Stars Who Have Left WWE In 2024

Releases and departures from WWE happen every year, and 2024 was no exception, with some big names jumping ship to AEW, others moving on to new careers, and some seemingly simply taking time off to be with their families. If anything, 2024 was even more so tumultuous than previous years, with WWE's merger with UFC to create TKO Group Holdings still fresh from September 2023 and scandals involving former major executives evolving throughout the year, causing major implications for the company and its stars.

The result has been a supposed new era for WWE, quickly ushered in and solidified this year, with COO Paul "Triple H" Levesque at the creative helm of all storylines across "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown." Levesque brought back a slew of talent when he first gained creative control of the company in 2022, but sadly, some of those talents didn't work out once again with the company and were released this year. Other talents dealt with creative differences under the new regime and headed to Tony Khan's promotion once their contracts expired. Others could be considered budget cuts under TKO, and more left under their own volition.

The first person to leave WWE this year was former commentator Kevin Patrick. Patrick, who had been "SmackDown's" lead announcer, was released in January after nearly three years with WWE; multiple sources said "it just wasn't working out." Patrick says he holds no ill will toward the company and now hosts "MLS 360" on Apple TV.

Another early release in 2024 was Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler's broadcast contract expired this year, ending his 31-year relationship with the company. The WWE Hall of Famer remains under a Legends deal, however, and hadn't been full-time behind the commentary desk since 2020 due to multiple health issues.

The biggest departure from WWE in 2024, however, was former chairman and company executive Vince McMahon himself. After initially stepping down as CEO in June 2022, then returning to WWE's board in January 2023, all while still holding a degree of creative control, McMahon officially resigned from WWE, as well as TKO, on January 26. The news came just one day after Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a civil lawsuit against McMahon, former head of talent relations John Laurinitis, and WWE, accusing McMahon of sex trafficking and abuse. The legal issues have been ongoing for McMahon throughout the year, with a federal non-public investigation being launched into him as well. Most recently, McMahon, his wife Linda, WWE, and TKO were named in another sexual assault lawsuit filed by five former ring boys. The alleged victims are accusing former WWE ring announcer Mel Phillips of sexual abuse against minors, and alleging the McMahons were aware of the abuse and let it continue in their company.

With the amount of legal issues ramping up for McMahon, his return to WWE once again seems unlikely, but he's reportedly set to launch a new entertainment company.

Spring was unfortunately a big season for WWE releases, with three stars being released in April and the new hitting while "SmackDown" was on the air. Those releases included former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, Xyon Quinn, and Xia Li. While none of the three had been mainstays of the main roster prior to their releases, Mahal had recently been booked in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Seth Rollins — storyline that became the subject of a series of angry posts by AEW President Tony Khan on social media. Mahal lost the match, and Quinn and Li lost to Breakker and Natalya in their final matches, respectively. Shortly after the Friday releases, it was revealed that Indus Sher's Veer and Sanga had also been released.

Another notable release was Cameron Grimes, who had worked a few times on the main roster after seemingly graduating from "WWE NXT." His release came just days after the main roster cuts, and the former North American Champion and final Million Dollar Champion posted an emotional social media video confirming the news. Von Wagner was also on the list of names released, as WWE reportedly felt that his five-plus year tenure in the company had not led to what they expected, and there were no plans for him on the main roster.

Meanwhile, "NXT" roster member and controversial 2021 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson was finally let go in May; Steveson signed with WWE in 2021, but continued wrestling in college while making very sporadic appearances on WWE television. He was released after the company didn't see enough progress being made, though a jeering fan reception during his sole televised match against Baron Corbin at Great American Bash 2023 likely didn't help. His real-life brother Damon Kemp, a member of the No Quarter Catch Crew, didn't have his contract renewed by WWE and departed the company in August, set to take independent bookings. It was reported that the brothers' releases were unrelated to one another.

In another huge departure, at least for the time being, former WWE Women's Champion Becky Lynch hasn't been seen on WWE TV since May after losing a steel cage match and becoming a free agent. Reports indicate that Lynch notified WWE she planned to take a hiatus ahead of her contract expiring, and there's no sense as of writing that she's set to head to another company. The women's Grand Slam Champion has been quiet since taking time off, but has recently taken to social media to announce a public speaking appearance in November, where she'll address what's next for her at a live panel at Vulture Festival in Hollywood.

