Releases are unfortunately commonplace within professional wrestling, particularly with WWE. The company typically lets go of people yearly and that has become more frequent as of late. Most of the time, the releases are for talents who aren't getting used or who are vocally unhappy with WWE.
Because of that, most of the time the releases are understandable from a business perspective. However, that isn't always the case. There have been several examples over the years when some of WWE's release decisions have ended up being controversial. This is down to a variety of points, but when someone loses their job in controversy, it often becomes a big talking point in wrestling.
10 Dawn Marie
In 2005, WWE decided to cut a large group of wrestlers and Dawn Marie found herself on that list. This was something that fans were not happy about because she was pregnant at the time. Despite the fact she was unable to go and get other work as a wrestler, Vince McMahon still released her.
Marie didn't take the decision lying down though. She went on to file a complaint about the situation and things ended up being settled out of court. WWE saw the error in here and fixed things quickly due to the embarrassment they suffered.
9 Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson was a legendary name by the time he was released and he had huge respect within the industry. In 2019, he was working as an agent backstage, but after a controversial situation during a live event, which saw Alicia Fox wrestle while intoxicated, Anderson took the brink of the fallout.
Because he was working that day, the blame fell on his shoulders. This led to him being let go by the company, despite the fact he had been working in that role since 2001, clearly showcasing his quality and experience in that position.
8 Finlay
Another backstage producer that WWE released controversially was Fit Finlay. The legendary Irish wrestler is somebody who played a huge role behind the scenes for WWE, particularly with women's wrestling. However, he was fired after an incident during a live event.
He had told The Miz to interrupt the national anthem, but it did not go down well. With members of the armed forces in attendance, things became serious, but Finlay took the fall. It was a harsh decision for something that he was simply doing to build Miz's character.
7 Daniel Bryan
Because of the incredible success that Daniel Bryan had throughout his WWE career, a lot of people tend to forget that he was released. However, after making his main roster debut with Nexus, he was let go from the company due to the aggressive manner in which he choked Justin Roberts with his tie.
It didn't go with WWE's PG rules at the time, but it wasn't something that was explained to him. The talents were told to simply be aggressive which he did. Therefore when he was cut by WWE, a lot of people were shocked.
6 The Highlanders
The decision to release The Highlanders is one that a lot of people saw coming, but that doesn't mean it wasn't controversial. Robbie McAllister decided to go to an episode of TNA to see friends, but he ended up sitting in the crowd, being shown on television.
WWE immediately fined him and four months later, the team was released. It was harsh after a one-off incident, especially since both were not involved in the situation, yet they got the same level of punishment.
5 CM Punk
The decision to release CM Punk didn't come as a surprise by WWE because the fallout between him and the company is well known. However, it was when Vince McMahon chose to release him that caused controversy.
The former WWE Champion was sent his release papers on the day he and AJ Lee got married. While Vince McMahon publicly apologized for the incident and claimed it was an accident, that is unlikely and the situation left a lot of people frustrated.
4 Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy is WWE's newest release and it has proven to be a controversial one. This is mainly due to the fact people aren't sure of the facts surrounding the situation. Jeff was reportedly not himself at a live event and left a match halfway through.
However, Matt Hardy has since stated that Jeff is doing well and is healthy. This led to some controversy as fans aren't sure of the exact situation surrounding him, therefore the release has left people surprised.
3 Drake Maverick
When WWE began mass releasing talent during the pandemic, Drake Maverick's name was put in the mix. However, he had already been announced for a tournament, therefore WWE allowed him to stay and work that, but he got over with the fans and the company then kept him.
However, this led to controversy as some fans weren't sure whether this was a legitimate release or an angle that WWE was trying to push at the time. It was a controversial situation that did leave plenty of people frustrated.
2 Mr. Perfect
Mr. Perfect was an incredible wrestler and somebody who put together great matches regularly. However, his decision to grapple Brock Lesnar while on a plane, almost smashing open the emergency exit is something that caused issues for him.
This led to him being released by the company, despite the fact he was a well-respected talent. The controversy here was that he took all of the blame, with Lesnar not being punished, which is something that people weren't pleased about.
1 Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy's release by WWE is certainly the most controversial in WWE history. He was let go in 2005, which a lot of people were unimpressed with, as he had been punished. This situation came about following the affair between Edge and Lita, which left Hardy upset.
He vented about the situation online and WWE decided to release him for that. Fans hated the company and Edge for that because Hardy wasn't at fault. They made their voices heard though, and Matt was promptly brought back to the company.