Exact Moments 10 Wrestlers Knew They Were Done With WWE

3. Cody's Cosmic Wasteland

sheamus cosmic wasteland
WWE.com

Cody was powerless to change WWE's mind on the Stardust character.

Try as he might to get through to the promotion's creative braintrust, frustration was all Rhodes felt whenever he'd pitch new ideas and get knocked back or ignored. By May 2016, it was all too much and Cody requested that the company release him from contract so he could go and wrestle elsewhere.

The final nail in this particular coffin was WWE's decision to place no-hoper tag-team The Ascension with Rhodes in late-2015 and bill them as the 'Cosmic Wasteland'. Though Cody likely had no problem with the team personally, he surely resented the comic book nature of the gimmick, recognised Konnor and Viktor's lowly status and despised WWE's staunch refusal to move on from Stardust.

He looked a sorry sight cutting nonsensically daft promos backstage and working endless matches on lower-tier programming like Main Event and Superstars. Cody, hidden under increasingly garish Stardust paint and outfits, couldn't stomach anymore silliness and wanted to be cut free.

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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.