One of the nice things about having Triple H back in charge of creative these past few months (assuming he still is by the time this article goes out) has been the return of some fan favorites who left the company at the behest of a deranged senior citizen, seemingly at random.
But nature demands balance, and between Vince’s return and the possibility of a sale on the horizon, it looks like some of those favorites might soon be setting sail.
Some of the wrestlers featured on this list are here because their contracts are due to expire this year, and it would be weird not to give myself that easy win.
Others are based on a variety of other factors, and assume a world where WWE actually lets its employees leave when they request their release instead of forcing them to work down the suplex mines.
Hey, maybe we’ll get lucky and WWE will manage to play happy families right through to Christmas.
But for the realists among us, here are eight WWE wrestlers who could depart the company in 2023:
Sami Zayn
Look, I know it’s heartbreaking to think about, but we’re going to get through this together, okay?
From an entertainment standpoint, Sami Zayn may have had the strongest 2022 of any wrestler in the world.
Beginning the year with a hilarious feud with Johnny Knoxville, and closing it out with the best wrestling soap opera since the mega powers exploded, 2022 was the year that casual wrestling fans finally got to see Sami Zayn the way hardcores have for over a decade.
But that could, tragically, come to an end very soon, if rumors that WWE will soon be sold to the Saudi Investment Fund turn out to be true.
In that scenario Zayn, who does not wrestle at WWE’s Saudi Arabia shows due to his Syrian heritage, would very likely take his honorary Uce elsewhere.
Depending on when the sale went through, that would probably mean a premature end to the Bloodline story, leading to the worst case of wrestling blue balls since Kevin Owens got hit with that pie.
And while obviously we as fans would support whatever choice Sami made in that scenario, it’s not going to be the same watching Honorary Elite El Generico.
Mustafa Ali
The former leader of Retribution hasn’t been shy about the fact that he’s looking to move on from the big Dub, famously causing the hashtag #FreeAli to trend just a few months ago, after publicly expressing his frustration with the company on Twitter.
While Ali is arguably in a much better position under Triple H’s creative leadership, he still doesn’t quite feel like he’s being used to his full potential.
Ironically, of all the people on this list it really feels like Ali might be more likely to leave the less Vince interferes in the company.
While the former regime seemed to delight in hoarding talent regardless of their individual wishes, Triple H has a reputation for being slightly more personable, and is a little more likely to let a wrestler go if they’re truly unhappy in the company.
Maybe Ali can try his hand elsewhere, using his stunning athleticism to get himself over in a company like AEW. Lord knows they’re running short on flippy guys.
Or hey, maybe 2023 will be the year of Retribution 2.0.
Rey Mysterio
Mysterious Raymond is one of those rare figures in wrestling like Sting or (until recently) the Undertaker, who kind of feels like he’s always been there and always will be.
It doesn’t hurt that the man seemingly doesn’t age, and feels like he could have another 20 or so years in him before you even start.
However, the master of the 619 may finally be reaching the end of his time in the ring (or in the WWE ring at least), as his contract seems set to expire in September of this year.
While it’s entirely possible that he’ll end up renewing, if only so his terrible son has somebody whose Thanksgiving he can ruin, there have been rumblings that Mysterio could finally be looking to hang up his mask.
While it would certainly be a shame to see Rey go, you can’t tell me you don’t want to see that Rey vs Dominik, mask vs Rhea match at Summerslam ‘23.
Or maybe we’ll see him pedal his wares elsewhere; personally I’d love to see Rey take his talents to NJPW, and finally finish that aborted run he began in the Summer of 2018.
Matt Riddle
Matt Riddle’s entire character is “what if Shaggy from Scooby Doo was even less subtle about it?”, so it was pretty weird to see them do the shocked Pikachu face in December 2022 when the Original Bro was reportedly caught with – GASP – drugs?
While there’s no sign that Riddle will be released for this infraction, it’s worth remembering that WWE has done a lot more for a lot less (RIP RVD), so this could really go either way.
