5 Times WWE Superstars surprisingly let their contracts expire
Over the years, WWE has usually been pretty good at signing its superstars to long-term contracts. If Vince McMahon is going to invest valuable television time in a performer, it is understandable that the WWE Chairman wants them to have a firm commitment to his company.
WWE's stance on this became even more aggressive when AEW was launched in 2019, with several superstars on soon-to-expire deals being offered new five-year contracts at an increased salary.
Despite WWE's desire to secure all of its top talents for the long-term, there have been occasions where some big-name WWE Superstars have decided to allow their contracts to run down and not re-sign with the company.
Last week on SmackDown, Daniel Bryan was defeated by Roman Reigns. The stipulation attached to their Universal Championship match was that if Bryan did not win, he had to leave the blue brand forever.
However, the real story behind the stipulation surprised many. It was revealed earlier this week that Bryan's current WWE contract expired after his bout with Reigns - and he is now a free agent.
The news shocked fans worldwide. WWE reportedly remains keen to agree a new deal with Bryan but, at the time of writing, the 39-year old is free to pursue other options if he chooses.
As mentioned above, Bryan is far from the first WWE Superstar to go down this route. Here are five other stars who surprisingly let their contracts expire.
#5 Former WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose let his contract expire in 2019
At the beginning of 2019, Dean Ambrose was one of the biggest stars on WWE's RAW brand. Ambrose entered the calendar year as the reigning Intercontinental Titleholder.
With that year's WWE Royal Rumble just around the corner, Ambrose was expected to play a major role in the 30-man battle. Shockingly, though, he eliminated just one man from the match. He was tossed out in straightforward fashion by Aleister Black, long before the end of the bout.
Ambrose's treatment in the Rumble match was a surprise, particularly as he had also recently dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Bobby Lashley a couple of weeks earlier on WWE RAW.
Things soon began to make a lot more sense, though, when WWE announced Ambrose would not be renewing his deal when it expired in April of that year.
Fans were taken aback by the news. Behind the scenes, however, the real-life Jonathan Good had not been happy with the company for some time - with WWE's creative direction being a major source of his frustration. Good had no interest in extending his relationship with the promotion.
Things worked out well for the former Shield member after he departed the company. The month after his WWE deal expired, Good joined AEW under his independent wrestling name, Jon Moxley.
Moxley has been a consistent headliner for Tony Khan's promotion - and is one of only three men to have held the AEW World Championship. As shocking as his WWE departure was, it is a decision the 35-year-old certainly does not regret.