3. Shelton Benjamin - Released On April 22, 2010
On March 28, 2010, Shelton Benjamin competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 26. Less than a month later he was released from his contract and unemployed. For eight years, Benjamin was arguably the most athletically gifted man in WWE. He was a Tag Team Champion, an Intercontinental Champion, and was The Wrestling Observer's Most Underrated Wrestler for three years in a row from 2005 to 2007. None of those accomplishments were enough to save him. At the time of his release, he had been moved back to the SmackDown brand after ECW went away for good. His Gold Standard gimmick wasn't exactly working out well for him, and it seemed that he could have a fresh start in his new home, but he must have ran out of chances with management. Sure, Shelton never really found a character that fit him well, but he was competing at a level most other wrestlers could only dream of. In the end it was a career that never lived up to its potential. After being given a big win against HHH in 2004, it felt that he was on his way to the top. Instead, he was moved back to the mid-card and firmly settled there for the rest of his run. Still, it was shocking that WWE could just get rid of someone who was so good at his craft, and still had so much left to offer.