5 unusual reasons Superstars had to vacate their Championships
Pro-wrestling's rich and storied history is chock-full of Superstars who have carved out legendary careers for themselves. Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and many more will always be mentioned whenever fans talk about the Mount Rushmore of Pro-wrestling.
This business isn't entirely a walk in the park though. Over the course of the past several decades, we have witnessed multiple instances where a wrestler reached to the top of the roster by scratching and clawing, only to be put back down almost immediately, due to unforeseen circumstances. WWE Superstars are always prone to injuries, courtesy getting physical in the squared circle on a weekly basis. Sometimes, injuries prevent a Superstar from wrestling further, forcing them to relinquish their title. On the other hand, there have been several strange, and sometimes ridiculous reasons which forced a Superstar to vacate the title. Here are five of those instances.
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#5 Asuka leaves to pursue bigger opportunities
The October 2017 TLC PPV saw Asuka make her big main roster debut by defeating arch-rival Emma. Before moving up to the main roster though, Asuka had to relinquish her NXT Women's title. Asuka's reign as the NXT Women's Champion lasted for 510 days and she was dubbed by NXT GM William Regal as "one of the greatest champions in WWE history".
William Regal announced during Asuka's farewell ceremony that he and Asuka had started negotiations with the GMs of both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, and that Asuka would be vacating her title to move on to seek new challengers. The Empress of Tomorrow carried her legendary winning streak to the main roster, remaining undefeated for months on end, before losing for the first time to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34.