Why WWE Won't Rehire These Current Wrestlers

There's an old saying in wrestling that people always seem to forget when something unimaginable happens: never say never. Over the years, wrestlers haven't just burnt bridges; they've blown them up while the person they have a problem with is standing in the middle of it. They've done things to each other and said some of the worst possible things about one another, and yet, when the time calls for it and the money is right, everyone is able to get along just fine.

Out of every wrestling company, that sentiment has never been more true than in WWE. We've seen Vince McMahon publicly screw Bret Hart to the point where it is still talked about today, CM Punk get fired on his wedding day, and Stone Cold Steve Austin literally walk out of the company in the middle of a show, and to be publicly buried for it. With all that said, not only have all three of those men made returns to WWE, but they have all been heralded and celebrated as some of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. In order to be exiled or blacklisted from WWE must take a lot, but there are some wrestlers who are still working today that WWE isn't exactly the most welcoming towards.

Those wrestlers are who we are here to talk about today. The stars from the past and present that, for one reason or another, WWE seems to have washed its hands of them and never brings them back into the fold. So sit back, relax, and join us on a journey through some of the most troubled and strained relationships in all of wrestling as we go through a list of wrestlers that WWE will most likely never bring back, and the reasons behind each decision.

Read more: Former WWE Writer Shares Disturbing Story Involving Vince McMahon & Ashley Massaro

Matt Riddle

There was a point in time where Matt Riddle was regarded as one of the most exciting and charismatic wrestlers in the entire world, hence why WWE was all in on "The Original Bro" when they signed him to a contract with "WWE NXT" in 2018. However, Riddle would be one of those performers who would get so many second chances that eventually WWE had enough of him.

Riddle was let go from WWE back in September 2023, and the road that ultimately led to his exit was bumpy to say the least. He was involved in an altercation at JFK airport in New York when flying back from a WWE live event in India, where he claimed that a police officer sexually assaulted him. That was eventually cleared up, and Riddle even apologized for his "disorderly conduct," but he was pulled from the following week's episode of "WWE Raw," and in the midst of WWE firing a number of its stars, Riddle was also dismissed after reportedly burning through too many of his chances.

The former UFC fighter has remained active in the two years since he was given his marching orders from WWE, winning titles in both MLW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, but this isn't going to be enough for WWE to bring him back. Not only was there the incident at JFK airport, but he was also named in the 2020 Speaking Out movement, had multiple suspensions due to drugs, and rubbed top stars like Seth Rollinsand Goldberg the wrong way. He has also publicly stated how much he loved Vince McMahon's way of storytelling, which isn't going to do him any favors when Triple H is leading the creative direction in WWE. Never say never, but Riddle's time with WWE looks to be done for good.

Alberto Del Rio

Former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio is a name who has popped up in conversations a lot in 2025 when it comes to a potential WWE return, and that is all thanks to the company's purchase of Mexican promotion AAA. At the time of the purchase, Del Rio was the AAA Mega Champion and arguably the biggest star in the entire company outside of the man who would go on to dethrone him for the AAA Mega Championship, El Hijo del Vikingo. The likes of Vikingo, Mr. Iguana, and even the chaotic duo of Pagano and Psycho Clown have appeared on WWE TV so far this year, but there is no sign of Del Rio.

There was a point in May 2025 where it seemed like the relationship between WWE and Del Rio wasn't as bad as many believed, and that there were people in WWE who were more than happy to bring Del Rio into the fold. However, despite Del Rio himself telling other members of the AAA roster that he was going to make a grand return to WWE, and the fact that WWE considered him as an entrant for the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match, sources within WWE stated that there was a "distinct lack of interest" in using Del Rio and the company has made a conscious effort to not mention him whenever AAA is involved.

Part of the reason for this is Del Rio's past allegations of domestic and sexual violence. He made threats of domestic violence towards his ex-fiancée, former WWE Superstar Paige, and was even arrested in 2020 for allegedly battering and sexually assaulting his girlfriend. These charges might have been dropped in 2021, but fans have been very vocal about Del Rio's position in the business, and WWE seems to share the same views when it comes to bringing him back into the mainstream.

Enzo Amore

There was a point in time where Enzo Amore was so over with the WWE Universe that he was able to cut an entire promo without a microphone, and the fans in the audience would not only chant the promo back at him, but be go wild at the same time. Those days are long gone for the man now known as Real1, and it doesn't look like they will be returning any time soon.

