Cesaro and 4 other former superstars who quietly left WWE recently

WWE has made a lot of cuts to their roster over the past few years, but the company is often public and open about the stars who have departed.

When budget cuts are made, the company will put all of the released superstars on a list online and make an official announcement.

Being released isn't the only way that superstars can depart the company, retirements and quiet exits often occur.

In recent years, there have been several WWE departures that were not announced publicly, and the only reason that the WWE Universe was made aware that the star in question has left is because of dirt sheets.

The following list looks at just five former Superstars who quietly left WWE, including the most recent star, Cesaro.

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#5. Former Tag Team Champion Cesaro quietly departed from WWE earlier this week

The most recent WWE departure came just yesterday when it was revealed via PWInsider that Cesaro has left the company.

It was noted in the report that the former Tag Team Champion had rejected a new contract and was now a free agent after his contract had expired earlier in the week.

There were no reports prior to his departure from any online outlets since his contract expiry date wasn't publicly known. Cesaro was seen as a popular star backstage and was a reliable pair of hands when the company needed someone to step in.

It came as a surprise that WWE were unable to convince Cesaro to sign a new contract and instead the former United States Champion opted to leave the company after more than a decade.

It was relatively well-known throughout his time contracted to the company that Vince McMahon wasn't his biggest fan and this is why he was never pushed into the main event picture.

The Cesaro Section were always behind The Swiss Superman but sadly he was never pushed towards the world title. He has now walked away from the company without holding any of its main championships.

#4. Former Superstar Lars Sullivan quietly left in January 2021

Lars Sullivan's WWE journey was a rollercoaster, to say the least. After becoming known as The Freak in NXT and inching towards the NXT Championship, he was promoted to the main roster in 2019.

Sullivan was one of several stars promoted to the main roster at the time, including Heavy Machinery, Lacey Evans and Nikki A.S.H. Whilst the other stars who were advertised to debut were part of the show, Sullivan failed to appear and it was later revealed that he had been sent home by the company.

Since his promotion, the former NXT Superstar's career has been plagued by injuries and he was then surrounded by controversy when historic posts were found online.

The Freak returned to TV in 2020 when he was drafted to SmackDown and was part of an uncomfortable interview with Michael Cole. Despite being back on track at the end of the year, Sullivan was reportedly released at the beginning of 2021.

WWE themselves didn't announce Sullivan's departure; instead, the news was leaked by PWInsider.

#3. Former World Champion Mark Henry quietly walked away in January 2021

Mark Henry first appeared for WWE in 1996 and went on to become one of the company's most recognizable stars in the two decades that followed.

From the Nation of Domination to Sexual Chocolate and then World Heavyweight Champion, "The World's Strongest Man" accomplished just about everything whilst under contract and opted to retire from the business in 2018.

Following WrestleMania 33, Henry transitioned into a role backstage and was the man behind Bianca Belair and Braun Strowman's career switches.

Interestingly, Henry came out of retirement to compete at The Greatest Royal Rumble. After an appearance on RAW in January 2021, he walked away from the company.

It wasn't announced that the WWE Hall of Famer had left and it only became official when it was revealed that Henry was All Elite in May of that year.

Henry was unveiled by AEW at Double or Nothing and has since become part of their commentary team on Rampage as well as working as a coach.

#2. Shane McMahon was "quietly let go" following the 2022 Royal Rumble

Shane McMahon returned to WWE as part of the 2022 men's Royal Rumble match. It was later reported that the plan was for him to work a storyline heading into WrestleMania.

This obviously wasn't the case since McMahon hasn't been seen since his surprise Rumble return and reports coming out of the company suggest that he was "quietly let go" after some backstage issues in St. Louis.

Shane McMahon is the son of Chairman Vince and was creatively in control of the Men's Royal Rumble match, but it appears that he ruffled a lot of feathers and his father was left with no option but to ask him to leave.

As with every other star on this list, there has been no official announcement regarding his departure from the company, but it has been made clear that he is no longer an employee.

It has been almost a month since Shane McMahon was last seen and it's unclear if he will ever return.

#1. Former World Champion Jeff Hardy was released from the company earlier this year

Jeff Hardy made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 33 and was a solid mid-card star on both RAW and SmackDown.

Hardy was surprisingly released by the company earlier this year after a video of the star at a live event went viral. The former world champion was reportedly offered rehab but after he refused, the company were left with no other option but to release him.

WWE didn't announce the release of Jeff Hardy and instead, it was Fightful who broke the news.

Hardy himself has since broken his silence about his release and even teased that he could be heading to AEW.

''I'm going to AEW. I'm so excited... I'm so nervous and excited.'' ('via Jared Myers )

Hardy did later seemingly go back on this report when he tweeted the above update regarding his future.