6 Wrestlers Who Have Quit WWE In 2019

Mike Kanellis has, by all accounts emanating from all the usual sources, absolutely had enough of WWE. Cuckolded in both his creative and career by a moribund storyline with no obvious upside down the line, the former Ring Of Honor star is desperately seeking an exit - despite the huge contract he recently re-signed with the company.

We have bad news for him: he almost certainly won't find one. Since the advent of AEW - and in particular, the defection of one very high-profile star, WWE have virtually made it policy not to release any of their talent, even if it stretches their budget to bursting.

Which it won't. So long as Saudi Arabian royalty wires their blood money to Stamford, WWE can afford to be as financially imprudent as the competition demands. There's a plague on every member of the roster's locker these days:

Don't forget: You're here forever.

In Kanellis' circumstance, with prospects beyond WWE unclear and a second sprog very much on the way, he might be best advised to "do it for her" (or him, as the case may be, though that spoils the reference).

Not that he has a choice. These six were probably the last escape the machine for some time.

KENTA arrived in WWE back in 2014 with all the pomp and circumstance one would expect a legitimate international star to command. Things were slightly different back then - the company were still paranoid about directly acknowledging the parallel universe beyond their own insular Universe - and the NOAH icon was promptly re-branded with the generic Japanese nom de guerre Hideo Itami. Nevertheless, the imported talent was presented as a big deal. And he was.

For about ten minutes.

Admittedly, KENTA's first year in Full Sail showed promise. Aligned directed alongside and latterly opposite the territory's biggest draw, Finn Bálor, it seemed Itami's itinerary would follow the familiar path of many a mainstream NXT migrant. Then, just before a triple threat at TakeOver: Unstoppable which would represent the next rung on his ascension, the nominal 'Hero of Pain' became ensnared in a world of one.

A horrendous shoulder injury ripped him from the match, and the next year of action. He never would get a grip back on the ladder. Despite a headline-grabbing Cruiserweight Classic return, Itami was a shadow of his former self, and another serious injury, this time to his neck, plunged him further into the umbra.

The wearisome Wonton font was on the wall when the former GHC Heavyweight Champion was re-cast as a 205 Live exclusive in January 2018. A year later, now a faded force and a total irrelevance amidst a seeming wrestling revolution, Itami asked WWE to put an end to his misery. Despite the emerging competition, they were happy to comply. Six months on, KENTA returned, revived, dramatically announcing himself for NJPW's G1 Climax.