10 Exact Moments When Ex-WWE Wrestlers Knew They'd Made The Right Decision
Leaving WWE behind can't be an easy decision, but sometimes it pays off.
Leaving WWE can't be easy.
Wrestling fans and critics may joke about internal chaos, pushes falling flat on their arses or a punishing schedule that grinds people down, but life under Vince McMahon's umbrella can be comfortable. Put it this way: WWE stars are the only ones who can make rational decisions about leaving. They're the ones living it, after all, and it must be tough to weigh up guaranteed money (and the financial stability that comes with it) over personal satisfaction.
Of course, much like WCW before it, AEW's rise makes the McMahon exit door a less frightening proposition. WWE don't have the stronghold over pro wrestling that they once did, and that means it's more realistic than ever for unhappy wrestlers to dream of working someplace that'll treat them better.
This isn't a new thing - there are loads of cracking All Elite examples to pore over though. They're often the most sexy, which maybe has something to do with recency bias, but nobody should forget that stars fled WWE for WCW and UFC in the past.
Did they regret it? Nah, they had "a moment" that vindicated everything.
10. Ruby Soho
Why She Left WWE: Ruby was released on 2 June 2021. In truth, the company hadn't really been doing much of note with her; the Riott Squad tag-team with Liv Morgan was hastily tossed back into the mix following an original split, but it never felt like they were anything but a peripheral act.
The Moment: The renamed Soho showed WWE what they missed out on during a memorable in-ring verbal spat with AEW Women's Champ Britt Baker on the 17 September Rampage. Whilst Ruby's debut at All Out (in the 'Casino Battle Royale') had been fun, it couldn't match this thumping shoot-style altercation or the internet's response to it.
WWE never gave Ruby this kind of the freedom on the mic. Ever. In fact, she barely got the chance to talk at all, and was typically reduced to the odd scripted line here or there. Warring with Baker must've let Soho know that things would be different for her in AEW.
That had to feel damn good.