Top 5 wrestlers who are rumored to leave WWE in 2019

WWE is a huge wrestling conglomerate which provides the wrestlers with immense popularity and prosperity. It has stocked up talents from many other wrestling promotions, but visibly, it hasn't worked well for the global giant.

Last year, WWE signed huge names like Ronda Rousey which proved to be a good run for their money. It also brought back big names like Brock Lesnar and Rey Mysterio who have proven to be a bang for the buck.

But what is going wrong? Why are so many wrestlers opting to leave WWE? The one main reason behind it is not talked about much by the fandom - and that is the rise of other wrestling promotions. NJPW, for example, is turning out to be a goldmine of talents.

WWE realized that it needs to up its game when Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks organized 'All In' which was a huge success. While WWE was struggling to put up good storylines, All In got the tag of a 'near perfect' PPV.

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As WWE was making peace with its problems, another bomb dropped - Shahid Khan started All-Elite Wrestling (AEW). But what is common behind AEW and All In?

It is the same factor which terrorizes WWE - Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks. Collectively known as The Elite, AEW is being managed by them, which surely isn't good news for WWE.

Moreover, many WWE wrestlers are planning to talk to AEW in order to break free from the monotony and bad bookings. Here are five wrestlers who are rumored to be leaving WWE.

#5 The Usos

The Usos have been a gem for WWE in the tag team division. They have been the flag bearers of the SD Live tag-team division ever since the company decided to bifurcate in 2016.

The Usos are five-time tag-team champs, and WWE is very concerned about their possible departure. The twin brothers might not join AEW, but they are very reluctant to sign a new contract with WWE. Their contracts are going to expire in April, and that is certainly not good news for WWE. Talking about this matter, Sean Ross Sapp of fightful.com says,

“I heard there has been some concern that they may not re-sign. Now, I don’t know when their deal is up but I just heard there is some concern that they might not re-sign. That doesn’t mean they are going to AEW but it means that there is just some concern.”

Currently, The Usos are the number one contenders for the tag team gold, and they are set to face Shane McMahon and The Miz at Elimination Chamber 2019.

#4 Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura has to do something with his career

There are several rumors surrounding his future in WWE. It is said that his contract is going to expire in the early months of 2019. We can assume that 'The King of Strong Style' might think about leaving WWE for a better option.

Let's analyze Shinsuke Nakamura's trajectory of 2018. He entered strong in 2018 by winning the Rumble match and having a good feud with Styles for the Heavyweight Championship.

After his unsuccessful trial, Nakamura set his sights on the US Title, which led to his downfall. Nakamura is considered as the most boring US Champion in recent times. He lost his title to Rusev last year, and he retrieved it again this year before losing it to R-Truth.

Is Nakamura relevant?

This question is ringing in the minds of many people. As his relevance is under scrutiny in WWE, he has better options like NJPW. New Japan may not be reluctant to take Nakamura back.

Nakamura's contract is getting over soon. Staying, or leaving WWE and going back home must be the main topic of concern on his mind.

#3 Finn Balor

If you're a member of the Balor Club, you will definitely know Finn Balor loves to post cryptic posts on his social media accounts. Recently, he posted a picture alongside Neville who is now known as Pac on his Instagram. Neville is one of the new entrants in AEW, and Balor posing in a picture with him could point at two things.

One - he is using that to warn McMahon and Co that he has other options too. Two - he is legitimately going to leave WWE in the near future.

Balor is an asset for WWE, and the management will try their level best to keep him away from thoughts of leaving the company.

#2 Randy Orton

The Viper is a legend. He has that natural heel charisma which is very hard to find. He is one of the main guys who has carried WWE since the conception of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

The third-generation wrestler is also the youngest man to win the World Heavyweight Championship. With so many accolades in his bag, WWE wouldn't want to say goodbye to this human asset.

However, AEW has followed Orton quite aggressively. There are rumors that Orton is ready to talk to AEW if they help him revive his gimmick and persona which WWE has failed to do. If AEW is going to revitalize his legitimacy, Orton should give the AEW call-up a chance.

#1 AJ Styles

There are very high chances that 'The Phenomenal One' might bolt out of WWE this year. AJ Styles' contract is set to expire this April, but he has been talking about signing a new contract with the company.

But with talks come negotiations. Apparently, Styles wants a part-time contract. But we all know that everyone is not Brock Lesnar who has signed a contract which hardly requires his presence.

Very similar to Bryan's condition last year, WWE is not going to push Styles till he signs a new contract with the company. His situation is questionable, as he is not being considered as the main guy of SD Live. The wrestler who had built the blue brand is not relevant anymore.

From my perspective, WWE not considering Styles' demand is quite foolish because AJ is one of the top merchandise movers, and his departure will allocate that profit to some other company. With the amount of hard work he has put in for the past few years, it is reasonable on his side to ask for a break.

Also, Styles is 41-years old now, and he needs to slow down in order to continue wrestling in the coming years.

Styles has many options - he can join ROH, NJPW, or the brand new AEW. It would be interesting to see whether Styles is considering other options.