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2019 proved to be an outstanding year for WWE and several of its Superstars. It was the year that made Becky Lynch into ‘The Man,' and gave life to Bray Wyatt’s new character The Fiend. The New Day’s Kofi Kingston also tasted his first WWE Championship during the year, while Roman Reigns successfully battled leukemia once again to make a heroic return to our screens.
However, several Superstars found their differences with WWE in 2019 and decided to head out in order to look for other opportunities. Some had their fall outs with the company and were asked to leave in the process.
This led to several Superstars asking for their releases or being released by the company itself to ensure that morale backstage remained high.
In this article, we will look at 6 Superstars who were let go by the company in 2019, and what they are doing today.
#6 Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami, known as KENTA outside WWE, was one of the biggest names signed by the company in 2014. The Japanese Superstar was a huge draw on Pro Wrestling Noah (PWN) before he decided to try his luck with the largest wrestling promotion in the world.
He started wrestling in NXT and slowly started to build a fanbase that wanted to see him perform on the main roster. This led to his main roster debut in December 2017 where he partnered with Finn Balor to defeat Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. However, Itami remained on NXT and 205 Live for most of his time with the company, and even though he received several championship matches, he was never booked to become a champion.
In January 2019, it was reported that Itami requested and was granted his release from the company after a five-year tenure. In response, several Superstars and fans alike spoke out about how much Itami meant to them as a WWE Superstar.
He then made his surprise debut in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in June 2019 and soon became the NEVER Openweight Champion, proving his worth to the entire wrestling industry.
#5 Tye Dillinger
Many fans wouldn’t be aware of how far back Tye Dillinger’s partnership with WWE began. In 2005, Dillinger sent a tape to WWE officials, after which he was called for a try-out.
He was signed to a developmental contract by the company soon after in January 2006. Dillinger remained in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), followed by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) for a couple of years before moving to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 2008. Dillinger was released from his contract in 2009, after which he wrestled for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Ring of Honor (ROH).
Dillinger re-signed with WWE in 2013 and began working in NXT. There he remained a top contender for several years before moving to SmackDown and becoming a mid-card contender and more of an enhancement talent, who wasn’t given too much screentime.
In February 2019, Dillinger announced that he had asked for his release from the company. Three days later, the company confirmed his release, letting go of a Superstar who could have made it bigger had he been given more opportunities.
Without any WWE championships to his name, Dillinger returned to the Independent Circuit under his previous name of Shawn Spears, and debuted for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at their inaugural pay-per-view event Double or Nothing. Since then, Spears has been seen as a star in the making for AEW, and will hopefully be rewarded with many more chances in the new promotion.
#4 Rhyno
Rhyno started his wrestling career way back in 1995. He was a big thing in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and signed with WWE as soon as ECW closed the shutters. He battled for the company for a few years before parting ways and making it big on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), after which he returned to WWE in 2015. There he tried to rise the rankings, but soon found himself battling in tag teams amid mix bookings which only his worth as a Superstar.
Overall, Rhyno won five Championships in WWE, including the Hardcore Championship, the United States Championship, and the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. During his final years with the company, he battled alongside Heath Slater in a tag team before deciding to call it quits in July 2019, after his contract expired.
Since leaving WWE, Rhyno has been seen in Impact Wrestling (Formerly known as TNA), and Sami Callihan's promotion The Wrestling Revolver. Apart from that, he has also signed a contract with the Pro Wrestling Federation of Pakistan and has competed in its second event in December 2019.
#3 T.J. Perkins
Theodore James Perkins, famously known by his ring name T.J. Perkins or TJP, first began his training at the age of 13, at a local lucha libre school in his hometown of Los Angeles, California.
TJP battled in several promotions before joining WWE and even tried out for the company multiple times in 2009. He signed his first contract with the company in 2016 and qualified for the Cruiserweight Classic.
TJP remained with the company for over three years and won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship once during his tenure. He battled his final match against Humberto Carrillo, after which he was released from his contract by WWE in February 2019.
In an interview with Gary Cassidy, TJP stated the following about his differences with the company:
“I’m disheartened at the lack of priority for my community and Asians in general, and my goals, but I would never have a problem being told, "No." I can make any situation work. My unhappiness mostly stemmed from the culture of the lower administration. The micromanaging from writers and producers and the way guys are played favorites and manipulated. It makes the job not fun.”
You can check out the full interview in the video below:
Since parting ways with WWE, TJP has returned to Impact Wrestling where he’s seen as a much bigger star. Apart from that, he has also appeared in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) where he took part in the Super J Cup.
#2 Goldust
At 50-years of age, Goldust is one of the oldest professional wrestlers, but shows up each and every week to take on any challenge that is thrown his way.
He made his first appearance in WWE as Dustin Rhodes almost three decades ago back in 1990. Since then, he’s had several tenures with the company, during which he remained one of WWE’s most loyal employees.
His second tenure saw him appear as Goldust, and he was labeled 'The Bizarre One' due to the odd gimmick. It took Goldust some time to click with the WWE Universe, but once he did he never looked back, remaining true to his gimmick and becoming an iconic character.
In WWE he, was a 9-time Hardcore Champion, 3-time Tag Team Champion, and 3-time Intercontinental Champion.
While Goldust remained on the midcard or battled as an enhancement talent, it seemed like he was happy with his role in the company. However, he underwent surgery on his knees in mid-2018, after which it was reported that he did not sign a new contract with WWE. His deal expired in March 2019 and Goldust confirmed his departure from WWE in April 2019, ending a long-term partnership with the promotion.
He did not waste much time and debuted in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under 'The Natural' gimmick at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in a match against his brother Cody Rhodes.
Since then, we have watched him compete in a few matches for the promotion and make sporadic appearances when necessary. He's discussed his departure from WWE and alliance with AEW with Gary Cassidy as seen in the video below:
#1 Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose fell in love with wrestling after watching his favorite Superstar Bret Hart on-screen. He began to see wrestling as an escape from his daily life struggles and dropped out of high school soon after beginning training to become a professional.
Ambrose then began competing on the Independent Circuit and started getting a lot of praise for his unique style. He was signed onto a developmental contract by WWE in 2011 after which he joined the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) territory and started working as Dean Ambrose.
Ambrose’s claim to fame came as a member of The Shield faction along with friends Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. This allowed him to become a prominent figure in WWE, and he went on to win the United States Championship once, the Intercontinental Championship three times, the RAW Tag Team Championships a couple of times, and even became a one-time WWE Champion.
After Roman Reigns announced his real-life battle with leukemia and relinquished the Universal Championship in October 2018, Ambrose started working with Seth Rollins, but did not enjoy the way he was being booked.
His contract expired on April 30, 2019, after which he departed from WWE and began looking for new opportunities outside the company.
Ambrose changed his ring-name back to Jon Moxley, and made his unannounced debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) during their Double or Nothing event, attacking Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, and the referee after Jericho and Omega's main event match.
Since then, we’ve watched Ambrose compete for AEW and also for other promotions such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he won the IWGP United States Championship upon his in-ring debut.
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