For many wrestlers, working
for the WWE is a dream come true
and shows all your years of hard work
and paying dues have paid off.
And though the money and lifestyle may be alluring to many,
for some, it’s not enough.
Some Superstars have even
walked out of the company for many reasons,
despite the WWE remaining the biggest wrestling company in the world.
Here are Top 10
WWE Superstars Who Quit WWE
Out Of Frustration.
15: Wade Barrett
Winning the first season of the original reality show version of NXT,
it seemed the future was going to be bright for Wade Barrett in 2010
Not long after winning, Barrett formed the Nexus, a group that pushed the British star to
prominence in the main event scene on RAW, as well as several opportunities at the WWE Championship
After failing to capture the title from Randy Orton though, Barrett’s star fell considerably,
as he was kicked from the Nexus, and wallowed in the mid-card, becoming a five-time Intercontinental Champion
Despite winning the 2015 King of the Ring, Barrett would chose to leave WWE the following year,
and has recently spoken about his reasons
According to the bruiser, WWE refused to let him go do Movie and TV appearances as it would’ve
taken him off TV, and the former champion has admitted he was often miserable
After having all ideas pitched be denied by the company, Barrett knew it was time to leave and
quietly exited the company in 2016, working in various promotions since
Nowadays, Barrett is in a much better place and though he may not be in WWE anymore,
the future seems bright for the king of bad news.
14 and 13: Jim Neidhart and the British Bulldog
The Montreal Screwjob is considered by many to be one of the darkest days in wrestling
and it’s not hard to see why.
The plan heading into Survivor Series 1997, was for Bret Hart to retain the WWF Championship
against Shawn Michaels, and would vacate the gold the next night on RAW, before leaving for WCW.
We all know that didn’t happen, as Michaels would win the title via submission when Vince McMahon called for the bell
After over 13 years of loyalty to McMahon, Bret was rightly furious, but he wasn’t the only one
Immediately requesting their releases, Jim Neidhart,
Owen Hart and the British Bulldog showed true loyalty, though Owen didn’t get released
Things weren’t much between for Neidhart or the Bulldog, as the Anvil was only allowed
to leave after being humiliated and spray painted on RAW by DX.
Despite being part of the hottest thing in wrestling, the pair were barely used in WCW,
not associated with Bret and Bulldog even suffered an injury early on,
though we can’t imagine the pair being treated much better if they’d stayed in the WWF
12: Chyna
We all know that the world of wrestling often isn’t kind to its wrestlers,
but few stars were treated worse throughout their career then Chyna.
Joining the company in 1997 alongside real-life boyfriend Triple H, Chyna was unlike any woman seen in WWE before
rightly earning herself the moniker the ninth wonder of the world.
A pioneer, Chyna would be the first woman to actively compete in the men’s division, and would
also be the first woman in a Royal Rumble, the first and only woman to compete in King of the Ring,
the first female to be number one contender for the WWF title, and the first female intercontinental Champion.
Despite everything going well, things came quickly crashing down, when Chyna discovered
that Triple H had cheated on her, with the boss’ daughter.
With the Game taking more power backstage, it was impossible for Chyna to feel
comfortable backstage, and she had no where to turn to.
After winning the Women’s title at WrestleMania 17 and retaining the gold at Judgement Day,
Chyna would quietly vacate the title,
leave the company and never returned to the WWE until her untimely death in April 2016.
Inducted into the 2019 Hall of Fame as part of DX, this is a small consolation for Chyna’s family,
though one can’t help but wonder how what happened to her affected her lifestyle choices later in her life.
11: Christian
Before the likes of Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan, there was Christian: a smaller popular character
that amassed an army of fans online despite WWE not knowing what to do with him.
Dubbing himself Captain Charisma, Christian would become one of WWE’s most popular acts in the
early to mid 2000s, holding his own against John Cena on the mic, a rare thing in 2005.
At Vengeance that same year, Christian was booked into a triple threat match with Chris Jericho
for Cena’s WWE Championship, though failed to win the gold.
Moving to SmackDown shortly after, the Canadian would quickly lose to Booker T
and after a few more losses it was clear all his hard work getting over hadn’t paid off.
After 7 years with the company, Christian took a huge gamble when he chose to leave,
and quickly signed with the new budding promotion TNA.
