5 Superstars who appeared for rival promotions while still under contract with WWE
WWE superstars are considered to be independent contractors. But when they are signed to WWE, they are only allowed to perform for shows that are under the company's umbrella. Occasionally, WWE grants special permission for their wrestlers to appear elsewhere.
In recent years, there have been several WWE stars who have been able to work for other promotions. Usually, these occasions are the results of WWE's working relationships with various companies.
Of course, this pattern isn't always the case. Several stars contracted to WWE have appeared for rival promotions without permission.
#5. Former WWE star Rhyno - IMPACT Slammiversary 2019
Rhyno is one of WWE's cult legends. He came through the ranks in ECW and later found a home in WWE. In recent years, Rhyno returned to the company and won the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships with Heath Slater.
Rhyno was part of some interesting storylines for a while. But his career started to fade into obscurity. Naturally, Rhyno made plans to move elsewhere, as his WWE deal expired in July 2019. But the former star decided to move over to IMPACT Wrestling before his contract expired.
In an interview with Sporting News last year, Rhyno admitted that he was still under contract with WWE when he appeared at Slammiversary:
I cannot confirm or deny. But I will go on the record of saying I was still under contract no matter who I worked for. Whether it's my word or a contract, I will do it justice. But with that being said, Rob Van Dam was also under contract when he appeared on Monday Night Raw for the Reunion show.
WWE didn't go on to take any action against Rhyno. His contract was already coming to an end, and they couldn't fire a star that no longer worked for them.