What’s also worth considering is the fact that Riddle’s contract is – per the information we have available to us – seemingly nearing its end.
While RK Bro was one of the most over acts of 2022, a lack of Raaaandy – as well as diminishing trust in Riddle himself – could see the company choose not to re-sign him in 2023.
It would be a real shame if that was the case, as Riddle is a genuinely talented performer and was well on his way to becoming a main event player before Orton’s injury put both men on the back burner.
Hopefully this doesn’t end up being the case, and we can finally get that big heel turn on Randy the second both men return.
Alexa Bliss
This is one of those things that would sound completely beyond the realm of possibility if we were talking about literally any other company in the world.
But WWE is not any other company in the world; WWE is WWE, and as such the prospect of letting a top performer’s contract expire despite the fact that they’re immensely popular was pretty much a monthly occurrence at one point.
While Bliss was, at one time, one of the women’s division’s biggest stars and a mainstay of the title scene, the past few years haven’t been quite as kind to the five-foot phenom.
Breaking up with Nikki Cross, a weird Bray Wyatt Feud, a series of uninspiring matches, and a second weird Bray Wyatt feud have really tarnished Bliss’s image.
While the company seems to be trying to salvage what they can of it, there’s only so much you can do once you’ve paired one of your wrestlers up with a haunted doll.
With her contract potentially set to expire towards the end of this year, it’s possible WWE will just cut its losses in an attempt to bury its own squandering of the once-megastar’s wrestling potential.
Triple H
Is this a little too ghoulish? I can’t tell.
Yes, while most of this list concerns itself with on-screen talent, the number one wrestler who could end up leaving the company in 2023 is the King of Kings himself.
Sure, we’ve been told that Trips’ authority is absolute, and that his position as head of creative isn’t going to be in danger any time soon; but on the other hand, we are not gullible little newborn babies, blinking our way into the light of the world and trusting any adult who promises to feed us.
Stephanie McMahon said she wasn’t going anywhere and then left the company two days later.
If Vince’s sole viable heir (sorry Shane) can’t save herself from the McMahon-page, then what chance does a man who once hit Vince in the face with a sledgehammer on live television have?
Of all the potential losses on this list, this one would by far hit the hardest due to the extent to which he’s transformed the company in these past few months; let’s hope Triple H can weather the ongoing Vince-storm.
Edge
When Edge returned at the 2020 Royal Rumble the crowd popped so hard it sounded like the world was ending. Little did they know…
Now we’re a few years on and while the Rated R Superstar has had his fair share of great moments, a combination of unfortunately-timed injuries and general poor booking have kept Mr Moneyplane from having the run we all envisioned when those opening Alter Bridge notes hit as the countdown hit 21.
While Edge is probably still good to go for a few more years, the question at this point is: would he really want to?
Before he came back to Vince McMahon’s McMansion of McMayhem, Edge had a pretty legit television and film career going for him (fiduciary aeronautics aside).
If, as is rumored, Edge’s contract comes to an end this year, could we see a second retirement in his near future?
Roman Reigns
WWE would be crazy to allow this, but Roman Reigns has pretty much been on a part-time schedule for the past few years (despite holding both of the company’s top championships).
While his work with the Bloodline has given us some of the best wrestling storytelling we’ve seen in years, it feels like when Roman loses the title it could be the beginning of the end of his time in the squared circle.
You can’t really blame him – wrestling has something of a reputation for putting out huge Hollywood names, and Reigns seems all-but destined to be the next big crossover star.
If there’s an upside to this for WWE, it’s that having recent talent out there making Fast and Furious films or whatever makes people who haven’t thought about wrestling since the Attitude Era remember that it still exists.
It’s entirely possible that, in order to keep him sweet in the long term, WWE lets Roman head out into the big wide world to seek his fortune instead of shackling him to his contract like a common Mustafa Ali.
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