While the WWE offers the largest stage for professional wrestlers to perform on in the business, that certainly doesn't mean it's the right place for all the stars of Sports Entertainment. The business has always revolved around wrestlers coming and going from WWE, and often times a break from Vince McMahon's empire is exactly what talent need to reinvent their careers. Names such as Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre among many others come to mind. WWE's key executives Vince, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have been infamously known to be difficult to please, and quite often the time simply isn't right for certain wrestlers to make it in WWE, and they'd be better off elsewhere. At least that's what many of them might think.

Each year brings a fresh crop of talent to WWE, but at the same time, some of the company's established talent ask for their releases in favour of 'greener pastures'. Vince can't please all of his wrestlers at the same time, and this often means some stars leave out of frustration like CM Punk. However, at the end of the day, not all WWE wrestlers end up asking for their release if they're frustrated, and on occasion, wrestlers are able to work things out with Vince. This happens sometimes, but it definitely is not always the case. Today, we're going to be looking at 8 frustrated WWE stars who will ask for their release within the year, and 8 who will surprisingly stay.

16 Ask For Their Release: Samoa Joe

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Samoa Joe definitely suffered from an injury at the worst possible time, and he's missed out on many potential big matches as a result - not to mention losing momentum. Rumours currently suggest that Samoa Joe's penciled in to feud with Roman Reigns following WrestleMania 34 for the Universal Championship, but unfortunately, the chances of Joe capturing the title are beyond slim, and he's going to be utilized as Reigns' first fodder as champion.

Samoa Joe is well past his peak at 39 years old, and following his rumoured main event feud with Roman that's sure to drain some of Joe's momentum even further, it can almost be guaranteed that Samoa Joe will fall down the card. I suppose the phrase for Samoa Joe in WWE could be 'what's the point', because if he's not going to be pushed as a dominant monster heel, then what truly is the point? It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if Joe's gone from WWE well before 2019.

15 Surprisingly Stay: Brock Lesnar

While there have been back and forth rumours swirling around regarding Brock Lesnar's future and whether he's resigning with WWE or heading back to UFC, we're quite certain that Brock will surprisingly stay with WWE despite the rumoured departure. However, one likely change to Brock's renewed WWE contract is him being allowed to fight in UFC on occasion, and if he's able to do that, why on earth would Lesnar leave WWE with the easy money he's making annually?

Brock makes well over ten million dollars each year from WWE for his limited appearances, and it's doubtful he'd walk away from that big money at this point of his career. Sure, Brock Lesnar may be heading towards retirement in the not-so-distant future, but a few more years of wrestling on occasion and 20 or 30 more million dollars? It's an offer Brock cannot refuse. For those of you who were hoping to see Brock disappear following 'Mania, you'd better readjust your expectations.

14 Ask For Their Release: Matt Hardy

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In today's day and age of WWE, Matt Hardy is certainly not fit for Vince's company. While the WWE's Creative have been giving Hardy more screen time and less scripted promos recently, Matt's 'Broken' character is still being held back in WWE as many fans had originally anticipated. At this point, we're pretty certain that Matt's just enjoying the bit of time he has left in his current WWE contract, and it definitely wouldn't be much of a surprise if Matt Hardy asks for his release within the year.

We doubt Vince McMahon will be pushing Matt Hardy above a certain level despite the success of his 'Ultimate Deletion' in the future, and Matt's better off elsewhere at this stage of his career. Jeff Hardy on the other hand is likely favoured in Vince's eyes like he always was, and it's quite possible that he'll be pushed heavily following 'Mania 34.

13 Surprisingly Stay: Finn Balor

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Although Finn Balor has been at odds with WWE in recent times due to his terrible booking and for Vince claiming he's not over, the chances of Balor requesting his release within the year are slim to none. For the first time in a long while, Balor's involved in an important storyline with Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Seth Rollins, and Finn's definitely an odds-on favourite to pull off the WrestleMania win next week.

The IC Championship would sit pretty around Finn Balor's waist, and it'd be the perfect title to elevate Finn back to the top of the card where he deserves to be. Perhaps a couple months ago fans would've been pushing for Finn to quit WWE and head back over to Japan due to his atrocious presentation and booking, but things are looking much brighter now for the inaugural Universal Champion, thankfully.

12 Ask For Their Release: Sami Zayn

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Although Sami Zayn has been an integral part of SmackDown's top storylines for much of this year and late last year, you can expect things to fade away fairly rapidly for Zayn following WrestleMania 34. Without Kevin Owens by his side, Vince sees little potential in Sami despite being a truly solid performer, and it's probable that he'll fall down the card sans Owens which is something that won't sit well with Sami Zayn.

