3 'WWE lifers' who have left the company this year
There are some WWE Superstars who are the ones that immediately spring to mind when you think of the company. Stars like John Cena, The Rock and Triple H who have cemented themselves as 'WWE lifers'
There are many other stars who would be considered WWE lifers. These are wrestlers who have been loyal to WWE for their entire careers and that you'd never expect to leave the company.
However, there are some wrestlers that you would've previously considered to be WWE lifers who have ended up leaving the company this year. Some of them walked away themselves and some of them had their loyalty rewarded with a budget-cut caused release.
Here are three wrestlers who at one point would've been considered WWE lifers but are now no longer with the company.
#3. Bray Wyatt released from WWE in July
Bray Wyatt had a long run with WWE, wrestling with the company for a total of twelve years before WWE made the decision to release him on July 31st, 2021 citing budget cuts as the reason.
During that time he's been Alex Rotundo, Duke Rotundo, Husky Harris, Axl Mulligan Bray Wyatt and The Fiend. He also won a WWE world title three times, as well as the SmackDown and RAW tag team titles.
Wyatt is a third generation star who has only ever worked for WWE, making his way from developmental in FCW all the way to the top of WWE's main roster. He was almost certainly a WWE lifer until the company made the decision to release him.
#2. The Big Show left WWE for AEW
The Big Show may have started his wrestling career in WCW, but he quickly ended up in WWE in 1999 and had been with the company ever since. Until this year that this.
The Big Show's twenty-plus year career in WWE saw him win multiple world titles, with the star becoming the only person to win all four of the WCW, ECW, WWE and WWE World Heavyweight Titles.
The Big Show was a top star in WWE and a big ambassador for the company away from the ring as well. But this year he decided not just to walk away from the company no-one thought he'd ever leave, but he joined AEW as well.
#1. Mark Henry also left WWE for AEW
But Big Show wasn't the only WWE lifer to miraculously turn his back on the company that he'd called home for a number of years as The World's Strongest Man also became 'All Elite' this year.
Mark Henry's first appearance for WWE was in 1996 and he remained an active wrestler for the company from that point until 2017. His 21 year WWE career didn't end there though, as he became a much-respected backstage producer for the WWE.
But this year, Mark Henry followed Big Show out of the door and joined AEW in May, making an appearance on their Double or Nothing show. Henry will be a coach for the brand, as well as a member of the commentary team for new show, AEW Rampage.