The most important WWE releases of all time

The importance of a publication by WWE can see that the company or talent faces many variables after such a moment. Most wrestlers don’t want to be fired or lose their contract, but in the hectic landscape of WWE, it happens. Some firings become more significant than others because of name value or what happens after leaving the company.

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Hindsight is always 20/20, because WCW would not have let these wrestlers go if they had known how their careers would turn out.

Wrestling history has been changed by the unexpected turns of these wrestlers. Vince McMahon and now Triple H have been the key decision makers who decided when it is time to end a tenure. The following names have had the most significant firings in WWE after being fired.

CM Punk had the most explosive WWE exit

Fans never expected Punk to return after his departure in 2014

The story of CM Punk’s departure from WWE in 2014 has several aspects. Punk left the 2014 Royal Rumble Match felt like a turning point after various negative moments left him too upset to continue.

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However, the official release did not come until WWE sent Punk his resignation papers on his wedding day. Punk had been badmouthing WWE in the media for years and seemed opposed to ever working there again. Time healed all wounds as Punk returned to WWE nearly ten years later after an ugly AEW ending.

Daniel Bryan was fired after his debut at Legendary Nexus

WWE did not warn Bryan about certain rules and led to a short-term dismissal

Bryan Danielson, aka Daniel Bryan, became a WWE legend, but his career was nearly ended after his main roster debut. WWE initially placed Bryan in the Nexus faction of participants on the first season of NXT, who joined forces for a hostile takeover attempt.

Bryan choking Justin Roberts with a tie angered WWE sponsors, even though WWE had told all Nexus members to be as vicious as possible without restrictions. WWE released Bryan to satisfy their sponsors, But they rehired him a few months later because his excellent results meant he deserved a second chance.

Drew McIntyre’s redemption made him a top star

His dismissal sparked a major career change and he returned with a bigger name

WWE originally saw Drew McIntyre as a big star when he debuted, but a few bumps caused him to slip down the rankings. McIntyre was fired after the 3 Man Band comedy act ended, and WWE was unwilling to make new plans for him.

Life after WWE gave Drew a great run outside of the company, he established himself as a top name. TNA, Evolve, PWG and other smaller promotions benefited from his great work. WWE rehired McIntyre a few years later and saw him become a top star now and in the future.

Paul Heyman was fired from WWE after ECW failure

Heyman and Vince McMahon’s clash caused Heyman to disappear for years

Paul Heyman worked under Vince McMahon for WWE’s ECW brand, but the two men clashed over what the brand should stand for. McMahon began to strip away ECW’s old identity, but things reached a new low during the December until dismemberment P.P.V.

Heyman’s wish for CM Punk to win the ECW Championship was thwarted in favor of Bobby Lashley during an absolutely disastrous PPV.Vince fired Heyman after tense meetings about the removal one of the most brilliant minds in wrestling for years. Heyman only returned when Brock Lesnar returned to WWE and had the opportunity to ask his manager to return.

Buff Bagwell was the first WCW wrestler to be fired during the Invasion

Controversial backstage drama led to the dismissal of a key player

Buff Bagwell would become one of WCW’s top stars during the Invasion storyline. Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, and Bagwell were the most notable WCW stars to join as other top names’ contracts expired.

However, WWE wrestlers’ dislike of Buff and his backstage fight with Shane Helms earned him the wrong headlines. Bagwell was fired after his mother called in sick again for him. This release meant that WWE began using its own talent for WCW and ECW instead of pushing WCW stars.

The dismissal of Kurt Angle shocked the entire wrestling industry

Nobody would have expected the wrestling legend to be released in his prime

Kurt Angle became one of the most important wrestlers on the WWE roster in the first half of the 2000s. Fans were unaware of Angle’s drug addiction and the fact that his body was breaking down under such an intense style of wrestling.

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Angle was released from WWE for refusing to attend rehab in 2006 to make big headlines. TNA’s signing of Angle made the release even more significant. Angle was the face of TNA for most of his time there, helping the competition as a WWE legend after an ugly falling out.

Iron Sheik was fired because of one of WWE’s first scandals

The arrest of Jim Duggan and Iron Sheik angers Vince McMahon

WWE’s early mainstream run began in the 1980s with the Golden Era. Vince McMahon wanted to keep the brand alive and was upset when two of his top talents were arrested for drug abuse during their careers.

Jim Duggan and Iron Sheik made national media headlines after their arrests. McMahon was unhappy with both the arrest and the fact that they broke kayfabe in the 1980s when it was a huge mistake. Duggan was gone for a short time, but Iron Sheik was fired for his role in it.

Bill DeMott was accused of torturing WWE prospects

Wrestlers’ comments forced WWE to fire Performance Center trainer

WWE first selected Bill DeMott to lead training at the Performance Center after he previously worked in WWE’s developmental systems. Several wrestlers began to speak out about their experiences of DeMott bullying them with borderline behavior.

The old wrestling mentality of veterans making life difficult for new talent was no longer accepted. In response to the intense media backlash, WWE fired DeMott and replaced him with the far more popular Matt Bloom, who still holds the job to this day.

Matt Hardy was fired during a violent love scandal

WWE tried to sweep the love triangle drama under the rug by firing Matt

The biggest backstage story of 2005 Lita cheats on Matt Hardy with Edge and WWE fires Matt to avoid further problems. However, the Internet began to play a new role and the gossip stories behind the scenes of the promotion became more and more well-known.

Fans chanting “We want Matt” at WWE live shows forced WWE to address the issue. Hardy was hired again to turn the whole scandal into a storyline and make money from it. WWE didn’t expect Matt’s firing to generate enough of a reaction to justify putting it on the show.

The release of Cody Rhodes changed the wrestling industry

Both WWE and AEW benefited from Rhodes’ departure in 2016

Cody Rhodes was unhappy with his Stardust gimmick in the WWE and asked for a release when management refused to terminate the position. Release was granted and there were a handful of promotions, all of which were long-term and short-term lucky.

Rhodes became a huge star for Ring of Honor and New Japan, but it was his role in launching AEW with the rest of The Elite that showed why his departure was so impactful. In returning to WWE as a much bigger name, Cody also became the most popular babyface, so the shocking departure had a happy ending.