In the past, Sami has talked about wanting to consistently be near the top of the card, but unfortunately, it's unlikely that he'll be doing so on his own. As long as Vince's running the shows, he makes the final say, and with how Vince views Zayn, the immediate future seems rather bleak for Sami. Without question, Sami would be a huge success outside WWE, and it wouldn't be surprising at all if Sami Zayn asks for his release within the year for greener pastures elsewhere like Cody Rhodes.

11 Surprisingly Stay: Nia Jax

The relationship between WWE and Nia Jax has not always been stable, but like Finn Balor, things are looking up for Nia heading towards 'Mania. Although the WWE have held Nia back in the past, it looks like she's finally gotten her point across to Vince McMahon. Jax is heading towards a big match with her real-life best friend Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania for the Raw Women's Championship, and without a doubt, she's the odds-on favourite to win the match and capture her first title in WWE.

Perhaps Nia's relation to The Rock has played a factor in why she's been pushed a bit recently, and walking out certainly doesn't always work as we've come to realize. Thankfully, things are going well for Nia Jax now, and she's set to become a force to be reckoned with in Raw's Women's Division in the not-so-distant future.

10 Ask For Their Release: Apollo

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Apollo is case of a talented wrestler called up from NXT far too soon. Apollo has everything going for himself in Sports Entertainment aside from a real solid character, and that lack of a character has been the root cause of his demise in WWE. Vince is all for giving promising employees a chance to shine, but unfortunately for Apollo, he just hasn't clicked with the WWE Universe due to his lack of substance.

Regardless, Apollo's surely getting frustrated with how WWE's been presenting himself for much of his main roster career, and it wouldn't be surprising if Apollo asks for his release within the year. Outside WWE, Apollo would have little trouble succeeding, and he could easily become one of the Indies top prospects. Perhaps a departure from WWE is exactly what Apollo needs to reinvent himself and find a suitable gimmick.

9 Surprisingly Stay: Bayley

While Bayley has to be one of the most frustrated WWE Women's Division wrestlers currently, it can almost be guaranteed that 'Everyone's Favourite Hugger' will surprisingly stay with WWE. Though Bayley may not be every fans 'cup of tee' when it comes to a female wrestler, she's undoubtedly one of the most solid workers in the WWE today, and her pushes being nixed time and time again has been quite disappointing.

However, if last weeks Raw gives any indication, Bayley will likely be heading towards a match-up with Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 34 which is better than nothing for both talented performers. Bayley has definitely been mistreated and under-utilized since getting the call up to the main roster like Becky Lynch, but she seems like a very loyal employee who has the WWE's best interests at heart - a WWE 'lifer'.

8 Ask For Their Release: Neville

Neville is currently at a bit of a crossroads with WWE. While there have been some rumors swirling around regarding Neville and a possible return being worked out, there is also plenty of speculation that the 'King Of The Cruiserweights' will ask for his release once his contract runs up. For those of you who weren't aware, Neville has been forced to stick out the remainder of his WWE contract sitting on the sidelines, and his requested early release was denied.

It's hard to imagine Neville returning to the CW Division given the fact Neville felt as though he was being under-utilized, so most signs point towards a release within the year which is quite disappointing for fans. However, you can never say never, and perhaps Vince will work things out with Neville and a return will occur following WrestleMania 34.

7 Surprisingly Stay: Bray Wyatt

If there's a WWE Superstar who fell through the ranks to the greatest extent following WrestleMania 33, it'd undoubtedly be the former WWE Champion, Bray Wyatt. Things were looking up for 'The Eater Of Worlds' towards 'Mania 33, but he's fallen extremely hard from grace following his draft over to Monday Night Raw last year. While there are plenty of potential reasons behind Bray's demise in WWE, there are two more obvious explanations.

One being Wyatt's affair with JoJo which was blasted across the media, and the other being the fact that Vince believes Bray's totally out of shape. Either way, 2018 hasn't been very kind to Bray Wyatt, and he's recently been 'deleted' by Matt Hardy. Who knows how Bray will return to WWE and what character he'll have, but surprisingly, the odds of Bray staying with WWE are far greater than him asking for his release.