Betting on himself definitely was the right call for Captain Charisma, as he would win the NWA
World Championship from company founder Jeff Jarrett just a matter of months into his tenure
After an incredibly successful run in TNA, Christian would return to WWE in 2009, a much bigger star.
Shortly after his return, Christian would become the top star in ECW
holding the extreme brand’s World title a combined 247 days.
In 2011, Christian finally won the WWE World Heavyweight title,
10: Rick Rude – The Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob remains one of the
most shocking moments in wrestling history.
Not only did the 1997 Survivor Series
main event see the end of Bret Hart’s WWF career,
but it also proved that Vince McMahon always gets what he wants,
even at the expense of his own Superstars.
Unsurprisingly, the Screwjob angered many wrestlers,
and though Mick Foley returned after a brief walk out,
Rick Rude was gone for good.
Quitting the company shortly after the Screwjob
in disgust of how the Hitman,
one of the WWF’s most loyal stars for years, had been treated,
Rude proved that his loyalty to his friend meant more than money.
The then-manager for Shawn Michaels
as part of the original D-Generation X
Rude’s departure was a big loss for the WWF,
and things were made worse when Rude debuted on WCW, cutting a scathing promo on his former client whilst heaping praise on the Hitman.
9: Neville – Losing to Enzo Amore
When WWE relaunched the Cruiserweight division,
Neville was the perfect Superstar to build around.
A former NXT Champion,
the British Superstar wowed fans in the ring,
but faced several setbacks as King of the Cruiserweights.
One major issue, was being
left off the WrestleMania 33 Blu-Ray,
despite his pre-show title defence against Austin Aries
being considered one of the best matches of the night.
The final straw though came
when Neville was forced to lose the title to Enzo Amore,
someone the Geordie star didn’t believe was deserving of the role.
Now out of the company,
it seems that Neville is doing much better in promotions like Dragon Gate Wrestling,
so perhaps this was the best thing for him.
8: Sgt. Slaughter – Wanted to be a toy
In the 1980s, there were few wrestlers bigger than Sgt. Slaughter
and the former WWF Champion only got more popular
when he landed a role in the iconic cartoon series G.I. Joe.
As a part of the show, Slaughter
was able to introduce pro wrestling to a new younger audience,
though, when his character was to get an action figure,
things turned ugly.
WWE’s first line of action
figures launched in 1984,
whilst Slaughter’s first G.I. Joe appearance wouldn’t happen
until 1985, so
perhaps the Sports Entertainment juggernaut just didn’t want
their wrestler’s image making money for another company
This wasn’t a good enough excuse for Slaughter though,
who quit the WWF so that he could be made into
a G.I Joe figure, allowing the larger than life star
to make serious money without taking a single bump.
7: CM Punk – Shady Medical Treatment/Angry With Creative
For 434 days, CM Punk dominated the WWE as the top dog,
olding the WWE Championship and defending
the title against the likes of John Cena
Chris Jericho
and Daniel Bryan.
Putting his body on the line though
eventually took a toll on the Straight-Edge Superstar,
but has since said in interviews
that he was denied treatment for a staph infection,
and wasn’t taken seriously when he had a concussiosn.
As if this wasn’t bad enough,
Punk’s historic reign was often overshadowed,
as part-timers like The Rock,
Triple H
and Brock Lesnar would often take
the main event spot over the best in the world.
After losing the title to the
Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble
and losing to the Undertaker at WrestleMania 29,
Punk was scheduled to face Triple H
before walking out in early 2014,
and being sent his termination papers on his wedding day
was the final nail in the coffin for WWE’s relationship with Punk.
6: Cody Rhodes – Stuck as Stardust
AEW may be the hottest thing in wrestling today,
but the new promotion would probably never have come
true if not for Stardust.
Debuting the alter-egoz of Cody Rhodes in June 2014,
the character was interesting,
and Cody made it work,
but Stardust quickly grew old,
as Rhodes wanted out of the costume.
After being denied the chance to ditch the character,
the former Intercontinental Champion requested
his release which was granted.
Betting on himself, Rhodes would establish himself
on the indie scene as one of the hottest stars in wrestling,
and captured the NWA World Championship at All In.
Launching AEW in January 2019
the company has done huge things in a handful of months,
meaning the WWE no-doubt regrets
letting the grandson of a plumber go.
5: Batista – No Chance To Be An Actor
The WWE’s film division
may not have released many hits,
but there are a handful of Superstars
who have impressed on the Silver screen.
