8 superstars WWE refused to release 

#5 FTR

One of AEW's top tag teams, FTR (known as The Revival in WWE), had a two-year run on the WWE main roster before their decision to quit.

The Top Guys had amazing matches with many tag teams in NXT, but they felt like Tag Team Wrestling wasn't given the same importance on RAW and SmackDown.

In January 2019, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood expressed their unhappiness to WWE, and asked for their release, which was denied. WWE offered them new deals in the months following that, but both of them had made up their minds.

Harwood and Wheeler stated that Tag Team Wrestling was given importance everywhere except WWE, and they wanted something else alongside their NXT run to add to their legacy.

In January 2020, they asked for their release again, but it wasn't granted.

WWE became very open to releasing talent when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, so they finally released Harwood and Wheeler in April 2020.

A couple of months after their release, the former Tag Team Champions signed with AEW and are now a part of The Pinnacle with MJF and Shawn Spears.