 2002, where he appeared and attacked Rob Van Dam.
His second-run with WWE turned to be a huge success as he established himself as a solid in-ring worker and went to become the WWE Champion.
