10 Exact Moments When Ex-WWE Wrestlers Knew They'd Made The Right Decision

2. Brock Lesnar

Bryan Danielson AEW
Eric Jamison/AP/Press Association Images

Why He Left WWE: Travel and the punishing schedule WWE keeps never suited Brock Lesnar. It didn't become a genuine problem until 2004 when Lesnar realised that hey, screw being knackered all the time and fitting in workouts on the road.

WWE jaws dropped when Brock told them he wanted to leave and explore some different things.

The Moment: Leaving on top wasn't the norm for any wrestler, especially when they were guaranteed to be in main events for years to come. Brock walked away from that, tried out for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and then (when that failed) began seriously training for MMA.

Brock would overcome a losing start in UFC to bag the Heavyweight Title from Randy Couture at the promotion's UFC 91 pay-per-view. That one moment vindicated Lesnar's departure from WWE approx four years earlier.

His long, tiring road towards real-fight credibility had been worth it, and so had spurning millions of dollars from WWE.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.