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For decades now, WWE has been the dream for every aspiring professional wrestler. There was no stage bigger and while WCW did have the edge over WWE for a few years, the Attitude Era and various circumstances (including WCW's self-destruction) made sure that WWE stood out in the end. For nearly two decades, WWE essentially held a monopoly over the sports entertainment/wrestling industry.
It's only over the past decade where other promotions slowly started to rise out of the shadows and the past half-decade where we've seen true alternatives to WWE emerge.
While All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is now WWE's top competition, one can't deny the overall power and popularity that WWE has globally, which is why it's considered a sports entertainment juggernaut.
Either way, being a WWE Superstar doesn't automatically mean happiness and fulfilled dreams. While almost everyone has a role in the company - whether it's as an enhancement talent, a midcarder, or a main-eventer - there can be a hierarchy within the system.
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Naturally, it's not possible for every talent to be happy and every talent to be utilized. Whether it's for creative reasons or otherwise, many Superstars over the years have wanted WWE to release them and have even asked WWE for their release.
These nine Superstars in recent times wanted WWE to release them and even requested for it.
#9. & 8. Maria and Mike Kanellis - Was WWE at fault over the issues faced?
In many cases, WWE is often blamed for Superstars being frustrated, and rightfully so. But in the case of Maria and Mike Kanellis, many fans sided with WWE. Mike Kanellis had faced issues with substance addiction and WWE gracefully paid for his rehab. There were even two separate occasions where Maria Kanellis got pregnant - the second time which she informed WWE only after she signed a new contract.
Not only this, but Mike Kanellis had asked for his WWE release as well. He said later on that he lost all his passion and desire for professional wrestling during his time there (where he was primarily an enhancement talent) and even considered retiring.
Whoever you choose to side with, there's no doubt that the couple's entire WWE stint from 2017 was a murky affair. They both wanted WWE to release them, but after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, perhaps they wanted that job security and steady paycheque. However, WWE released them and Maria and Mike Kanellis seemed stunned over the fact that WWE would release a pregnant woman.
#7. Luke Harper - Publicly requested his release from WWE
Luke Harper is now enjoying his time away from WWE, where he's AEW star Brodie Lee. AEW is the perfect place for him and perhaps it's something he anticipated.
In early 2019, Luke Harper made a bold move and publicly declared that he asked WWE for his release, but he was immediately shut down. Before that, he was with Erick Rowan as a part of The Bludgeon Brothers and they enjoyed a relatively successful but short run - including winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 34.
There's no doubt that Luke Harper was among WWE's most underutilized stars and that was none more exemplified than in early 2017 when he started getting over as a babyface. Many fans felt that he should have been in the WrestleMania 33 WWE title match with Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt, but was brushed away quickly enough. In hindsight, that's exactly what they should have done and that was perhaps just the cherry on the topping of many situations leading to Luke Harper wanting WWE to release him. In early 2020, he got it, and he's now happy in AEW.
#6. & 5. - Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson - Re-signed despite wanting to leave WWE
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson could have been much bigger in WWE, but the company never saw them the same way fans who knew them before in New Japan Pro Wrestling did. For those who saw them in NJPW, they were among the best tag teams in the world.
Their run in WWE reflected anything but that and they knew that they were being held back creatively and otherwise. It's a shame that their run didn't work out in the end, because there was so much unfulfilled potential. This is perhaps the reason why they had asked WWE for their release before.
It was their best friend AJ Styles who convinced them to sign a new contract and that's what happened - with them finally aligning with Styles again in 2019 as a part of The OC.
They wanted WWE to release them, but perhaps the nature of the way the company did it rubbed them the wrong way. It even led AJ Styles to publicly blame Paul Heyman and berate him for being the reason behind their releases.
It was partly guilt for AJ Styles since he convinced his friends to re-sign, but he was furious over how things were handled. Luckily, things worked out well and the two former WWE RAW Tag Team Champions are now in IMPACT Wrestling, where they will be the duo who the tag team division is built around.
#4. Deonna Purrazzo - Desperate to leave WWE
Former WWE star Deonna Purrazzo has not only found a new lease on life at IMPACT Wrestling, but she's thriving - and it took her far lesser time than most Superstars released by WWE.
Deonna Purrazzo was picked up by IMPACT Wrestling following her WWE release and the promotion recognized the kind of talent they had in their hands. Wasting no time, they put the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Championship on her and the timing worked out well since Tessa Blanchard had just departed the promotion abruptly.
Deonna Purrazzo was vocal about her dislike for the way she was utilized in NXT and WWE in general. Primarily an enhancement talent, she told the Busted Open podcast that the Deonna Purazzo we saw in WWE wasn't the "real" version of herself:
I think the Deonna that you saw, and the world saw, in Ring of Honor and IMPACT is truly who I am. The person I've been able to put on the screen is the person I believe in. It's the truest form of me, you know, elevated. At NXT, it was very much a runaround. 'You need a character. Okay, well that's too much character. You have to be the real you, but the real you isn't believable'. I just gotten to a point where there's nothing I can do right, and now I feel defeated in me. H/T: WINC
Deonna Purrazzo was desperate to get out of WWE and she got the release that she desired. It all worked out well for her.
#3. & 2. The Revival - Asked for their WWE release multiple times
Post-WWE, The Revival, or FTR as they're now called, are exactly where they belong in AEW. The Revival are perhaps the only example of Superstars on this list who asked WWE for their release on multiple occasions.
The Revival were vocal about the fact that WWE paid no heed to tag team wrestling - something that they prided themselves in. And there was no denying that since their formation in NXT, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood have been among the best tag teams in the world.
For the duo, it wasn't just the fact that they were underutilized, it was the fact that WWE mistreated the entire tag team division - hardly even featuring the reigning Champions at the time. It reportedly boiled over in early 2019 when then-Champions Chad Gable and Bobby Roode weren't featured on RAW, leaving the duo fuming and asking for their release, per Pro Wrestling Sheet.
The Revival desperately wanted to leave WWE and they got their way out in the mass release of April 2020 - finally getting the opportunity to join AEW, a promotion where they're sure to succeed.
#1. Zack Ryder - the WWE childhood dream ends
The WWE journey of Zack Ryder ended in 2020. Zack Ryder's story was an interesting one, all said and done. He represented the fan in all of us living his dream and he enjoyed moderate success in WWE with a few Championships to his name.
However, in the early 2010s, he had gotten over in a big way to the point where fans were chanting his name while The Rock was in the ring at Madison Square Garden. Many had stood up for him and his ability to get over and he was the first wrestler in the world to utilize YouTube to get himself over.
He was certainly ahead of his time but WWE never saw him as anything more than a low-card superstar. As a result, he spent the majority of his WWE run either underutilized, sitting on the sidelines, or frustrated creatively.
Despite this, he marched on for over 15 years as a team player until the final year of his contract, where he refused to sign. He seemed to want out after a decade-and-a-half and knew that despite the negotiation process, his time with WWE was coming up.
I was debating, do I stay [or] do I go because like you said, I felt like a lifer there. I spent my whole adult life, my real professional career there, so I wasn’t sure what to do, and when the decision was made for me, it was like thank God. It was this instant sigh of relief, and I was so excited to go do the things I always wanted to do. And I already had the Pro Wrestling Tees store ready to go, and I just had to call up Ryan at Pro Wrestling Tees. I said make it live, so I was pumped which it sounds crazy. Even me saying it right now, seems ridiculous. It seems untrue, but that’s the truth right there. I was so happy and so excited for the future. H/T: 411Mania
He was released in the April 15 "spring cleaning" and is now finding his footing in AEW.
