5 WWE Champions who relinquished their titles 

Becky Lynch has become the latest WWE Superstar to relinquish her title as she will have to step away from the ring for some time. The Man has announced that she is going to become a mother and thus will be unable to compete and defend her title.

In light of the recent developments, we take a trip down the memory lane to see 5 other Superstars who were forced to relinquish their titles for one reason or the other. Most of them had to let go of their prized possession because of an injury while Asuka did it at NXT because she was moving to the main roster.

Without further ado, here are 5 WWE Champions who relinquished their titles:

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#5 Edge

The story of Edge relinquishing his title in 2011 is well known so we shall begin with that. The Rated R Superstar had to retire from the ring while he was the WWE Heavyweight Champion.

The week before his retirement, Edge battled Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII and successfully defended his title. However, the joy was shortlived as the doctors shattered his dreams and asked him to step away from the ring immediately.

The Rated R Superstar had a neck issue and was known to be on borrowed time after he had broken it back in 2003. He was in the prime of his career but was unfortunately unable to continue.

Things did improve nine years down the line and Edge made his stunning return to the ring in 2020. He participated in the Royal Rumble and finished third and also fought Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36.

It is unlikely that Edge will be in the title picture as WWE are now focused on pushing young talents - a change the WWE Universe has been desperately waiting for.

#4 Batista

When Batista won the Royal Rumble in 2005, it was only a matter of time before he turned on his Evolution leader, Triple H. The Animal did exactly that and challenged The Game to a match at WrestleMania 21.

The match put Batista in the main event scene and the win via pinfall to win his first major singles title cemented his place in WWE history. He enjoyed a good run as the WWE Heavyweight Champion but the end was not how things were planned.

Batista's reign of 282 days came to an end when he was forced to relinquish his title in January 2006. His 282-day reign was a huge success as he became one of the top babyfaces in the history of SmackDown.

He was forced to let go of the title because of a triceps/biceps injury. It did not take long for him to return and get his hands on the title again as he was the Heavyweight Champion towards the end of the same year after beating King Booker at Survivor Series.

#3 Finn Balor

When WWE reintroduced the brand split in 2016, WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown. This left Monday Night RAW without a top singles title and that's when Stephanie McMahon and then RAW GM, Mick Foley came up with the WWE Universal title.

As RAW's top pick in the draft, Seth Rollins was automatically put in the match for the new title. Finn Balor earned his way by beating Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Rusev in a Fatal 4-Way match and then beating Roman Reigns.

The story of Finn Balor on the WWE main roster would have been so much different had it not been for his injury in the match against Seth Rollins for the title. The Demon King injured his shoulder during the match but still managed to get his hands on the title.

The reign lasted less than a day as he had to relinquish the title the very next day on Monday Night RAW. He has now moved to NXT and is unlikely to be seen on the Red brand soon.

#2 Roman Reigns

Just like the story of Edge relinquishing his title and retiring is known to all, the heartbreaking story of why Roman Reigns had to relinquish his title is also well known. The Big Dog had leukemia and thus had to step away from the ring for some time.

He had defeated Brock Lesnar to win the title at SummerSlam for the first time ever. However, before his title defense at Crown Jewel against Lesnar and Braun Strowman, he had vacated his title.

"Because the leukemia is back, I can't fulfill my role. I can't be that fighting champion and I'm going to have to relinquish the universal championship. I'm not going to lie, I'll take every prayer you can send my way but I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm not looking for you to feel bad for me because I have faith."

That brought an end to his 64-day title reign and he was supposed to have another go at the title at WrestleMania 36. However, the coronavirus pandemic situation forced him to back out and he was unable to compete at the Show of Shows.

#1 - Shawn Michaels

Due to a serious knee injury, Shawn Michaels' career in the ring was at a risk back in 1997. The Heartbreak Kid was the WWE Champion at that time but had to relinquish the title and head for his knee operation.

Shawn cut a touching 'lost his smile' promo announcing his decision to let go of the title. He was just three and a half weeks into his reign as the champion that time but it had an abrupt end.

“Over the last few months, I've lost a lot of things and one of the things I've lost is my smile, and I know it doesn't mean a lot to everyone else, but it means a lot to me and I have to go and fix myself and take care of myself and find my smile because somewhere along the lines I lost it and I don't care if it's unpopular and people want to make fun of me because I'm an emotional guy.”

The vacant title was put on the line in a Fatal 4-Way match with Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vader competing for it. Bret eventually ended up picking the title and that led to his feud with Shawn Michaels when HBK returned.

The storyline ended with the infamous Montreal Screwjob and that will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic moments in WWE's history.