Every year, WWE has a spring cleaning season. Typically, most releases come in the months after WrestleMania when room is needed for the new talents making their debuts on the main roster. With that being said, WWE releases wrestlers in bunches throughout the year. Many of these releases are expected because rosters undergo frequent changes and WWE needs to clear room for new signings or for promoting wrestlers from NXT.

In 2018, there will be some departures or releases from WWE that are inevitable or, at the very least, will be very unsurprising. Kane and Big Show are likely to retire and venture into different career paths. Similarly, Brock Lesnar seems inclined to return to the UFC if recent reports turn out to be true. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see seldom used talents such as Dana Brooke, Mike Kanellis, or R-Truth released. While some WWE fans might be stunned to see Daniel Bryan wrestle outside of WWE, for many reasons, him doing so would not surprise most fans at this point.

Instead, this article will focus on the wrestlers who are likely to be released by WWE in 2018 that might come as a surprise to many. There are times when WWE doesn’t value certain talents as much as we might think, or WWE just has nothing left for them creatively. Other times, the surprising departure is one that was mutually agreeable to both WWE and the wrestler.

So, which current WWE wrestlers would you be surprised to see depart this year? Continue reading to take a look at ten male wrestlers, and five female wrestlers, who could depart WWE this year.

15 Men's: Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is easily one of the more talented wrestlers on the WWE main roster. He is a bonafide main event wrestler who can put on great matches with any number of wrestlers. The problem is that Joe has had difficulty staying healthy since joining WWE. This makes it difficult for WWE to trust Joe in any prominent storyline, or if they were to give him a championship.

If they are not likely to put him in a main event feud, then what is the point?

As shocking as it might be, Samoa Joe might be a candidate to be released by WWE at some point in 2018. His tenure with WWE will be a matter of “What if…” and “what could have been.”

14 Men's: Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn is the ultimate underdog in WWE, but there sadly doesn’t seem to be a real spot for him right now. He is one of the countless wrestlers who are the victims of questionable booking from WWE Creative. As a face, Zayn’s character became complacent and stagnant. He was repeatedly thrown into often directionless feuds that did nothing to help him. Turning him heel and aligning him with Kevin Owens seems more like a last attempt at getting him over again, though Owens will probably win the eventual feud once one turns on the other.

Zayn enjoyed much success with ROH and, at 33, he hopefully knows how valuable he is.  Sure, it looks like he'll be getting a well-profiled match at WrestleMania, but after that, what's left for him to do? It is doubtful Zayn would agree to headline 205 Live or toil in the mid-card or tag team scene for very long.

13 Women's: Alicia Fox

To me at least, I wonder why Alicia Fox has never been used more on WWE’s main roster. She has rarely gotten a chance to be featured on the main roster, despite having been with the company for years. Although she is not the most talented female on the roster, Alicia Fox can certainly hold her own in the ring.

The former Divas Champion has either been involved in meaningless multi-woman matches or uninspired romance angles.

With younger, talented wrestlers coming up through NXT, Alicia Fox’s spot on the roster will be taken over by someone else. It’s possible that she latches on to another promotion, or uses her WWE experience to promote herself on the indies, as Emma is trying to do.

12 Men's: Sheamus

This one might not be as surprising as some of the other entries on this list. In December 2017, Sheamus admitted that he suffered a brutal neck injury that he had been wrestling with for months. These types of injuries are not to be taken lightly for fear of the injury worsening. With the rough style of wrestling Sheamus is known for, this makes the concerns seem even greater. Sheamus and Cesaro are doing great as a tag team and have helped in raising “the bar” for the entire tag team division. Unfortunately for Sheamus, 2018 will likely be his last year wrestling for WWE because of his neck injuries. It may even put his career as a wrestler in jeopardy.

11 Men's: Rusev

There have been rumours that Rusev has been unhappy with his spot in WWE, and was considering asking for his release. Things have since changed and, for now, Rusev is probably enjoying his current storyline with Aiden English. The fans are more receptive to this different side of Rusev, and his “Rusev Day” gimmick has won many people over.

Unfortunately for fans of Rusev Day, the WWE front office tends not to like it when wrestlers get themselves over on their own.

This just sounds like something along those lines, and it may not end well for Rusev. After all, just ask Zack Ryder what happens when you try to get yourself over without WWE's help. Rusev might find himself back where he was before Rusev Day and, frustrated once again, ask for his release.

10 Women's: Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch is a fan favourite wrestler, and for good reason. She is one of WWE’s more talented female wrestlers and is capable of putting on a good match with pretty much anyone on the women’s roster. For some reason, WWE hasn’t really pushed her as much as they should be. Lynch has lately either been absent on TV or stuck in meaningless feuds that doesn’t do much to help her. As shocking as it might be, Lynch and WWE might come to mutually agreeable terms on a release that would see her gain more exposure and wrestling time overseas. That being said, it is unlikely WWE releases her before getting a WWE Four Horsewomen vs UFC Four Horsewomen match.

9 Men's: Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship reign in 2017 captured a lot of attention, mostly negative, from the WWE Universe and critics. Many people believed that he was being pushed too early and did not deserve the high-profile spot he was in. The fact that his matches dragged on did nothing to change the fans’ belief that he was only in that spot because of his physique. After all, it is well-documented Vince has an affinity for male wrestlers with sculpted, muscular bodies.

