The Boss, untapped potential - 5 female stars who recently decided to leave WWE for a fresh start
WWE is the end goal for most wrestlers as it is the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet and everyone grew up watching it. There isn't another company that can put on a show like WrestleMania for one night, let alone for two.
But things do not always work out between superstars and management. Despite it being the dream of most wrestlers to become superstars, sometimes it just doesn't work out in the long term.
Listed below are five superstars who chose to leave the company on their own for a fresh start:
#5. Nikki and Brie Bella exit WWE
The Bella Twins have exited WWE after an incredible run with the company. Nikki and Brie were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020 and served as ambassadors for the company after stepping away from the ring.
However, they have now scrubbed references to WWE on their social media pages and changed their names to The Garcia Twins. Nikki and Brie were also spotted backstage at AEW Revolution on March 5th.
#4. Mercedes Moné (Sasha Banks)
Sasha Banks was well on her way to a Hall of Fame career when she decided to stand up for herself and the tag team division. Last May, Sasha Banks and Naomi were the Women's Tag Team Champions but were booked for separate singles feuds heading into Hell in a Cell.
The champs took that as a sign of disrespect and left the titles on former EVP of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis' desk and walked out of the company. Sasha is now known as Mercedes Moné in New Japan Pro Wrestling and recently captured the IWGP Women’s Championship from former superstar KAIRI (Kairi Sane) at Battle in the Valley in February.
#3. Naomi
Naomi has not appeared in WWE since walking out with Sasha Banks in May last year. The 35-year-old is in the prime of her career but hasn't wrestled since she and Sasha defeated Shayna Baszler and Natalya in a Women's Tag Team Championship match at a WWE Live Event on May 15, 2022.
Many fans were hopeful that she would return, given that she is married to Jimmy Uso and would be an interesting addition to The Bloodline. However, none of the return rumors came to fruition and her status with the company remains unknown. Naomi recently hinted that her time in the promotion may be over as she removed WWE from her Twitter page.
#2. Sarray
Sarray's run in WWE was frustrating for her fans to watch. She could never really find her footing in NXT and it didn't seem like the promotion knew what to do with her. The 26-year-old exited the company on March 9th and expressed gratitude toward the promotion on social media.
However, it is difficult not to see her time in the company as a disappointment. She has announced that she will continue to work in Japan and hopefully her decision to exit the promotion leads to better opportunities for her career moving forward.
#1. Kairi Sane
Kairi Sane, now known as KAIRI, had a great career in the promotion that ended far too soon for many fans. She was part of The Kabuki Warriors tag team with Asuka, won the NXT Women's Championship, and won the 2017 Mae Young Classic during her time in the promotion. However, she elected to leave the company in 2021 and move back to Japan.
During an interview with Entame Next, the 34-year-old revealed that she lost her best friend to an illness and made a vow at her grave to participate in WrestleMania. She said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had some time to think about things and realized that there wasn't much else for her to do in the company.
"Where am I going to go from here?' I had a sense of accomplishment that I had fulfilled my promise to my best friend and that I had done everything I could in my three years with WWE, and after several consultations with WWE, I decided to leave," said KAIRI.
After leaving the Stamford-based promotion, KAIRI returned to her stomping grounds in World Wonder Ring Stardom and has competed in NJPW as well.