10 Unfortunately-Timed WWE Releases
9. Drew McIntyre - 2014
Though he’s back with the company today, Drew McIntyre’s first run in WWE came to an abrupt halt when he was released from his contract on June 12, 2014.
That may seem like an innocuous enough date, but a little bit of digging will reveal it was actually only six days removed from his 29th birthday.
McIntyre had spent his birthday weekend wrestling – and losing – in six-man tags at a triple bill of live events. Just days later, he got a call from the office, expecting it to be about coming in to work on the coming weekend’s shows. Instead, it was to inform him of his release.
Fortunately for McIntyre though, the departure wasn’t a permanent one. McIntyre re-signed with WWE in April 2017, meaning that three years after his 2014 release, he’d be spending the weekend of his 32nd birthday challenging Bobby Roode for the NXT title at a series of UK house shows, before going on to claim the belt at Takeover: Brooklyn in August. Not a bad turnaround, all things considered.