One such star is Batista,
but this nearly didn’t happen due to the Animal’s career in WWE.
Back in 2010, the former WWE World Champion
thought he was ready to try his hand in Hollywood,
but was faced with opposition by WWE.
Believing in himself, Batista would leave the WWE for greener pastures
and after a shaky start, made it big
as Drax the Destroyer in 2014’s
Guardians of the Galaxy.
A huge hit in the Marvel film,
Batista has landed roles in the Bladerunner
and James Bond franchises,
proving sometimes it’s good to take a risk.
4: AJ Lee – CM Punk Lawsuit
CM Punk may have walked out of WWE in early 2014
in a whirlwind of controversy,
but what came next was just as shocking.
The same day that Punk was given his termination papers,
the former champion married AJ Lee,
who was riding high as the centrepiece of the Divas division.
After Punk lambasted WWE doctor Chris Amann on a podcast though
leading to Amann to file a defamation lawsuit,
things quickly changed for AJ.
Losing the Divas title at Survivor Series,
AJ quickly fell down the card,
and according to rumors,
became a very unpopular Superstar backstage.
Leaving WWE in April 2015,
separate Rumors have suggested AJ departed
due to Punk’s lawsuit with Amann,
and it doesn’t look either Punk or AJ
or AJ will be back anytime soon.
3: Randy Savage – Too Old
If you were to make a mount Rushmore of pro-wrestling,
‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage’s iconic face would probably be etched into stone.
Not only could Savage entertain as a character
like Hulk Hogan in the 80s and 90s,
the Macho Man’s incredible in-ring ability
helped make Savage a one-of-a-kind Superstar.
Rewarded with two WWF title reigns,
the company definitely saw Macho as a star,
but in the mid 90s, things changed.
After Monday Night RAW’s debut in 1993,
Savage was moved to the commentary desk,
as the company looked to younger Superstar over the 40-year-old Macho Man.
Despite laying out a potential feud with Shawn Michaels, which in hindsight would’ve been a dream match
the company refused to believe the former champion could still hang in the ring.
Frustrated, Savage would leave the company that same year,
before returning to the company a year later,
being allowed to compete0 at WrestleMania 10 against Crush
in what would be Savage’s final WWF Pay per view match.
2: Goldberg – Backstage Politics
When WCW died in early 2001,
it would be over two years until one of their biggest stars
finally joined the WWE.
Debuting the night after WrestleMania 19,
Goldberg would be an instant hit in the McMahon-led promotion,
though did face plenty of obstacles along the way.
Losing to Triple H at Summerslam 2003
took plenty of wind from out of Goldberg’s sails,
though he did win the World Heavyweight Championship from the Game the next month
it was too little too late.
Losing the gold just a few months later,
Goldberg would get increasingly frustrated at the company,
and by WrestleMania 20, told everyone he would be leaving.
Delivering a lazy match with Brock Lesnar at the event,
Goldberg would leave to a chorus of boos,
and in 2018 revealed to Stone Cold Steve Austin that problems backstage,
and paranoia about people plotting against him
was part of the reason why he decided to go.
A sad end to Goldberg’s legendary career,
the former WCW World Champion would return over 12 years later,
becoming Universal Champion
and having some epic encounters against the likes of Brock Lesnar
and Kevin Owens.
1: Dean Ambrose – Frustrating Creative
Though Dean Ambrose did have an epic WWE career
before leaving the company in 2019,
the Lunatic Fringe always seemed like the third man of the Shield.
Whilst Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns
would have huge feuds and epic wars,
Ambrose would often be relegated to the mid-card,
watching on as his brothers in arms surpassed him.
Returning to WWE in August 2018 after an injury
Ambrose would turn heel on the same night
that Roman Reigns announced his leukaemia diagnosis,
but this shocking turn didn’t help Ambrose.
Leaving the company this year,
Ambrose has been very vocal about his frustration
with his former employer.
In an interview with Chris Jericho,
and Wade Keller,
Ambrose said how his pitched ideas
would fall on deaf ears, and it seems that Ambrose
now competing as Jon Moxley, is set to do much better for himself as part of All Elite Wrestling
and other promotions.
Well guys that's our list
If you think of any other WWE Superstars That Quit The Company Out of Frustration ?
drop us a comment below and let us know
If you like this video , please check our previous video
15 WWE Wrestling Gimmicks You Never Knew Were Based On Real People
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