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One of the most famous WWE departures in the company's history saw CM Punk walk away following the 2014 Royal Rumble match. He then remained quiet about his reasons for a number of months.
There were several rumors flying around regarding Punk and why he left the company, but the self-proclaimed "Best In The World" wasn't able to tell his own truth until he appeared on Colt Cabana's famous podcast.
Whilst CM Punk made a lot of headlines following his departure, he isn't the only former WWE star who was either released or opted to leave without providing a public explanation.
Here are just five recent cases of former WWE stars who quietly left the company without any explanation or any kind of announcement on any of the company's official forums.
#5. Charly Caruso left WWE earlier this month
Charly Caruso first made her debut back in 2016 and has been a regular face on WWE TV over the past five years. After Renee Young left the company, Caruso picked up several of Young's previous roles and even became the host of RAW Talk.
This all changed earlier this month when WWE brought in Kevin Patrick to seemingly replace the star who reportedly had a lot of "heat backstage". Patrick has been hosting RAW Talk over the past few weeks and there have been several rumors surrounding Caruso and her future with WWE.
Dave Meltzer noted on The Wrestling Observer several times that Caruso had been fired by WWE and other sources stated that the star had been left out for several weeks. It wasn't until Caruso herself made the announcement on her Instagram page that she had left WWE and accepted a full-time role at ESPN, that many members of the WWE Universe were aware of her departure.
WWE usually makes a point of announcing any releases from the company and wishes these stars the best of luck in their future endeavors. That being said, it appears that Caruso wasn't someone that was handed the regular website announcement following her departure. Instead, the WWE Universe had to wait for the star herself to reveal the news, that she had left WWE.
#4. The Big Show left WWE and joined their rivals AEW
It was easily one of the biggest shocks of the year when The Big Show left WWE after more than two decades to join All Elite Wrestling as a commentator. The former world champion had appeared on WWE programming earlier in the year when he was part of RAW Legends Night, which would later become his final appearance.
Before the Big Show announced that he was now All Elite, the WWE Universe had no idea that his contract had expired with WWE and the star had opted against signing a new one.
After Big Show made his debut in AEW, he was able to open up about the reasons for his decision and the fact that he was frustrated with many things during his time in WWE.
The star was able to stay quiet about his contract expiring for a while which allowed him to shock the WWE Universe one more time. The Big Show definitely deserved a send-off from WWE after working there since 1999, but it appears the star decided to take matters into his own hands and do things his own way.
#3. Killer Kelly left WWE back in January 2020
The rise of WWE's NXT UK brand over the past few years has allowed the company to bring in some of the best female wrestlers from around the world, including Toni Storm and Kay Lee Ray.
Several other women have also been added to the roster after stand-out performances in the Mae Young Classic competitions, including Killer Kelly.
The star noted during an interview with Fightful in the fall of 2020 that she intentionally kept her departure from the company quiet and then began popping up on adverts for other shows. This led to speculation that she was no longer contracted to WWE:
"It was something that I really didn’t want to talk about. I didn’t want to emphasize. There were a lot of people that left NXT UK, and that made a big fuss out of it. I don’t like to go to every corner and shout, ‘Hey, guys! I’m out!’ I strategically started, like, ‘Okay, what’s my plan?’ I want to do more wrestling."
Kelly initially debuted in WWE back in 2018 before walking away in January 2020. The star has most recently been seen performing for IMPACT Wrestling.
#2. Lars Sullivan was released from WWE earlier this year
Lars Sullivan was known as The Freak during his time in NXT, before being promoted to WWE's main roster alongside several other talents back in 2019. Sullivan's debut didn't go ahead and the star went on to take some personal time away from the company, before debuting following WrestleMania that year instead.
Since his promotion to the main roster, Sullivan's career has been plagued by injuries and controversy. Fans began to dig into the background of The Freak and the star spent more time on the sidelines than in the ring.
Despite this, Sullivan returned and was drafted to SmackDown in the fall of 2020. He appeared to be back on the right track, before it was revealed by several online outlets that the star had been released at the beginning of 2021.
WWE didn't make an official announcement and Sullivan himself waited to speak to Fightful where he revealed that his crippling anxiety issues were the main catalyst in his reason for release.
#5. Jojo Offerman seemingly left WWE back in 2019
It's unclear when former RAW Ring announcer Jojo Offerman made the decision to leave WWE, but the star hasn't been seen on WWE TV since Evolution back in 2018.
There were several rumors regarding Jojo's WWE status in the months that followed. The star later revealed on her own Instagram account that she was expecting her first child with fellow WWE star Bray Wyatt.
Offerman was believed to have been on maternity leave at the time and there were then rumors that after the birth of Knash, Offerman would make her return and pick up where she left off on Monday Night RAW. Interestingly, the former Total Divas star later revealed that the couple had welcomed their second child in 2020, a daughter called Hyrie. Offerman has since remained on the sidelines.
Jojo hasn't spoken publicly about her WWE status as of writing and it's believed the star has now left to take up the role of a full-time mother to her two children.
