3 Stars who regret leaving WWE and 2 who are happy they left
WWE has been the pinnacle of wrestling for many years and is the dream destination for most wrestlers. Not everyone can make it to the professional wrestling juggernaut though. Wrestlers who make it to the top are rewarded with a great deal of fame and fortune and they get to compete against the best that this business has to offer.
However, the grueling schedule, poor booking, and backstage politics which exist within the company's structure are enough to turn even the most loyal WWE Superstars away. While some wrestlers went on to find success in their future endeavors, others ended up regretting their decision to leave the company.
The grass isn't always greener on the side, and many wrestlers have found that out the hard way. Here are three stars who regretted leaving WWE and two who were happy after their departure.
#5 Star who regretted leaving WWE - Ric Flair
The Nature Boy Ric Flair has been a part of some of the most iconic moments in WWE. He made history in 1992 by capturing the WWE Championship in the Royal Rumble match and had a memorable bout with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24, which ended the majority of his in-ring career.
Although it seemed like Flair was retiring for good after his loss to The Heartbreak Kid, the 16-time World Champion went on to wrestle in several matches at TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. Ric Flair later admitted in 2016 that he regretted leaving WWE for TNA after his "retirement."
"There [are] a couple of things I regret. Number one was ever going to work for TNA. That’s my own fault. It was just a lot of money to wrestle 65 days a year, right? 65 days and make a lot of money. Do you know what I mean? Not WWE money, but pretty good money to do nothing. And I made a lot of friends. I like Kurt Angle very much and I like [James] Storm and [Bobby] Roode. I liked AJ [Styles]. Everybody treated me great."
"I mean, I don’t have any bad things to say about TNA or the people there at all. After being in the WWE, it’s pretty hard to work any place else because you’re always comparing them no matter how hard you try not to.”
Ric Flair would still have had a role in WWE if he chose to remain with the company after his retirement. Instead, he chose to sign with another promotion where he still had the option to wrestle despite his age.
Eventually, The Nature Boy returned to WWE and continued to portray an on-screen role in a non-wrestling capacity.