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Every WWE Superstar dreams of "grabbing the brass ring". This is one of Vince McMahon's most famous colloquialisms which refers to reaching the top of the mountain in the company.
Therefore, it can be shocking to see your favorite superstar walk out of the company while they are enjoying the greatest success of their career. It could be due to health issues, creative differences, better offers or just self care. Fans may feel let down but the talent has to do what is best for them.
While there is no objective criteria for what a superstar's peak is, we have kept this list down to superstars who held a world title in the last year before they left the company.
Here are 5 examples of superstars who left WWE at their peak.
#5: Shawn Michaels retired from WWE after main-eventing WrestleMania XIV as World Champion
WrestleMania 14 was main-evented by a world title match between champion Shawn Michaels and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, with Mike Tyson being guest referee. The Texas Rattlesnake was a rising star riding a wave of momentum and gunning for his very first world championship win.
Meanwhile, The Heartbreak Kid was at the peak of his powers, getting the loudest reactions and having the best matches of his career.
The Showstopper had suffered a nasty back injury at that year's Royal Rumble after being back body dropped onto a casket by The Undertaker. This meant he worked the match in immense pain, finally dropping the title to Austin after Tyson turned on him.
Michaels disappeared from WWE TV for three months before returning as an on-screen authority figure. However, fans had to wait four years to see him wrestle in the company again.
#4: CM Punk walked out of WWE exactly 1 year after his legendary 434-day reign
CM Punk had a nearly decade-long career in WWE. The Straight-Edge Superstar left an incredible list of records, championships and achievements in his wake. However, the undisputed high point of his career was his 434-day run as WWE Champion hot off the heels of the iconic Pipebomb promo.
A ratings and merchandise machine, Punk put on amazing title defenses on weekly TV throughout his reign. He continued to be one of the top attractions even after unceremoniously losing the title to The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
He faced The Undertaker at WrestleMania, Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and had a remarkable 3-on-1 handicap win over the SHIELD at TLC. Punk was still at the top of his game.
Unfortunately, creative differences with the company and allegations of negligence over his health led to him walking out after the 2014 Royal Rumble. One wonders what could have been.
#3: Brock Lesnar left WWE 27 days after the longest WWE Championship reign of his first run
Brock Lesnar debuted in Vince McMahon's promotion in 2002. He went on a tear and became the youngest WWE Champion, King of the Ring and Royal Rumble winner of all time. He beat a list of legends such as Kurt Angle, The Rock and The Undertaker.
The company was going all in; Vince McMahon had found his next golden goose. Believable, a mountain of muscle and agile as a man half his size, The Next Big Thing was the total package.
When Lesnar had a staredown with WCW legend Goldberg in late 2003, it felt like he had met his match. This was a dream match many had been wishing desperately for, catapulting the future Beast Incarnate into the stratosphere. Retrospectively, the lead-up to this moment is not the peak of his entire career. However, it was the peak of his career at that point.
Imagine the shock of the fans upon hearing that both men would be leaving the company after their WrestleMania XX bout. The match turned into a disaster, with both stars being booed at every turn. Not even special guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin could save it, although he did get the loudest cheer when he gave each man a stunner.
Lesnar left for the NFL and did not appear in the ring for 8 years.
#2: Trish Stratus retired from WWE the night she became a record 7-time Women's Champion
Trish Stratus was one of the greatest female WWE Superstars of all time. She was one of the first female wrestlers in the company to move away from the "Bra and Panties" stereotype. She had many legendary matches with Lita, with the duo taking part in the first women's match for the main event Monday Night RAW.
Throughout 2006, Stratus feuded with her then-stalker Mickie James, losing the Women's title to the latter at WrestleMania 22 after a 448-day reign. She continued to have run-ins with James and Lita until the Team Xtreme superstar announced the Canadian's impending retirement.
Trish retired after Unforgiven 2006, aged only 31, winning a record 7th Women's Championship in her hometown of Toronto. Talk about going out on top.
#1: Stone Cold Steve Austin left WWE abruptly in 2002 due to creative differences
On June 11, 2002, an advertised WWE King Of The Ring qualifying match between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and "The Next Big Thing" Brock Lesnar did not take place. The Texas Rattlesnake was booked to lose the match which did not go down well with him. He had beaten NWO's Scott Hall two months prior at Wrestlemania X8.
The toughest SOB in the business walked out on the company. He briefly returned eight months later to feud with The Rock and retired at Wrestlemania XIX due to multiple knee and neck injuries.
Fans can only wonder what magic Austin could have created with the likes of John Cena and Batista had he not cut his career short to preserve his health aged 38.
