#2 Backstage issues
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What would this list be without the most notable WWE departure of the past decade?
CM Punk was once at the very top of the mountain in WWE. You have to go back to 1984 to find the last time somebody held the WWE Championship as long as he did. That would be Hulk Hogan who held it for 1,474 days.
In other words, Punk is the most dominant Superstar in the modern era as far as carrying the WWE title is concerned. Then one day, he was gone, and it really did feel that sudden. But why did it happen?
Well, it should be obvious that none of our previously listed reasons applied to Punk. He was making good money as one of WWE’s top stars, his character never changed so creative control was never a problem, and he was always booked in meaningful storylines.
The reason behind Punk’s departure revolved largely around his issues with certain people and the overall atmosphere backstage. He went so far as to call said atmosphere “toxic” to Vince McMahon’s face which, per Fox Sports, was essentially the last thing he did before he was given his walking papers.
Anyone who knows anything about CM Punk knows he has a bold personality, so this didn’t really come as a surprise. But Punk isn’t the only one to leave WWE due to backstage issues. Alberto Del Rio’s initial departure was a result of an employee making a racist remark backstage, which led to an altercation between the two men.
And more notably, Bret Hart departed WWE for WCW in one of the most famous examples of backstage politics making its way on TV in the form of the Montreal Screwjob. What you see on-screen isn’t all that goes on in WWE.
The surprising, shady, and sometimes downright disrespectful things that go on backstage can occasionally lead to WWE Superstars leaving the company.
