5 Superstars who were talked out of leaving WWE

For many years, WWE was the be-all-end-all of professional wrestling after the demise of its competitors, WCW and ECW. Wrestlers who wanted to pursue their dreams of becoming major stars and wrestling the best in the business had no other option besides the Vince McMahon-led company.

With the formation of All Elite Wrestling in 2019, wrestling fans and performers were provided with an alternative to the sports entertainment juggernaut. WWE stars who were unhappy with their position in the company were able to find success in AEW or other promotions such as IMPACT and NJPW.

While WWE's roster is full of lots of talented male and female superstars, many of them struggle to get TV time or a match on pay-per-view, which often leads to frustration and may cause some of them to ask for their release. Fortunately, some of them had someone to convince them to stay in the company when it seemed like it was the end of the road for them.

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#5. Alberto Del Rio convinced Andrade not to leave WWE in 2018

Former WWE United States Champion Andrade was close to leaving the company back in 2018 during his time in NXT, but he was persuaded to stay by Alberto Del Rio.

Del Rio had a very successful career in WWE, winning the 2011 Royal Rumble match, Money in the Bank contract, United States and WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

During an interview with Milenio, Andrade said he wanted to return to Mexico due to the lack of opportunities and criticisms he was receiving in WWE, but he was advised by Alberto Del Rio not to leave the company.

"I miss everything, fighting here, the friends, my family and the food, but I knew that to succeed and fulfill my dreams I needed to leave Mexico," said Andrade. "When I came to WWE I thought about coming back, because of the lack of opportunities and criticisms. But I talked to Alberto and he told me to stand up for my chance and I kept fighting for what I wanted."

Andrade ended up leaving WWE earlier this year after he asked for his release, which the company granted. He currently competes in AEW and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide as Andrade El Idolo.

#4. Road Dogg convinced R-Truth to stay in WWE

Road Dogg and R-Truth on WWE RAW in 2000

R-Truth is one of the most popular superstars in WWE, and he is known for his hilarious acts. He's currently involved in a storyline on Monday Night RAW for the 24/7 Championship, which he holds the record of for most reigns.

R-Truth has been in WWE for a long time, and he's done a lot of interesting things in the company. His first tenure, however, was quite underwhelming. Speaking on The New Day's Feel The Power podcast, he revealed that he was so frustrated that he almost quit the company during his time in developmental, but WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg made him change his mind.

"[It] wasn’t nothing paying off, showing, nothing and Road Dogg came to the TV taping and saw me rap, go down," said R-Truth. "I think I wrestled Jerry Lawler that night and when I came back to the locker room, two or three guys were like, ‘Hey man, Road Dogg was asking about you.’ I’m like, ‘Road Dogg with DX?’ They’re like, ‘Yeah.’ I’m like, ‘Okay cool.’ Got in the locker room and we all know Road Dogg."

"Road Dogg came right up to my face, ‘Was that you out there rapping that? Doing that dance and rapping to the ring?’ I was like, ‘Yeah,’" he added. "He said, ‘You wanna be my tag partner?’ I said, ‘What? Wrestle on TV?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ I’m like, ‘Man, I’m about to quit man.’ He said, ‘Quit!?’ I said, ‘Yeah man. Bruh, I don’t think this is for me. I think I bit off more than I can chew.’ He said, ‘I’ll tell you what, I know you’re discouraged, you’ve been going.’ He said, ‘If you give me one month, I’ll have you on TV.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll give you one month.’"

The former 24/7 Champion made his main roster debut alongside Road Dogg on RAW in 2000, where he wrestled as K-Kwik. A year later, he was released from his contract, and he went on to wrestle for IMPACT before going back to WWE in 2008.

#3. J.J. Dillon convinced The Rock not to leave WWE

The Rock and WWE Hall of Famer JJ Dillon

The Rock is one of the biggest stars in WWE history, and he's a sure-fire Hall of Famer. During his early run in the company, however, he wanted to quit due to financial woes.

Speaking to JBL and Gerry Brisco, J.J. Dillon recalled how he convinced The Great One to stay in WWE.

"He had everything," said Dillon. "He was multiracial. He had the size, he had athletic ability. He had everything. And I came up there and he said, ‘Can I talk to you privately?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘You have connections everywhere. I’m asking you to help me get out of here and find a place for me to go.’ So I listened to him and I said, ‘There’s more to this story than what you’re telling me. You need to kind of trust me and open up to me and tell me what’s going on in your head, what’s really, really troubling you?’"

“After talking about it a little bit, he reached into his pocket and he had a $10 bill and a couple of singles," added Dillon. "And he said, ‘This is all the money I have to my name. I’ve never been in a situation where everybody talks about this great potential that I have. But for me, I have 12 bucks in my pocket and that’s eating away at me.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m glad that you opened up to me and told me because that’s something that can be an easy fix."

J.J. Dillon knew that The Rock had what it took to become a big star in WWE, so he wasn't going to let the People's Champion go so easily. Dillon handed him $200 in cash, which helped the latter with his financial troubles, and it stopped him from leaving WWE.

#2. Rhea Ripley convinced Peyton Royce not to ask for her WWE release

Rhea Ripley and Peyton Royce

Cassie Lee, formerly known as Peyton Royce, was part of a popular tag team with Jessica McKay in WWE known as The IIconics. Their biggest accomplishment came at WrestleMania 35 where they captured the Women's Tag Team Championship.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE star stated that prior to her release, she wanted to quit the company, but Rhea Ripley persuaded her to stay.

"I really struggled when Brodie [Lee] passed," Peyton Royce admits. "I struggled with the big picture and putting things into perspective. I was really unhappy at work, really unhappy. A few times I thought to myself I can't do this anymore and I am going to ask for my release."

"A few times I was in the locker room, some sort of creative would change and it would just... I would be just so upset," Peyton Royce continued. "Rhea [Ripley] of all people had to talk me off the ledge, because I was about to walk into talent relations and say 'I'm out. I don't want to do this anymore.' I was so unhappy. So the release was a blessing in disguise. I was so close to asking for my release but I never actually pulled the trigger."

She was released from WWE several months ago alongside her best friend Billie Kay and other stars such as Samoa Joe, Mickie James and Bo Dallas due to budget cuts. Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay now go under the tag team name of 'IInspiration.'

#1. Vince McMahon refused to let Sasha Banks leave WWE

Sasha Banks and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon

Sasha Banks is one of the biggest stars in WWE right now, and all of her accomplishments speak for themselves. She made history at WrestleMania 37 where she faced Bianca Belair in the main event of Night One for the SmackDown Women's Championship, and was set to challenge the EST for the title at SummerSlam but she was replaced by Becky Lynch.

Back in 2019, though, The Boss was contemplating leaving WWE, stating on Stone Cold Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions that she told Vince McMahon about her decision, but The Chairman denied her request.

"One of the hardest things that I had to do was to ask to leave the WWE," said Sasha Banks. "Vince was like no. He said no. He said I'm gonna give you thirty days to think about it,, and I took more than thirty days . . . This place can definitely get to you. It's hard."

She is currently involved in an angle with Belair and Becky Lynch on the blue brand, and it's possible that we could see a match between the three stars for the SmackDown Women's Championship.