'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Over the years, there have been many WWE Superstars who have been fired off-screen, even though the reasons have been leaked online following their release.
Of course, this isn't always the case, many stars have asked for their release behind the scenes and the company has then decided to turn this into a storyline. Many stars request their release without having to make it public on their social media, which then gives WWE a chance to write them off WWE TV and wrap up any feuds that they are part of.
The fact that they were fired on WWE TV means that there is always a storyline to pick back up on if they ever want to make their return, which interestingly a number of these stars have.
#5 Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix is a former Women's Champion and one of the women that pushed forward the division throughout her time with the company. Phoenix is now a WWE Hall of Fame alongside her husband Edge, but back in 2012, she decided that it was time for some time away.
Phoenix was in a relationship with fellow superstar Edge at the time and asked WWE for her release. The former Champion had given notice to the company and wanted to go and start a family. In storyline, Beth was fired by Vickie Guerrero after a poor performance on Monday Night RAW in a match against AJ Lee.
Phoenix has since welcomed two daughters and married fellow WWE Hall of Famer Edge. Interestingly, the couple has both since returned to WWE with Phoenix wrestling a handful of matches before finding her place behind the commentary desk in NXT.
Her husband Edge made his return to WWE for the first time in almost a decade back in January.
#4 James Ellsworth
James Ellsworth was brought into WWE as an enhancement talent to face off against Braun Strowman. Interestingly, he was somehow able to become part of a number of storylines on SmackDown in the years that followed.
Ellsworth's final storyline came when he was managing Carmella and helped The Princess of Staten Island to win the first-ever Women's Money in the Bank ladder match before walking into a feud with former Women's Champion Becky Lynch and being written off WWE TV.
Ellsworth later returned after nearly a year to help Carmella retain her Championship against Asuka at Money in the Bank in 2018, before he was then fired by General Manager Paige when he insulted her on a live episode of the show.
WWE's creative team obviously had nothing left for Ellsworth at the time since his storyline with Carmella had reached its conclusion and the firing went on to be his last official WWE appearance. He has since moved on to wrestle on the Independent Circuit and has even made a one-off appearance at Impact Wrestling.
#3 Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero had quite the wild ride throughout her career in WWE, from marrying Edge to being an authority figure on both RAW and SmackDown. Guerrero created her own legacy in the wrestling world following the passing of her husband Eddie, but that all came to an end back in 2014.
Vickie was put into a pudding match against Stephanie McMahon with her job on the line. The former General Manager was defeated by the WWE Chief Brand Officer after interference from Alicia Fox, Layla, and Rosa Mendes.
Guerrero was then fired from the company when in reality Vickie had asked to leave WWE so that she could move on to a career in Medical Administration. Guerrero had been part of the company for a number of years and her daughter had also walked away from NXT so she decided that it was time to move on.
The former WWE star has since returned to the company for a number of one-off segments whilst also appearing on All Elite Wrestling Dynamite a handful of times.
#2 Mick Foley
Mick Foley has become well-known as The Hardcore Legend in WWE, but the Hall of Famer doesn't have the best track record as an authority figure. Interestingly, he's the only WWE star on this list to be fired twice, by two different people.
Foley was fired from his job as the Commissioner of RAW by Vince McMahon back in 2000 before his daughter Stephanie went on to fire Foley from his job as General Manager of the flagship show 17 years later.
Following his departure back in 2000, Foley wanted to retire from the business because it was getting difficult for him to wrestle. Bruce Prichard even revealed on his podcast that Foley wanted this to be his only WWE retirement, which didn't end up happening.
Foley's most recent departure was an emotional one since he was shown saying his goodbyes to the WWE roster backstage. Like many other stars on this list, Foley had given WWE notice and the company was aware that he wanted to leave because he was scheduled to have hip replacement surgery.
#1 Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool is perhaps now best associated with her husband The Undertaker since McCool has played a huge role in the recent "Last Ride" documentary on the WWE Network.
There was a time when Michelle McCool was climbing the ranks in WWE alongside Layla after the two women unified the Divas and Women's Championships.
Interestingly, it was Layla who went on to cost Michelle her career in WWE (In storyline). The two women ended up stepping into a feud that was only finalized when a Loser Leaves WWE match took place at Extreme Rules in 2011.
McCool losing the match came as a huge shock since it meant that she was fired from the company.
McCool revealed the reason for her departure back on Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast back in 2019.
“Leaving was tough because it got to a point where — I was dealing with so much, mostly being Undertaker’s girlfriend while I was on TV. There was even a writer who threw the papers up one day and said, ‘Why don’t we just call it the Michelle McCool and Undertaker show.’ I went to Vince [McMahon] on numerous occasions and said, ‘I don’t want to hate something that I grew up loving so much. The longer I stay, the more I get this sour taste in my mouth.'”
