The Revival, Tye Dillinger and More Likely to Leave WWE in 2019
- WWE released only a handful of stars from their contracts in 2018
- Thanks to All Elite Wrestling, way more wrestlers are expected to leave WWE in 2019
- Who will be the first to leave?
Compared to past years, there weren’t many departures from WWE in 2018. Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Rich Swann, and Neville were the only notable names released, and even they likely wouldn’t have been let go had it not been for certain circumstances.
Amore was accused of rape in January 2018, and soon after the allegations surfaced online, he was immediately fired by WWE. His former tag team partner, Big Cass, was canned after a backstage incident over the summer, while Swann came to terms with WWE on his release after he was involved in a domestic abuse incident at the end of 2017.
As for Neville, he walked out in October 2017, yet didn’t receive his official release from WWE until almost a year later as a result of his contract expiring. He has since made quite the splash on the independent wrestling scene and has joined the roster for All Elite Wrestling.
If recent weeks have been any indication, however, 2019 will be a completely different story.
Rumors are running rampant about several stars having requested their release from WWE, but whether they’re granted or not remains to be seen. As stacked as the company’s roster is at the moment, there is a ton of talent just not being utilized to their full potential.
Which WWE Superstars Will Leave WWE in 2019?
| Wrestler | SBD’s Odds |
|---|---|
| The Revival | 2/1 |
| Goldust | 9/2 |
| Tye Dillinger | 5/2 |
| Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson | 3/1 |
| Shinsuke Nakamura | 11/3 |
The Revival
Among those favored to give WWE their notice in the near future is The Revival, who have been a hot topic of conversation lately both inside and outside of the ring. Not only have they failed to capture the Raw Tag Team Championship time and time again, officials don’t realize how talented they truly are.
Given their ties to Cody and The Young Bucks, they’d be welcomed to AEW with open arms, and lead the list of likeliest WWE departures in 2019.
Trailing the former NXT Tag Team champions is Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. They go even further back with the Bucks and have been criminally wasted in WWE. Signing with AEW a little later on this year would surely result in a career resurgence for them.
Tye Dillinger
Similarly, Tye Dillinger has expressed dissatisfaction with his spot in the company for some time now. The sole reason why his odds aren’t higher is because his girlfriend, Peyton Royce, remains under contract to WWE, and leaving for AEW would mean they’d be apart more often.
Goldust
Meanwhile, Goldust has reason to stay with WWE. Being the brother of Cody, “The American Nightmare” would undoubtedly have a place for him in AEW if he decided to quit in 2019. Then again, he could be happy with where he’s at right now, despite having not competed in close to a year.
Shinsuke Nakamura
Finally, Shinsuke Nakamura’s contract is coming due in the next few months. From winning the Royal Rumble match to becoming United States champion, he has had a nice career for himself in WWE, but he has largely been floundering on SmackDown Live since being called up to the main roster and a return home to Japan may be of interest to him.
If WWE is afraid of the aforementioned Superstars (as well as others) departing for AEW or somewhere else, they would be wise to start booking them the way they deserve to be.
Graham combined his love of pro wrestling with writing in 2010 when he started writing for Bleacher Report. He has since conducted interviews with WWE superstars like Chris Jericho, Adam "Edge" Copeland, Bill Goldberg, Jay "Christian" Reso, Diamond Dallas Page, and Jim Ross to name a few.