Mahal is being used in a mid-card role right now, but he still has some very obvious limitations in the ring and on the mic.

Mahal clearly has some level of support from WWE’s front office, but it’s hard to believe he will have any sort of long-term longevity with the company.

8 Men's: Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode is a veteran wrestler who probably spent more time in NXT than he needed to. Regardless, he has been given the opportunity to make his mark on WWE’s main roster with SmackDown Live. The problem is that Roode is 40 years old (turning 41 in May), and may not be able to continue wrestling so “gloriously” for much longer. Roode would probably like to win a world championship with WWE before he retires, but the world title scene looks particularly crowded for the near future.

Complicating matters further, WWE doesn’t seem inclined to put Roode in the main event scene in the near future. He has been involved in mid-card feuds so far, though he has helped add some prestige to the United States Championship. With Roode not necessarily needing the big money WWE offers, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to want to work a lighter schedule than WWE could offer.

7 Women's: Natalya

No matter what you think of her, Natalya is arguably one of the best female wrestlers WWE has had over the past decade. Somewhat surprisingly, Natalya is only a two-time Champion despite having wrestled in two different eras of women’s wrestling.

Despite her in-ring ability and family heritage, Natalya’s on-screen time as started to dwindle.

Increasingly, there are fresher faces who have pushed for air time that WWE has relied on in storylines. As shocking as it may be, there may soon come a time where Natalya is left on the outside looking in. Perhaps her time as a wrestler for WWE was foreshadowed, when she seemingly walked out on the WWE Universe after her loss at last year’s Hell in a Cell event.

6 Men's: Karl Anderson And Luke Gallows

You can count The Club, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, as one of the many criminally underused wrestlers in WWE right now. They are a very talented tag team who should be used more meaningfully than the way they have been ever since they first debuted with WWE. Anderson and Gallows have occasionally flirted with the tag team title scene, even winning the championships once. More often than not, they have been stuck in directionless feuds and even involved in some lame comedic skits.

This is almost certainly not what they envisioned when they signed with WWE a few years ago, especially since they were one of the hottest tag teams in wrestling. With The Bullet Club still being very successful, expect Anderson and Gallows to ask for their releases so that they can return to where they were most successful.

5 Men's: Goldust

WWE releasing Goldust this year would be a surprise only because he has been with the company for so long. He has had an…interesting few years with WWE. He teamed with his brother Cody Rhodes, before he departed over creative differences with WWE. Since then, Goldust has been involved in a weird feud with R-Truth. Goldust has been a staple of WWE programming since the Attitude Era, and should be honoured by WWE in some fashion (likely a future Hall of Famer). While he may be involved in some multi-person match at WrestleMania, Goldust is someone who could be “future endeavoured” by WWE before the year is over.

4 Women's: Mickie James

Mickie James was brought back to WWE in late 2016 to serve as a veteran influence to some of the younger females on the roster. The fan favourite has done that quite admirably and has proven she is still a capable wrestler as both a face and a heel. With all that said, James is 38 and she may not be able to keep wrestling for much longer. Moreover, the talent in the women’s division keeps increasing and there might not be any room for some of the lesser used wrestlers.

Someone like James, who came in as a veteran, might not be needed as much as she was a year ago.

She might get a brief title run in 2018, but the odds are likely that James will not be on WWE’s roster when the calendar changes to 2019.

3 Men's: Shinsuke Nakamura

2018 has been shaping up to be Shinsuka Nakamura’s year in WWE. He got off to a start by winning the Royal Rumble and will compete for the WWE Championship. It’s likely he will win the Championship and get an extended run with the title, possibly until SummerSlam. That makes it all the more surprising that Nakamura might also be a candidate to be released by WWE. He is another international talent who has been criminally underused by WWE, except for this current championship push. It remains to be seen how his championship reign will go. If he falters to get over with the WWE Universe, even if it isn’t entirely his fault, WWE may choose to release him this year. Given how WWE has trouble booking international stars convincingly, it would not be a surprise to see him booked just as poorly as champion.

2 Men's: Zack Ryder

Normally, WWE releasing Zack Ryder would not be considered a surprise given the circumstances. He is seldom used on TV, has not been involved in any noteworthy storylines in years, and gets buried at every possible chance. Despite all this, he has been with the company for around a decade and yet still gets to collect WWE paychecks.

It is honestly more surprising that he has lasted this long with WWE and has seen more frequently used wrestlers get released before him.

WWE clearly has no plans on doing anything with Ryder, so why not release him? Perhaps 2018 will finally be the year that WWE and Zack Ryder head their separate ways, and Ryder has a chance to join another promotion that will use him better.

1 Women's: Lana

Depending on your perspective, the release of Lana would be somewhat surprising yet also inevitable. During her first run as Rusev’s manager, they seemed like a formidable heel duo destined for stardom. Nowadays, they aren’t together on TV and Lana gets no reaction at all. There were her ill-conceived attempts at becoming a wrestler, now her questionable run as Tamina’s manager. The only reason this would be shocking is that WWE probably values Lana’s key role on Total Divas. That being said, WWE could probably easily find someone to replace her. The odds of Lana being released increase greatly if Rusev is no longer with the company either, as the real-life husband/wife couple seem more inclined to be together.