5 WWE Superstars who recently allowed their contracts to expire
WWE has released some big stars over the past year, but a handful of others have opted to leave on their own terms.
While the company holds all of the power in this situation, Superstars also have the choice to extend their deals or even to sign new ones. Several wrestlers over the past year have decided not to; instead, they have left the company for various reasons.
WWE often ensures that talent has signed new contracts months ahead of their expiration date, but in recent months, some major names have walked out the door. Their departures have had quite an impact on the company, regardless of which brand the respective performer had been assigned to.
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The following list looks at just five former WWE Superstars who opted to allow their WWE contracts to expire over the past year and have since left the company.
#5. Former WWE Superstar Adam Cole
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Adam Cole is a former NXT Champion and a star that was destined for greatness in WWE. Cole has been in a relationship with AEW Superstar Britt Baker for several years, and he has several friends in All Elite Wrestling. For these reasons, fans always knew that there was always a chance he could make the switch.
Cole's departure was a huge mistake on WWE's behalf. The company lost a main-event-level talent due to a clerical mistake; WWE officials forgot that his contract was expiring.
Cole told Chris Van Vliet as part of a recent interview that he had the chance to think about his future with the company when he found out his contract was ending. He noted that leaving WWE was a very difficult decision because he had a great run in NXT.
"I want to make this very clear, and I know that everyone knows this, I had a wonderful four years at WWE," said Cole. "Specifically down in NXT with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, two guys that I respect the hell out of and have been nothing but so kind and so generous to me.... So the decision actually was difficult in a lot of ways."
Adam Cole's contract with WWE officially expired on August 27th, which allowed the former star to make his debut for AEW at All Out on September 5th.