The duo of Enzo Amore and Big Cass was one of the most promising duos to come out of "WWE NXT" in the 2010s, but once they were split up, neither man found as much success as when they were together. Both of them would be gone from WWE by the end of 2018, and while Cass was released during a time when he was battling a severe alcohol problem, Amore would be fired outright for a much more troubling accusation.

On January 22, 2018, Amore was suspended by WWE after it was revealed that he was under investigation following allegations of sexual assault against a woman by the name of Philomena Sheahan, who accused Amore of raping her in October 2017. The following day, Amore was fired by WWE for failing to tell the company about the investigation, but it was later confirmed by a friend of Sheahan that she had falsified the allegations, and the investigation was closed just a few months later.

Amore would go on to have a number of controversial incidents, such as making a scene at WWE Survivor Series 2018, getting involved in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Supercard event without NJPW knowing about it, and despite resurfacing in TNA earlier this year, it's unlikely WWE will ever take a chance on Amore again.

The Velveteen Dream

We did say in the introduction that you can never say never when it comes to WWE, as anything is possible, but out of everyone on this list, The Velveteen Dream is the most likely to never show up in WWE ever again.

Dream was one of the most promising members of the "WWE NXT" roster from 2017 onwards, with his feuds against the likes of Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa generating a lot of buzz to the point where some people thought that he was on course to headline WrestleMania later on in his career. A reign with the WWE NXT North American Championship boosted his profile, and despite taking time off in 2019 due to a back injury, Dream looked poised to be one of the leading figures for "NXT" as they went head-to-head with "AEW Dynamite" in the "Wednesday Night Wars."

All of that changed during the COVID-19 pandemic when Dream, real name Patrick Clark, was accused of sending indecent images of himself to underage boys, something Clark denied immediately. However, Clark was later named in the 2020 Speaking Out movement for allegedly sending another explicit image of himself to an underage girl, and engaged in "inappropriate communications" with a number of underage boys he was supposedly grooming. WWE launched an investigation into the matterand found no evidence of wrongdoing, but Dream was released by the company in May 2021 after being inactive for a substantial period of time.

Since his release, Clark has been arrested for possessing drug paraphernalia, trespassing, and first-degree battery, and while all of those charges have been dropped, Clark was effectively blacklisted from the business until 2024, but WWE will not take a chance on him, no matter how much potential he may have had. 

Tessa Blanchard

In a similar situation to Alberto Del Rio, the partnership between WWE and TNA Wrestling that was established in 2024 led some fans to believe that there was a path that Tessa Blanchard could walk that would end up with the daughter of the legendary Tully Blanchard appearing on "WWE Raw," "WWE SmackDown," or "WWE NXT," but that wasn't the case.

In the lead-up to the COVID-19 pandemic, Blanchard was one of the most sought-after talents in all of wrestling thanks to her work in TNA when the company was known as Impact Wrestling. She became the first woman in history to win the Impact World Championship, landing her at the top of many year-end lists when it comes to women's wrestling, as she was the only woman in the business who was crossing over and proving that intergender wrestling had a place in the American business. 

Then 2020 arrived, and with it came allegations of bullying and racism from various wrestlers who had shared locker rooms with her. Puerto Rican wrestler Black Rose (also known as La Rosa Negra) confirmed that Blanchard had both spat at her and used a racial slur, while the likes of current WWE Superstar Chelsea Green, former WWE Superstar Priscilla "Gigi Dolan" Kelly, and former NWA World Women's Champion Allysin Kay also confirmed that Blanchard had bullied several women over the years.

While she may have only competed for WWE briefly in 2017 as part of the first-ever Mae Young Classic, there have been several WWE Superstars as recently as January 2025 who have been open to working with Blanchard. This was part of the reason why she ended up returning to TNA in December 2024, but the fans would routinely chant "she's a racist" at her, and now that she's returned to CMLL in Mexico, WWE looks like they will keep their distance from Blanchard.

Eva Marie

WWE officials really did try with Eva Marie in terms of making her a competent professional wrestler, but as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink, and in Marie's case, she simply didn't know how to drink properly.

Marie signed with WWE back in 2013 and was initially brought in as part of the "WWE NXT" brand, but was featured primarily on the "Total Divas" reality television show, which, despite its success, ended up labeling Marie as nothing more than a reality star and not a wrestler, which didn't help when she eventually got in the ring. When she did get in the ring, to put it simply, Marie was bad, very bad, but over time, she ended up using that lack of in-ring talent to her advantage when her 2016 gimmick saw her use every trick in the book to avoid getting in the ring. However, that run was cut short due to a wellness policy violation,and she was gone from the company less than a year later.

