6 WWE Superstars who requested their release from the company

The COVID-19 pandemic took over the world in 2020, forcing WWE to make cuts to their roster back in April. This meant that many of the stars who had requested their release publicly had them granted, whilst many stars that were not being used were given that dreaded phone call.

Whilst there are several names including Mike and Maria Kanellis, Tye Dillinger, Sin Cara, and Luke Harper who have requested their releases from the company publicly in recent years, there are others who have tried to handle their business personally.

The following list looks at just six current and former WWE stars who have reportedly requested their WWE release in the past.

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#6. Former WWE Superstar Maryse

Maryse initially came to WWE through the annual Diva Search competition. While the former Divas Champion didn't win, she was still signed to the company.

💋 “@BarbieBMaryseO: @maryse0uellet Our favorite The Longest WWE Divas Champion in History! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Jc1UY5Aj9E”

— Maryse Mizanin (@MaryseMizanin) December 2, 2013

Maryse went on to make quite an impact in the Women's Division throughout her first run in the company. However, after almost five years in WWE, the former Champion had plans for a clothing and jewellery line called House of Maryse.

The Canadian star requested her release from WWE in 2011 which was granted by the company.

Speaking to SLAM back in 2011, the mother of two revealed that she had wanted to leave the company for a long time:

"I knew in my heart that I wanted to leave WWE for a long time. I’m a business woman. I need to build and grow and I didn’t have any interest in the WWE anymore. I was like, next! My manager was happy when he heard of my release. He said to me, ‘Now we can start working on the serious stuff.’ I’m ready for a new chapter in my life. I have been with the WWE for six fantastic years, but now I want to do more. I would go back to WWE, for a million dollars and a main event match at Wrestlemania. But, no TNA."

Maryse has since returned to WWE and been a part of severa angles with her husband The Miz. She was even able to announce her two pregnancies on live TV. Miz and Maryse have also become reality TV stars following the success of their Miz and Mrs reality TV show.

#5. Current WWE Superstar Andrade

Former United States Champion Andrade has not been spotted on WWE programming for several months. The former NXT star went undrafted back in October.

After Andrade's split with Zelina Vega, it was believed that the company had a plan for him moving forward. Instead, the former NXT Champion has been waiting for a way to get back to TV.

It was reported by WrestlingInc yesterday that Andrade requested his WWE release this past week when he was backstage at Monday Night RAW. By all accounts, the star himself didn't look very happy.

Andrade seemingly lost his push on RAW after Paul Heyman was relieved of his duties as Executive Director and moved over to SmackDown to work alongside Roman Reigns.

Despite removing all links to WWE from his social media accounts, WWE went on to reject Andrade's release request. This has left the WWE Universe hoping the company could have some huge plans for Andrade if he returns to programming.

#4. Former WWE Superstar Kaitlyn

Former WWE Superstar Kaitlyn is best remembered as the winner of the first and only all-female season of NXT. This was the season that allowed the likes of Naomi and AJ Lee to debut before going on to win Championships on the main roster.

Kaitlyn made an impact of her own on the main roster following her victory. She was able to head over to SmackDown and later feuded with her best friend AJ Lee.

Kaitlyn is a former Divas Champion, but after losing her title to Lee back in 2013, she made the decision to terminate her contract with the company in January 2014. The star had plans to marry and step back into the fitness industry. WWE granted her the release that she requested.

More than four years later in the summer of 2018, Kaitlyn returned to the company as part of the Mae Young Classic but was eliminated in the second round by Mia Yim. She later made a cameo in 2019 as part of the Raw Reunion show.

#3 & #2. Former WWE Tag Team Champions The Revival

The Revival were considered one of the best tag teams in WWE, particularly during their time in NXT. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder were able to become triple crown Tag Team Champions in WWE but were unhappy with their booking on several different occasions.

Although the two men never requested their releases publicly, it was revealed they had approached WWE officials about terminating their contracts several times.

The duo first reportedly requested their release from the company in January 2019 which was later denied. The former Champions then approached WWE officials and requested their releases again after turning down new five-year deals in May 2019.

After pushing to leave the company and making it clear that they wanted to head to AEW, The Revival were finally granted their release from WWE in April 2020. They have since become much bigger stars in the AEW Tag Team Division as FTR.

#1. Current WWE Superstar Oney Lorcan

Oney Lorcan has recently become a star in the WWE NXT Tag Team Division and is presently one half of the NXT Tag Team Champions alongside Danny Burch, but this wasn't the case back in 2019.

PWInsider reported that Oney Lorcan had requested his release from the company after working on 205 Live and NXT for several months. Lorcan signed a new deal with WWE in December 2019, but ahead of this, it was reported that the star was unhappy and prepared to walk away in October.

WWE refused Lorcan's request which was seemingly the company's reaction to any star that was asking for their release at the time. Lorcan went as far as taking all links to WWE out of his Twitter profile and returning to his indie name of "Biff Busick."

Of course, Lorcan wasn't able to leave the company in 2019. In recent years, he has managed to become one of the stars to really stand out in NXT and help push The Undisputed Era to new levels.