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In WWE, one important duty for the top management is to ensure that the wrestlers are happy in the organization. Unfortunately, for some wrestlers, they would receive the short end of the stick. Whether it involves being left with empty promises, not winning championships, or even being mistreated, they always find happiness at different wrestling promotions somehow. Although certain wrestlers would find happiness in promotions other than WWE, they always eventually return to the company where they started.
Normally in WWE, people come and go. In general, whenever former WWE wrestlers are asked about a possible return, some of them would give the famous cliche answer of 'Never say never'.
Here are five former WWE Superstars who were happier in different pro wrestling promotions.
#5 Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy
When Matt Hardy made his return at WrestleMania alongside his brother Jeff Hardy, fans were thrilled to see The Hardy Boyz back in a WWE ring. Being a former United States Champion, Tag Team Champion, it seemed that Matt and Jeff had so much in store with the current tag team division. Matt delivered another proficient run with the company.
Not only did he become Tag Team Champions with Jeff again, but he also partook in rivalries with WWE's current talent, including Bray Wyatt. When Matt decided to leave the WWE last year, he explained why he chose to leave the promotion.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet in September 2020, Matt stated that Vince wanted him to be more of a producer than a wrestler. Matt, on the other hand, wanted to continue wrestling. He realized he needed to continue expanding his horizons by wrestling somewhere else.
With offers from multiple promotions, Matt Hardy decided to join AEW. Matt even took to Twitter to state how happy he is now that he's part of AEW. Besides being an active wrestler on the AEW roster, he is currently managing Private Party while also making appearances in IMPACT Wrestling.
#4 Former WWE Superstar Rob Van Dam
When Rob Van Dam joined the WWE in 2001, he was one of the most promising stars. At the time, WWE viewed him as the greatest wrestler of ECW. He went on to achieve great things, such as winning the Intercontinental Championship, Tag Team Championship, Money in the Bank, and even the WWE Championship.
However, WWE's busy full-time work schedule started to take a huge toll on RVD. This is why multiple former wrestlers, including Rob Van Dam, left the company in the first place. RVD's first run with the company lasted for a mere six years. In those six years, he dealt with a torn ACL, which put him out of action for a year and a 30-day suspension for violating WWE's Wellness Policy.
In an interview with ComicBook in 2019, RVD explained why he had to leave the company in 2007 and if he would ever return to WWE. He pointed out how overwhelming it was in his first run to work a full-time schedule. He felt that leaving WWE the first time was the right thing for him to do.
RVD even expressed how content he was on his blog when joining TNA back in 2010. He stated that he loved being in TNA due to a reasonable work schedule. Being able to work a part-time schedule was the reason why he decided to return to WWE in 2013.
Now that RVD is no longer working with IMPACT Wrestling, maybe the fans could see him have another run in WWE or even debut on AEW.
#3 Former WWE Champion Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose in WWE, is one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling today. AEW has been on a whole another level ever since he left WWE for Tony Khan's fledgling company. He made a massive impact on his AEW debut by attacking both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega.
Back when he was in WWE, he was part of one of the most popular factions in wrestling at the time, The Shield, alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Moxley accomplished everything in the company, as he became a Grand Slam Champion.
Although Moxley had a memorable career as Dean Ambrose, it all ended on a rather sour note. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Moxley stated that he decided not to renew his contract due to creative differences.
Ever since he joined AEW, his feelings about wrestling changed positively. On an episode of Lillian Garcia's podcast, Chasing Glory, Moxley's wife, Renee Paquette, formerly known as Renee Young in WWE, mentioned how happy her husband was in AEW. She said that ever since he went to AEW, something lit up in him, and he just can't stop talking about wrestling. Moxley has already been the AEW World Champion, so it would be interesting to see what's in store for him now.
#2 WWE Grand Slam Champion Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has been very vocal about how he feels about WWE ever since he became part of the AEW family.
The majority of Jericho's wrestling career was spent with WWE. Jericho is now happier in AEW than he was in WWE due to the freedom he has with his character. Since Jericho joined AEW, he gained creative control of his character. He was even able to create his own faction, called The Inner Circle.
On an episode of Talk Is Jericho, Le Champion spoke about how happy he was to be with AEW and said he has no plans of returning to WWE.
“To me, it’s one of those things where I’m really glad that we were able to take a chance, and get this company off the ground and make it successful. And I have no intentions of ever going anywhere ever again. I like it here, I like working for the Khan family. And it’s been a lot of fun which, sometimes, it was not as fun in WWE. So it’s definitely a whole different vibe here.”
#1 WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history. Before becoming a wrestler in WWE, Angle won a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 100 kg freestyle wrestling category.
When Angle left WWE in 2006, he signed with TNA, which was where he would end up having a memorable wrestling career. Not only did he win multiple championships, but he would also have spectacular matches with TNA's top wrestlers, including AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett, among others.
Angle was very vocal about his reasoning for leaving WWE. He mentioned wanting to expand his work horizons in WWE, such as wanting to be a part of Hollywood. TNA was the right fit for him at the time as Dixie Carter pulled in a deal where Angle wouldn't have to work such a rigorous wrestling schedule.
As his TNA career came to an end, it was inevitable to see Angle return to WWE, which was where he began his professional wrestling career.
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