Former WWE high-flier Ricochet left WWE after his contract expired over the summer and signed a multi-year deal with AEW; he made his debut during the Casino Gauntlet match at All In. Ricochet has said he left and signed with AEW to "have fun again" and "create art" after many fans thought he was creatively stifled within WWE. He said it was hard leaving after six years, but wanted to be part of AEW. He was written off TV in June, when he was put through a windshield by Breakker and was taken away by ambulance.

Drew Gulak was a controversial figure toward the end of his tenure with WWE, and his contract was not renewed. Gulak left the company after accusations of being inappropriate with Ronda Rousey backstage were levied against him. Gulak addressed the allegations, saying he was reaching for a handshake, but he was subsequently written on TV after being "killed" by the D'Angelo family. Gulak was reportedly not released due to the incident with Rousey, but rather as part of talent cuts across the brand, which also parted ways with nine other lesser-known stars.

Dijak was technically drafted to the main roster earlier in the year, but was released before he could make his first main roster appearance not under the name "T-Bar." The company didn't offer the former Retribution member a new contract after his deal expired on June 28. Dijak has implied that there were "multiple factors" as to why he wasn't re-signed, including WWE being caught between the McMahon and Levesque regimes. WWE also chose not to renew the contract of Scrypts (also known as Reggie and Carmella's former somelier) while he was working on "NXT"; His contract expired at the start of June.

Former WWE broadcaster Kayla Braxton announced she would be leaving the company after eight years at the end of June, and said on social media she was "settling down the microphone" to purse her next chapter. It was reported she was finishing up on a verbal agreement, as her contract had already expired. Braxton went on to reveal that she felt like she had done everything she could do in the company. The former host of "The Bump" debuted in "NXT" in October 2016 and transitioned to the main roster in April 2019.

In August, Bobby Lashley and MVP became the latest major stars to leave WWE after their contracts expired, ultimately joining AEW to reunite with former Hurt Business member Shelton Benjamin. Lashley, a former WWE Champion, had not been factored into creative plans since WrestleMania 40; the company reportedly offered Lashley a new contract, but he "wasn't excited by the details." There were reportedly no major discussions about bringing MVP back into the company, and he made his AEW debut at the end of September, attempting to get former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland to join his new Hurt Syndicate stable. When Strickland refused, Lashley debuted on Halloween to take out the former champion and solidify the Hurt Syndicate's position in AEW.

Odyssey Jones had just gotten on his feet on the main roster after years in the company, entering a storyline with The New Day. However, Jones mysteriously disappeared from TV after just a couple weeks. According to reports, Jones was taken off television after WWE learned about a domestic violence claim against him. The 30 year old's profile was removed from WWE's website, and his last match came alongside New Day against The Final Testament on August 19. 

One of the more sudden departures from WWE in 2024 came in October, when high-profile ring announcr Samantha Irvin posted to social media that she had left the company after three years; WWE brought back veteran announcer Lilian Garcia to fill Irvin's role on "Raw." Many fans speculated as to whether Irvin's time with WWE was coming to an end after her fiancé, Ricochet, signed with AEW in August. However, following her departure, Irvin revealed she didn't enjoy ring announcing and didn't want to continue. She responded to a fan on social media and said she wanted to manage or become a general manager in the company one day, not ring announce. Irvin said she wasn't going to AEW and wants to go back to singing and performing when she is "ready to get back to work."

As of this writing, the most recent WWE releases came ahead of a taped episode of "SmackDown" on November 1, prior to Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. Three talent were let go, including former United States Champion Baron Corbin, former NXT Women's Champion Indi Hartwell, and "NXT" and main roster star Tegan Nox. According to reports, Corbin was informed that his contract would not be renewed (the other two were simply released).  He had most recently been working in a tag team with Apollo Crews on "SmackDown" after being called back up from "NXT." The release ended a 12-year tenure for Corbin in WWE.

Hartwell had two runs with the company beginning in 2019, winning the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships alongside Candice LeRae and later the NXT Women's Championship. Nox, who started in "NXT" in 2017, had not been featured on WWE television or live shows for awhile prior to her release. She was also released following her initial main roster call-up in 2021, but was brought back under Levesque the next year.