To everyone's surprise, WWE decided to give Marie a second chance as she was signed to a new contract in late 2020 and eventually returned in the summer of 2021. Some fans thought that maybe Marie had learned from her first stint in the company and improved significantly, but that was sadly not the case, and by the time Marie returned to WWE, the women's division had evolved to a point where she simply couldn't keep up, and she was released for a second time in November 2021. 

While it doesn't look like the idea of the third time being the charm is going to be explored by WWE, Marie is enjoying life away from wrestling, as she is a big advocate for mental health, and is now the founder of a chain of rehabilitation centers in Laguna Beach, California.

Jack Swagger/Jake Hager

You would think for a man who has publicly expressed his dislike for AEW CEO and President Tony Khan that WWE would be all over the idea of Jack Swagger making a big return to WWE, but that doesn't look to be on the cards for the former World Heavyweight Champion.

Swagger initially left WWE in 2017 after requesting his release from the company due to not being satisfied with his creative direction at the time. From there, Swagger would bounce between his wrestling career and a new journey in Mixed Martial Arts under his real name of Jake Hager. He was the final Lucha Underground Champion, was undefeated in Bellator, and was making a steady income across the independent scene when he got the chance to gain national notoriety once more as a member of the AEW roster. Hager debuted for AEW at the conclusion of the first-ever episode of "AEW Dynamite,"and would stay with the company for five years before opting not to re-sign with the company in 2024.

In an era where WWE would try and make the most of anyone who departed AEW, whether it be on good or bad terms, there was a severe lack of fan interest when it came to Jake Hager becoming Jack Swagger again, and there was even less interest from WWE. Hager would later go on to publicly slam Khan for being an unprofessional boss, a communist, and even accuse his former boss of icing him out of AEW due to being vocal about his support of Donald Trump, but this was later discredited by current AEW stars FTR. Hager has since retired from wrestling to focus on his trucking business, and while he still might be in good enough shape for another run in wrestling, that run won't be in WWE.

Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan

Bryan Danielson concluded his full-time career at AEW WrestleDream 2024, with the emphasis being on "full-time" as fans are still convinced to this day that the "American Dragon" will one day get back in the ring for one more match. With that said, it's very likely that his last match won't be in WWE despite how successful he was while wrestling as Daniel Bryan.

Danielson's loyalty to All Elite Wrestling is largely the reason why WWE is likely to never re-hire him, but Danielson has also made it clear that he will go wherever the wrestling business needs him. In a 2024 appearance on the "Gorilla Position" podcast, Danielson feels like he is needed more in AEW because they are a growing company who are vital for the future of the industry, meaning that he's not opposed to returning to WWE. However, his injury record is also a big concern.

At the time of writing, Danielson believes that he will never wrestle again because of how banged up his neck is. He is yet to have neck surgery, something he knows he needs but is trying to avoid, as that will effectively end his wrestling career for good. If he continues to put off surgery and remains in bad shape, WWE officials would never risk putting someone who is one bump away from disaster on one of their shows, and considering that it was the WWE doctors that enforced Danielson's initial retirement in 2016, the best anyone could hope for when it comes to a return to WWE for Danielson is a Hall of Fame induction.

It should also be noted that Danielson's loyalty to AEW is a big reason why his wife, Brie Bella, has not made a full return to WWE despite her twin sister Nikki being heavily involved in the company over the past 12 months.

Jon Moxley/Dean Ambrose

Rounding off with the man who is actually the most likely to return to WWE by the simple factor of him being the most healthy and least problematic. Given the impact that The Shield had on WWE, it's no surprise that there are still legions of WWE fans out there who still refer to Jonathan Good as Dean Ambrose, as opposed to the name everyone knows him by these days, Jon Moxley.

Moxley is a hugely important part of WWE history thanks to being one-third of The Shield, and due to how successful both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have been over the past decade, the former AEW World Champion must know that he would be a guaranteed main eventer if he ever decided to leave AEW. With that said, Moxley made it abundantly clear how he felt about the creative process in WWE during his eight years with the company when he left in 2019, even revealing that he was so appalled by a writer proposing the idea of making a joke about Reigns' Leukemia diagnosis.

In AEW, Moxley can wrestle how he wants, who he wants, and have the freedom to travel to places like New Japan Pro Wrestling, CMLL, and the independent circuit while remaining as one of the top stars in the second biggest wrestling company in the world. His current contract with AEW is expected to run until at least October 2027, barring any injury time being added on at the end, but much like Bryan Danielson, Moxley is likely to be an AEW lifer, and WWE isn't going to offer him anything that his current employers can't already provide.

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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.