8 WWE Superstars whose contracts reportedly expire in 2020

When a WWE Superstar’s contract is due to expire, there is usually a lot of speculation amongst fans about whether they will remain with the company or whether they will soon sign for another promotion.

In January 2019, the careers of Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Mike Kanellis and Maria Kanellis looked uncertain after all four Superstars reportedly requested their releases. However, as it has turned out, Dawson and Wilder stayed with WWE and recently won the SmackDown Tag Team titles, while both Kanellis’ signed new deals in June 2019.

Elsewhere in WWE in 2019, Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) decided to leave after his contract expired at the end of April, and another three Superstars – Hideo Itami, Shawn Spears (fka Tye Dillinger) and TJP – were granted their releases.

Since then, several high-profile names have agreed long-term contracts in recent months, including Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns, but there are still plenty of Superstars whose futures with WWE will be big talking points again in 2020.

In this article, let’s take a look at eight Superstars whose contracts reportedly expire next year.

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#8 Luke Harper

It appeared as though Luke Harper was set to leave WWE after WrestleMania 35 when he took the same approach as Shawn Spears by publicly revealing that he wanted his exit from the company.

While Spears was successful with his request and later signed with AEW, Harper remained with WWE but did not make another televised appearance for over five months following his return in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Then, much to the surprise of the WWE Universe, the former Intercontinental Champion reunited with Erick Rowan by helping his former Wyatt Family colleague to defeat Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions in September 2019.

With regards to his contract status, it was widely reported around the time of Harper’s request to be released that his deal was due to expire in late 2019. However, as WWE reserves the right to extend the contracts of Superstars who have suffered long-term injuries, his deal has been extended until at least early 2020.

#7 Matt Hardy

Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy signed two-year contracts with WWE when they rejoined the company before WrestleMania 33 in April 2017.

In 2019, WWE exercised their right to extend both Superstars’ contracts by a further year, meaning their deals were set to expire in 2020, but Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp recently reported that at least another year has been added to Jeff’s contract due to the amount of time that he has missed due to injuries.

Jeff is now guaranteed to remain with WWE until 2021, but Matt is out of contract in March 2020 and it is unclear whether he will sign an extension on his current deal.

From a storyline perspective, Matt has hardly featured on WWE television since he and Jeff were forced to relinquish the SmackDown Tag Team titles in April 2019. The majority of his most notable moments since then have come via his own YouTube channel, where he often provides updates as his “Big Money Matt” persona.

For what it’s worth, the 2018 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner said in September 2019 on Twitter that he wants to play his part as much as possible in wrestling before he has to eventually call time on his in-ring career.

“For the few years I have left as an in-ring performer, I wanna kick a** and contribute to the industry - not sit on the bench.”

#6 and #5 Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder

In January 2019, news broke that The Revival’s Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder wanted to leave WWE after growing frustrated with the lack of focus on tag team storylines on Monday Night Raw.

One month later, the duo defeated Chad Gable & Bobby Roode to finally win the Raw Tag Team titles after two years with the brand, while they won the titles for a second time in June 2019 after defeating Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder.

Speaking to Mirror Sport in March 2019, Wilder played down reports about the tag team’s contract situation and revealed that he and Dawson wanted to keep people guessing about their futures.

"I don't think it aggravated us, it kind of gave us… again, we like to be angry. We like to be mad at things and have something to fight for. So that gave us more fuel for the fire and we were like… 'we’ll have fun with the internet over that, as they don't know what's what, so we're not going to tell them otherwise'."

Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported in June 2019 that the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions, whose contracts were originally due to expire in April 2020, turned down a new deal with WWE.

It is also worth noting that, just like Luke Harper and Jeff Hardy, WWE has added on two months to Wilder’s contract due to his past injuries.

#4 Brock Lesnar

In 2018, Brock Lesnar was expected to leave WWE after facing Roman Reigns in Universal Championship matches at WrestleMania 34 and SummerSlam.

The surprising outcome of their WrestleMania main event, which saw Lesnar retain his title in front of a raucous New Orleans crowd that expected Reigns to win, was followed by the news that “The Beast” signed a new deal with WWE on the day of the show.

Once again, after Reigns finally defeated his long-term rival at SummerSlam, many people anticipated that Lesnar would leave WWE and return to UFC. However, it has since emerged that he no longer plans to compete in mixed martial arts, which explains why he remains an integral part of WWE programming in 2019.

With a WWE Championship match against Kofi Kingston on the horizon, it looks likely that the three-time Universal Champion will be one of the most featured Superstars in the first few months of WWE’s new SmackDown television deal with FOX.

According to the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, Lesnar signed a one-year contract with WWE following his surprise appearance in the Money In The Bank ladder match in May 2019, which means his deal is set to expire in May or June 2020.

#3 Mandy Rose

Mandy Rose has been associated with WWE since she participated in the Tough Enough reality show in 2015.

After finishing as a runner-up in the competition, “The Golden Goddess” signed a five-year deal with WWE and became a cast member on Total Divas in 2016, despite hardly featuring on television as an in-ring competitor at the time.

Rose then established herself as a Superstar on NXT in 2016-17 before moving to WWE’s main roster alongside Sonya Deville as part of Paige’s Absolution faction in November 2017.

Having featured prominently with Deville on SmackDown Live over the last year, it would be very surprising if WWE allowed Rose’s contract to run down, especially as she is yet to win a title on either Raw or SmackDown.

Speaking to the Metro in September 2019, Rose discussed her future outside of WWE but did not give any indication that she is ready to leave the wrestling business just yet.

"It’s not everlasting, eventually I want to start a family and have children so it’s being smart with your money and training and making sure you do have a long, successful career. Plus, injuries happen all the time, you need to make sure you don’t have all your eggs in one basket."

#2 Rey Mysterio

After appearing as a surprise participant in the 2018 Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio returned to WWE later that year as a full-time member of the SmackDown roster.

The WWE legend has been involved in rivalries with the likes of Randy Orton, Andrade and Samoa Joe over the last year, while his current storyline on Raw looks likely to lead to the debut of his son, Dominic, as an in-ring competitor.

From a storyline perspective, Mysterio has teased his retirement on multiple occasions in recent months. But, in reality, it would be a big surprise if the high-flyer really does decide to call time on his career in the near future, regardless of the number of injury problems that he has had in the past.

According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, the former WCW star signed a two-year deal with WWE upon his return to the company in 2018. However, there is an “out-clause” in that contract which reportedly enables him to leave after 18 months.

Either way, that means his deal will be up in early 2020 or towards the end of the year.

#1 Randy Orton

In February 2019, Wrestle Votes reported that a high-profile WWE name had received an “outstanding” offer from AEW that was “too good to turn down”. Although the name of the Superstar was not revealed, various clues suggested that Randy Orton was the person who Cody Rhodes, Tony Khan & Co. were interested in.

Reacting to the speculation, WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry said on Busted Open Radio that the 13-time World Champion should consider any offers that come his way.

"He’s always been a good businessman. So why wouldn’t he be a good businessman and say, ‘You know what? I need to entertain this conversation.'"

While the majority of long-term WWE contracts last around five years, Orton signed one of the longest deals in the company’s history – a 10-year contract – in 2010, meaning it is finally due to expire next year.

The man himself has not commented on the talk surrounding his future, but it is worth noting that he reportedly earns a guaranteed $4.5 million per year in his current WWE contract, making him the fourth highest-paid Superstar behind Roman Reigns, John Cena and Brock Lesnar.

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