10 Most Disappointing WWE Moments Of 2016

6. Major Departures

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WWE.com

Annual superstar releases are nothing new in WWE. Wrestling is a high turnover sport, and barely a month passes without Vince McMahon future endeavouring an unused talent or two. Few years have seen as many popular wrestlers leave the company as 2016, however, and as strong as WWE’s roster is today, it’d look so much better if they’d kept hold of certain superstars.

Cody Rhodes stands-out immediately. Eternally stifled beneath the Stardust gimmick, Cody’s frustrations grew to a point where he felt forced to resign in order to salvage his passion, and he’s exactly the kind of midcard talent that Raw or SmackDown could use at the moment. The same goes for Damien Sandow, who looked all set for an immense babyface push after severing ties with The Miz, but was inexplicably forced off television in the aftermath.

Then there’s Wade Barrett, who was once considered a future WWE main eventer, and Ryback, who was partly the architect of his own demise, but had really grown into his role as a bullying monster heel. Each of these releases came with a different set of circumstances, but had WWE handled things differently, they need not have re-signed the listless Curt Hawkins and Jinder Mahal.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.