3 Popular WWE Superstars who may never return and 2 who might
WWE has released a large number of superstars over the past two years, and whilst there are several who have made it clear that they are open to a return, some are not.
The WWE Universe has been outspoken about the shock of some of the recent company releases and there are many who have since moved on to careers in IMPACT Wrestling and AEW.
The following list looks at just three former superstars who may never be open to making their return to the company, as well as two who just might surprise you.
#5. May never return to WWE: AJ Lee
AJ Lee retired from wrestling back in 2015 and has since noted that one of the main catalysts for her retirement was a neck injury. Over the past seven years, Lee has become a New York Times Best Selling Author, a comic book writer, and recently joined Women Of Wrestling as an executive producer.
Lee recently spoke to Renee Paquette on her The Sessions podcast where she opened up about her WWE departure. The former Divas Champion revealed that Vince McMahon had left the door open for her if she ever wanted to make her return, but also noted that she was happy with the career that she carved out.
Lee hasn't wrestled since her abrupt exit from the company and appears to have created a successful career for herself outside of the business that has given her several much bigger options.
#4. May return: Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley
BREAKING: Dean Ambrose (Jonathan Good) will not be renewing his contract with WWE when it expires in April. bit.ly/2TlsRzo
Dean Ambrose was a popular superstar throughout his time in WWE and many fans were heartbroken when it was announced that he had chosen to leave.
Whilst the current AEW star has been outspoken about the company since his departure, he did leave on good terms.
With Roman Reigns' recent success in the company, there have been some fans hoping for a Shield reunion in the future. This is somewhat unlikely whilst Ambrose is contracted to AEW but down the road, there is a chance that Vince McMahon could talk Ambrose into making a return for one more run.
#3. May never return to WWE: Nia Jax
Hard f**ken no twitter.com/CoachFlubb89/s…
Nia Jax is a member of the famous Anoa'i family but was surprisingly released from the company back in November 2021. Jax has since publicly declared her despair at the way she was released and made it clear that she wants nothing to do with the promotion moving forward.
Jax is set to return to the ring as part of The Authors of Pain's upcoming show in the United Kingdom, but it's highly unlikely that the former Women's Champion will be happy to return to WWE after the way things ended.
A fan comment about joining The Bloodline was thrown Nia Jax's way in December 2021, but she quickly shut down such speculation and stated that she wasn't interested.
#2. May return: Bray Wyatt
I’m tired of watching. Tired of hearing irrelevant clowns speculate how I’ll be perceived. Tired of hearing about my greed, my desire questioned. Wherever and whenever I decide to return, I’ll remind everyone why they know my name. Again. And again.
Believe in me.
#IFoundIt
Bray Wyatt was one of WWE's most popular superstars after debuting his Fiend character back in 2019. Over the past few years, Wyatt was allowed to unleash his creativity before being released from the company last year.
Wyatt has focused on his acting career since his release over the past year but has begun teasing that he could be making his return to the ring. It's unclear how Wyatt feels about his release since he hasn't spoken publicly about it. He may be able to be convinced to make his return if he will be handed the same kind of freedom once again.
Wyatt has two children now and is set to marry former star Jojo Offerman in the near future, spending more than 300 days on the road could be a heavy burden for Wyatt at the time, but this is something that could be negotiated.
#1. May never return to WWE: CM Punk
Your #AEW World Champion @CMPunk addresses the crowd here at #AEWRampage LIVE on @tntdrama https://t.co/Ukza79Pm8j
CM Punk was once one of the most talked-about superstars in the wrestling world. After walking away from WWE in 2014 the former world champion remained on the sidelines for more than seven years before returning to the industry in 2021.
Punk has since delivered promos which declare his disdain for WWE and the fact that he was never going to make his return to the company that failed to diagnose a staph infection.
Triple H and CM Punk were reportedly at odds for much of his career, but given The Game's recent retirement, there could be a way to convince Punk to return, but given his immense success in AEW, this is highly unlikely.