9. CM Punk & Brock Lesnar Stay
Background: Things were not so pleasant between The Beast and the WWE in his first run. As a very private, low-key person, Lesnar had a difficult time adjusting to the demands of life on the road and claims to have been drinking heavily and taking pain-killers to deal with it. Playing football for the Vikings was Lesnar's true lifelong dream and when the opportunity to fulfil it came along in 2004 he left pro wrestling. No matter how over Punk was with the fans, the love never translated to the higher-ups. People like The Miz, Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton were given more opportunities and Punk wasn't having it, walking out after the infamous 2014 Royal Rumble for the new pastures of UFC. What Could Have Been: Had Punk been guaranteed more creative control over the path of his career he very well could have stayed in WWE. If he were treated like a real superstar and given a lighter schedule, the chances of him staying would have risen enormously. Lesnar meanwhile, would have needed to have the very particular, lucrative and limited schedule that he is on now offered to him 4 years ago. The Aftermath: Consider the Heavyweight title numbers for the two years Lesnar was out - HHH held it 3 times, Edge 4, Orton 5, and John Cena 10 times. All of those numbers would read very differently with a Brock Lesnar in peak physical condition on the roster. But, had Lesnar stayed, his addictions and depression could have had grave consequences. Punk's departure cleared the way for Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to step into the spotlight. Had he stayed, he would have put in a few more WrestleMania performances and feuded with Daniel Bryan no doubt. The possibility of a Sting/Punk match would have been stunning. But then Punk really made himself an iconoclastic legend by his decision to step away from WWE, and if he had stayed he may not have the same impact in mainstream media.