5 WWE Superstars who were released within a year of signing
WWE Superstars are aware that a career in wrestling can be a short one. Whether it's through injury, age or choice, there are only a select few stars who are able to make their wrestling careers last any more than two decades.
Whilst there are a rare few WWE careers that are lengthy ones, there are others whose time in the spotlight is fleeting. Following their release or departure, many former WWE stars have gone on to have lengthy careers in other promotions after a short stint in Vince McMahon's company.
The following article looks at just five former WWE Superstars who were employed by WWE for less than 12 months.
#5. Former WWE Superstar Cain Valasquez
Cain Velasquez was a major signing for WWE following his success in the Octagon, given his history with former world champion Brock Lesnar. The former UFC star made his debut in WWE as Dominik Guerrero's godfather as part of SmackDown's debut episode on FOX back in October 2019.
This episode was also the 20th Anniversary of SmackDown and was seen as a huge celebration for the company.
Velasquez attacked The Beast Incarnate on his debut before facing off against Lesnar at Crown Jewel in The Middle East just a few months later. This was the first time that the two men had met in a WWE ring, but Velasquez came up short in one of the shortest matches of Lesnar's career at under a minute and a half.
After the match had ended, Lesnar continued the assault with a steel chair and an F-5 before Rey Mysterio was able to make the save. Despite this the damage had been done and Velasquez was seemingly written off TV.
There were then plans for WWE to use Velasquez as part of the 2020 Royal Rumble match a few months later but injury prevented this from becoming a reality. The idea was eventually scrapped and despite several rumors regarding his return, Velasquez failed to appear on WWE TV again.
As part of the company's mass budget cuts in April 2020 following WrestleMania, Velasquez was released from his contract. The 37-year-old was contracted to WWE for just over six months.