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Over the past two years, more WWE Superstars have been released from the company than ever before.
This includes some of their biggest stars like Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Mickie James, and Jeff Hardy. Whilst many of these stars have negotiated their release from their contracts, others have been fired and were not aware that they had lost their jobs until the news leaked publicly.
The following list looks at just five of the biggest former WWE Superstars that you may not know were once fired from the company.
#5. Former WWE Women's Champion Mickie James was fired from the company back in 2010
Mickie James was released from WWE earlier this year alongside a number of high-profile stars. The likes of Billie Kay, Ruby Riott, Peyton Royce, and Chelsea Green were all released at the same time and have since moved on to new promotions.
This isn't the first time that Mickie has been released from WWE, since the former five-time Women's Champion initially left WWE in 2010. It was reported by PWInsider that James was fired from the company because she had arrived late several times and held up the tour bus when WWE was in Europe.
"She was fired because she more than once on the European tour arrived late for the bus, holding up travel. That was considered the straw that broke the camel’s back, dating back to her being disciplined by being sent to 'SmackDown!' due to substandard performance and issues with her weight. They were also not happy with her music aspirations," read the report.
Following her release, James went on to wrestle on the independent circuit and was able to make a name for herself in IMPACT Wrestling before answering WWE's call once again.
James returned to the company in 2016 to wrestle Asuka at NXT Takeover: Toronto, before resigning with WWE and making her re-debut on the main roster the following year. James' latest run lasted just over four years, but the star failed to capture any more championships before she was released in April.
#4. Former WWE Superstar JTG was fired back in 2007
Former WWE Superstar JTG celebrates his 37th birthday today and is still wrestling for NWA. JTG was famously released from WWE back in 2014 as part of one of their annual talent culls that was brought on after the debut of the WWE Network.
Impressively, JTG is one of just a handful of stars who have been released from the company more than once.
The former member of Cryme Tyme was fired from WWE back in 2007, just a year after he made his debut. The former WWE Superstar appeared on Why It Ended on Major League Wrestling Radio back in 2018 where he was able to reveal why he was fired.
It appears the company was not impressed with the team after they auctioned off the referee's belt following a match:
"Then we get backstage and Barry Windham who was our agent at the time, you know, 'I need to talk to you Shad," and I'm going along because we're a team. He's like, 'I don't need to talk to you, I need to talk to your partner.' So I'm like, 'Oh that can't be good.' Shad gets his gear pulled off then John Cena rips us a new one and then the next day that's when we got called into a room by John Laurinaitis and you know, he didn't wanna do it, but he let us go."
Cryme Tyme returned to the company just a few months later in 2008 and JTG remained part of WWE until that fateful phone call in 2014.
#3. Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy was fired in 2005
Matt Hardy is currently plying his trade in AEW, after opting to leave WWE last year. The former Tag Team Champion had previously been fired and released from WWE and this was his third stint in the company.
Hardy's first run came to an end in 2005 when he was abruptly fired because of his reaction to the affair between his long-time girlfriend Lita and Edge.
Hardy was injured and taking time away from WWE following a knee injury when he took to the internet to vent about the very real issues in his life. The reaction caused an atmosphere and led to WWE making the decision to fire Matt Hardy to prevent any more issues with Edge backstage.
The company then had a change of heart and decided to bring back the former star just months later so that their real-life issues could be used in a storyline. This went on to become one of the company's most memorable feuds and catapulted both men into stardom.
#2. Former WWE Superstar Brad Maddox was fired back in 2016
Brad Maddox is perhaps best remembered in WWE as the General Manager of Monday Night RAW. The former star made his debut in the company as a referee at Hell in a Cell in 2012 and was there to aid CM Punk to victory.
Maddox was later pushed into a storyline with Vickie Guerrero and then a feud with The Authority before being taken off TV.
Maddox was completely repackaged by the company and made his debut as Joshua Kingsley in early 2016. The star had a new look with blonde hair and very different clothes, but it was a promo that he went on to deliver that cost him his job.
As part of a dark segment ahead of SmackDown, Kingsley reportedly delivered a promo where he called the WWE Universe "C*cky Pr*cks" which led to the company firing him.
Maddox was later wrapped up in further controversy and has since left the wrestling business to start an acting career.
#1. Former WWE Superstar Eugene
Eugene is easily considered to be one of WWE's most memorable former Superstars since he had one of the most unique gimmicks in the company's history.
The star's initial run with WWE came to an end in the fall of 2007, but the company were looking to re-sign Eugene a few years later.
In 2009, Eugene was re-signed by WWE in order to wrestle at live events but not on TV. After a match against The Miz on RAW, the former star was quickly fired. As part of an interview on Talk is Jericho, Eugene revealed the details of his release:
“I came back and apparently they’d seen me two months earlier. I must’ve gotten heat. Either I’d got so much into bad shape or the mind was turned. But they were like, ‘We’re not selling fat, old Eugene, you’re fired.’”
Eugene was interestingly re-signed by WWE in 2013 and worked as a trainer in NXT. This stint lasted a little over a year before he was released again in 2014.