6 Ask For Their Release: Paige

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It's truly saddening that Paige can't seem to catch a lucky break, and she's currently in a rather unfortunate situation with WWE. While Paige has continued to lead the Absolution stable despite being unable to wrestle anymore, we sincerely doubt that the WWE have any long term plans for the former Divas Champion. Paige's serious neck injury has to rank among the most unfortunately timed injuries in the history of Sports Entertainment, and though we're sure Paige loves the WWE, don't be surprised if she asks for her release before 2018 comes to an end.

Paige won't be released or fired from the WWE this year considering she had just returned late last year, but the future remains bleak for Paige which sucks in all honesty. Apparently Vince is scrambling to find a suitable role for Paige in WWE, but if she cannot compete, it's doubtful she'll want to stay there.

5 Surprisingly Stay: Cesaro

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Cesaro certainly hasn't been shy to talk about how he really feels about his position within the WWE, and while he's recently divulged that he's rather unhappy with where he's at and has mixed feelings about being in WWE, it's highly unlikely that Cesaro will be asking for his release from WWE anytime soon, and he'll likely stay there surprisingly.

Cesaro's tag team with Sheamus has been a blessing in disguise, because had the pairing not happened, there a strong possibility that Cesaro would've requested his release in 2016 when he claimed he wasn't going to resign due to feeling unhappy about his position. Of course Cesaro could easily be a singles main event star if the WWE put some effort into his booking, but he's in a great spot right now alongside Sheamus, and Cesaro has acknowledged it.

4 Ask For Their Release: Rusev

Rusev has definitely been great at making the most out of the little he's been given from WWE to work with, however, the future doesn't seem very bright for 'The Bulgarian Brute' in WWE. Rusev's recently gotten himself extremely over with the WWE Universe due to his 'Rusev Day' shtick with Aiden English, but like Damien Sandow or 'Mizdow' before him, these comedic characters don't last long in Vince McMahon's empire.

As we're sure most of you have come to realize, Vince doesn't view Rusev as anything more than fodder to his top talents, and despite being over and selling a ton of merchandise, McMahon isn't going to change his view on Rusev - he'll likely ride the 'Rusev Day' wave until he books Rusev into oblivion where he's no longer over. However, there's also a strong possibility that Rusev will ask for his release within the year before all of his overness is gone.

3 Surprisingly Stay: Daniel Bryan

Just two weeks ago, it's to safe to say that most people (including myself) were expecting Daniel Bryan to ask for his release well within the year. However, things can change at the drop of a hat in Sports Entertainment, and Bryan's impending return to the ring has to rank among the most satisfying moments in WWE history. Seeing Daniel Bryan has been medically cleared to return to the ring, it'd doubtful he'll be leaving WWE anytime soon just so long that he's able to continue performing on a near full-time basis.

Daniel will most likely be given a Randy Orton or John Cena-like contract. Bryan's in-ring return has undoubtedly made WrestleMania 34 that much more exciting, and it's boosted ticket sales tremendously as a result. Daniel Bryan never gave up on his dream to return, and his wish is finally coming to pass which is beyond exciting for Daniel and his legions of fans alike.

2 Ask For Their Release: Becky Lynch

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Becky Lynch is arguably one of the first names that come to mind when you think of under-utilized and under-appreciated WWE women's wrestlers. The Irish Lass Kicker has all the tools required to be a top Women's Division star, yet she's consistently utilized as nothing more than a mid-card filler talent which is beyond disappointing - apparently Vince and some of the WWE's higher ups aren't too fond of Lynch's thick accent.

Perhaps it's one of the factors as to why she's been demoted significantly over the past year or so. Although Becky could easily continue to scratch and claw below the top of SmackDown's Women's Division, all signs point to a departure in the not-so-distant future. If things don't drastically turn around for Becky Lynch, it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if the inaugural SD Women's Champion asks for her release within the year.

1 Surprisingly Stay: Sheamus

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When news broke out late last year that Sheamus was suffering from spinal stenosis, many were quick to jump on the notion that The Celtic Warrior would be hanging up the boots within the next year or so. However, thankfully for fans, there's a strong possibility that Sheamus will be sticking with WWE for the foreseeable future. If you hadn't noticed, Vince McMahon isn't allowing Sheamus to take the kind of bumps he used to in order to preserve his health.

Cesaro has instead been taking most of the brunt recently. Considering it hasn't been too noticeable, Sheamus being protected a little more in order for him to get a few more years out of his career is surely worth it. Though things could abruptly come to an end for Sheamus at any given moment and force the WWE Universe to say an emotional goodbye, it's quite possible that we'll be seeing him in WWE for at least a couple more solid years.