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As Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson once said, there's a shelf life in wrestling. No matter how talented or popular a WWE Superstar is, they can only wrestle for so long. After a time, they would have to make the decision to walk into the sunset.
While seeing their favorite Superstars hang up their boots could be tough for the fans, it is inevitable and will remain so while the wrestling business is alive and kicking.
In WWE, legendary performers are mostly given the chance to deliver a final farewell speech before calling it a day. However, not every WWE Superstar gets this opportunity.
In fact, there have been countless instances of top or rising Superstars disappearing from WWE all of a sudden, leaving their fans shocked.
So, without any further ado, here is a list of 5 of the most surprising departures in WWE history.
#5 Jeff Hardy (Left WWE in 2009)
Jeff Hardy has always had a sweet spot in the hearts of the WWE fans. In 2009, the support he was receiving from the WWE Universe was simply unreal. His feuds that year versus the likes of Edge, Matt Hardy, and CM Punk were received positively.
So, it definitely came as a shock to the fans when Hardy decided to walk away from WWE at his peak and in his prime. On August 28, 2009, CM Punk defeated Jeff Hardy in a loser leaves WWE steel cage match.
While this stipulation often leads to Superstars taking some time off or coming back with a new gimmick, it was legitimate in Hardy's case as the three-time World Champion actually left the company following the aforementioned match.
Reports suggest that Hardy's reason behind leaving WWE was to take some time off and deal with various injuries. Others speculated drug use. While he would remain active in the wrestling business following his WWE release, it wouldn't be until 2017 before he would step foot inside a WWE ring again.
#4 Kurt Angle (Left WWE in 2006)
The Olympic Gold Medalist will go down in WWE history as one of the most gifted, charismatic, and consistent performers of all time. In his first stint with the sports entertainment giant, Kurt Angle put on stellar matches with the stars of both the Attitude Era as well as the Ruthless Aggression era.
In 2006, WWE launched ECW under its umbrella and made it a weekly episodic show. Kurt Angle was one of the Superstars who made the jump to boost the credibility of the extreme brand.
However, early on in his ECW run, the six-time World Champion suffered a groin strain as well as tore his hamstring and abdominal muscle. While he proceeded to wrestle Sabu after sustaining the aforementioned injuries, it was clear in Angle's mind that he had to leave WWE.
On August 25, 2006, Angle was granted an early release from his contract so he could work on his mental and physical health. While this decision shocked the WWE Universe, it was the only logical step the company could take at that time.
But barely two months later, Kurt Angle made his TNA debut and wrestled there for nearly a decade.
#3 Zelina Vega (Left WWE in 2020)
Managers in professional wrestling can add to their associate's personality in a way nothing else can. However, this concept is a lost art. Regardless, Zelina Vega managed to ace her role as the manager of WWE Superstars Andrade & Angel Garza.
Vega's association with Andrade did wonders for the latter's career in WWE NXT. As for Angel Garza, he benefitted a lot by having Zelina Vega by his side during his main-roster call-up earlier this year.
After SummerSlam 2020, Zelina Vega started pursuing a singles career and even challenged RAW Women's Champion Asuka on two occasions. During the WWE Draft, she moved to SmackDown and continued performing as a singles Superstar.
Unfortunately, before La Muñeca could reach her full potential, she was released by WWE for breaching her contract and opening an OnlyFans account.
Whether her release was justified or not remains a discussion for another day. What can be said for sure is that she had all the tools to make it big in this business. To say that her sudden departure from WWE was shocking is an understatement.
#2 CM Punk (Left WWE in 2014)
Only a few Superstars in the history of WWE could claim to have left such a lasting impact on the business as CM Punk did. A two-time Money in the Bank winner, one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions in the modern era, and various other accolades made CM Punk untouchable.
Therefore, the news of his sudden departure came as a shock to the entire WWE Universe. Little did anyone know that after an outstanding performance in the Royal Rumble match at the namesake pay-per-view in 2014, CM Punk would never step foot inside a WWE ring again.
During an appearance on Colt Cabana's podcast, CM Punk revealed the reasons behind his departure. It's interesting to note that the straight-edge superstar had no interest in squaring off against Triple H at WrestleMania 30, which was the direction the company was heading into.
Nearly 7 years have passed since CM Punk walked out of WWE and to this day, fans are hopeful that the six-time World Champion will return for one final run to end his career on a satisfying note.
#1 Dean Ambrose (Left WWE in 2019)
After The Shield broke up in 2014, Dean Ambrose didn't get to experience the same level of success as a solo WWE Superstar that his Shield brothers did. Even though he became a Grand Slam Champion, most of his title reigns weren't memorable.
In 2018, the Lunatic Fringe completed his much-awaited heel turn. However, that turned out to be underwhelming as well. After a segment in which the 2016 Money in the Bank winner had to take rabies shots, Ambrose decided that he would leave WWE after his contract ended. Discussing said incident on Talk is Jericho, Ambrose (now Jon Moxley) stated:
“This is the day that I knew 100 percent I was gone and there was no turning back. I actually almost walked out. Not really, I’m glad I didn’t because I would’ve ended up in some legal stuff. I knew I was gone in July but I’m thinking, like, why rush it? It’s only eight more months or whatever.”
Less than two months after the aforementioned segment aired, the official Twitter handle of WWE confirmed that Ambrose would not be resigning with the company. This news was immensely shocking as, despite the questionable booking of his character, Ambrose was still perceived as one of the top Superstars.
Fast forward to May 2019, Jon Moxley made his AEW debut and the rest, as they say, is history.
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