5 Exact moments when WWE stars decided to leave
In previous generations, WWE fans were often left wondering whether somebody had departed the company if they suddenly stopped appearing on television.
Nowadays, however, it does not take long for everybody to find out the reason why an outgoing WWE talent has been let go from their contract.
For example, as soon as WWE announced that over 20 Superstars had been released as a cost-cutting measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, the likes of Drake Maverick and Heath Slater took to social media to give their video reactions.
Similarly, when a WWE star has requested their release, fans usually only have to wait a few days or weeks before that person gives an out-of-character media interview to reveal the real reason for their departure.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the exact moment when five former WWE stars decided that they wanted to leave the company.
#5 Exact moment Jon Moxley decided to leave WWE
Speaking in his first interview after leaving WWE, Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) said on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast in May 2019 that he had a feeling when he was preparing for his WWE comeback in August 2018 that he might leave the company when his contract expired the following year.
At the time, the former Shield member had been out of action since December 2017 due to a triceps injury. He told Jericho that he was excited to return to the ring, especially after watching other promotions during his absence, but he was not necessarily looking forward to working for WWE.
Two months after making his return, Ambrose betrayed Seth Rollins on the same night that Roman Reigns announced that he had been diagnosed with leukemia for the second time.
That moment instantly turned the former WWE Champion into one of RAW’s main bad guys. However, instead of focusing on the Ambrose vs. Rollins rivalry in the weeks that followed, Moxley recalled to Jericho that Vince McMahon wanted the Ambrose character to take rabies shots to inoculate himself from WWE audiences.
“This is the day that I knew 100 per cent I was gone and there was no turning back. I actually almost walked out. Not really, I’m glad I didn’t because I would’ve ended up in some legal stuff. I knew I was gone in July but I’m thinking, like, why rush it? It’s only eight more months or whatever.”
Moxley said he always felt that he could recover when he had been given bad scripts and storylines in the past, but the segment with the doctor (video above) proved to be the final straw.