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WWE Superstars, like other employees in the company, put pen to paper on a contract that ensures that they adhere to the rules of WWE for the duration of their deal.
The difference with WWE is the fact that these stars are then forced to live their lives in the spotlight which means that if they have an issue with the company they could make it public. WWE doesn't like anything that ruins its reputation in the public eye so the company would then look to brush this under the rug as soon as possible.
In more recent times, social media has been used as a way for stars to negotiate a way out of their WWE deals. Here, we take a look at five stars who used the internet to their advantage.
#5 Tye Dillinger requested his WWE release In February 2019
Tye Dillinger was The Perfect 10 in WWE NXT and had one of the best Royal Rumble debuts of all time when he made his way out in the number 10 spot back in 2018.
That being said, Dillinger's career on the main roster didn't see many more highlights and after struggling to get any kind of screen time on WWE TV, Dillinger requested his release in February 2019.
Three days after the WWE star initially sent out the Tweet which talked about the reasons for his decision, the company granted him his release. Dillinger then became Shawn Spears and just three months later at Double or Nothing, the former WWE star made his debut for All Elite Wrestling.
Dillinger does still have some links with WWE since he married long-time girlfriend Peyton Royce back in the summer of 2019 and the couple is currently split between promotions.
#4 Sin Cara requested his release from WWE in November 2019
Sin Cara was once one of the company's most popular masked Superstars, but after several backstage altercations and some in-ring issues, this came to an abrupt end in 2019.
Cara, like many other Superstars before him, took to social media to send out a statement making it clear that he had requested his release from WWE.
In the statement which was written in Spanish, the star revealed that he believed that WWE had underutilized him, and that he was undervalued by the company as a whole. Despite this, he went on to state that he was grateful for the opportunity that WWE had given to him.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity they gave me, however, I realized that I am stuck in a place where I am not valued as an athlete or talent."
He was granted his WWE release alongside a number of other unhappy stars in December 2019. Sin Cara has since returned to Mexico and AAA where he is known under the ring name Cinta de Oro.
#3 The Revival first requested their release from WWE in January 2019
The Revival were seen as one of the best tag teams in WWE while coming through the ranks in NXT. When Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder finally made their way to the main roster, they did not have the same impact as many had expected them to have.
The former Tag Team Champions were not given the opportunities that would make them megastars on the main roster. They later confirmed following their release that they regularly pitched ideas that were rejected by the creative team.
By January 2019 the two former Champion had given up with the company and requested their release before retweeting that they would wrestle The Young Bucks one day. The duo's request was denied and they were forced to remain with WWE. But after the request, they were handed the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
The former WWE stars gave WWE a few months to change plans before requesting their release from the company again at the beginning of 2020. This time around The Revival was given their release in April 2020. The duo who are now known as Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood have been part of AEW since May 2020.
#2 Luke Harper requested his WWE release in April 2019
Luke Harper rose to fame in WWE as one-third of The Wyatt Family. He later went on to capture the Intercontinental Championship and had a brief run as a singles star, before he went on to reunite with Erick Rowan as The Bludgeon Brothers.
Harper's career went backwars when Rowan was injured back in the summer of 2018 and the duo were forced to drop the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Harper was taken off TV while Rowan was recovering, but the storyline then changed.
Rowan returned to TV in a storyline with Daniel Bryan whilst Harper remained on the sidelines waiting for a chance to make his return. It wasn't long before the former star grew tired of waiting for chances and decided to request his release from the company publicly.
WWE initially denied Harper's request to leave the company but it was finally granted in December 2019. Like many other stars on this list, Harper has since found a home in All Elite Wrestling.
#1 Mike Kanellis requested his WWE release back in October 2019
Mike and Maria Kanellis came to WWE as the company's next power couple following Money in the Bank 2017. This then became quite a rocky journey for Kanellis after he was sent to 205 Live and Maria announced that the couple were expecting their first child.
Mike and Maria then became something of a joke in WWE and when Maria made her return to the company in 2019 and announced that she was expecting once again, this was turned into a humiliating storyline.
Mike Kanellis had decided that it was time to make it clear that he wanted out and requested his release publicly in October 2019. The pregnancy storyline was then dropped. Just two months after the couple welcomed their second child, they were released from WWE in April 2020.
Mike and Maria have since started their own podcast and are one of few WWE stars who have yet to find a new home following their WWE release. Mike Kanellis competed for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship when he faced Nick Aldis after his WWE release, but could not win the prestigious belt.
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