10 Cruelest WWE Superstar Exits Ever

WWE superstars sacrifice a lot in their chosen line of work. Not only does the job take a physical toll, but superstars spend most of their time on the road, and therefore, away from their families. Being at the top of the industry makes for a very difficult lifestyle.

When it comes time for some of these stars to hang up the boots once and for all, a select few are given the storybook sendoff for all their trouble. Men like Shawn Michaels, Edge, and Daniel Bryan got to address the crowds who made them stars one last time, on their own terms. Those emotional goodbyes are considered some of the greatest moments in recent wrestling history, times when beloved icons were given the respect they deserved.

Unfortunately, it doesn't usually work like that. Most of the men and women who leave the company are simply dismissed in mass releases when it's determined that they no longer have value to the promotion. Without the benefit of having been top stars, they don't get that last goodbye.

Still, there are others who would probably kill to fade away without incident. Sometimes - whether due to a lack of good ideas, or simple vindictiveness - stars are humiliated on their way out of WWE.

Yes, the company has always been built around a hierarchy (with the McMahons at the very top), but one final twist of the knife while leaving seems particularly painful...

In mid-2005, Chris Jericho turned heel for a feud with WWE Champion John Cena. Cena, who captured the belt from JBL at WrestleMania 21 and had defended it against the former champion in a rematch, had been drafted to the Raw brand in the 2005 lottery. It was Jericho's job to put the new champion over.

At Vengeance 2005, Jericho, Cena, and Christian met in a triple threat match, but when Cena pinned Christian, his issues with Jericho remained unresolved. The two were at each other's throats until SummerSlam, where Cena finally beat Jericho in a singles match.

The following evening on Raw, General Manager Eric Bischoff - who had already made enemies with Cena - was livid. He wanted the champion out of his hair for good, so he booked a rematch between Cena and Jericho with a "You're fired" stipulation. Again, Cena won, and a furious Bischoff turned his attention to Y2J. Jericho begged for mercy, but Bischoff fired him on the spot. When Jericho refused to leave, security guards carried him out of the arena kicking and screaming.

This was the last appearance for Jericho, whose contract expired a few days later. Though he did end up returning to WWE in 2007, at the time, he wasn't sure if he'd ever wrestle again. All things considered, he deserved a better sendoff.