Copyright sportskeeda
WWE and AEW have a large roster of wrestlers. However, with only limited TV time every week, this means that a large portion of the roster won't get the chance to appear on television. The creative teams are also in a difficult spot since they have to book shows, keeping the fans' interest in mind. However, this doesn't mean that every creative decision will go down well with the wrestlers. Therefore, there have been instances where stars have walked out of the company due to creative differences. In this article, we will look at four stars who have walked out of AEW or WWE due to creative differences.#4. Tegan NoxAfter Tegan Nox was released from WWE last year, she went on to work in the independent scene and wrestled for several major promotions like MPX, Hurricane Pro, ATTACK!, and Beyond Pro Wrestling. On the October 25, 2025, episode of Collision, Tegan Nox, now known as Nixon Newell, appeared along with her partner and teammate, Miranda Alize, in a backstage segment confronting Anna Jay and Tay Melo.They made their in-ring debut for the Jacksonville-based promotion a few days later against Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir in a losing effort. Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize were set to compete this week on Collision against TayJay. However, it was reported that Newell and her partner walked out of the show's tapings "an hour before belltime" because they didn't want to lose to TayJay since they already lost their debut match. Therefore, they were replaced by Hyan and Maya World on the show.#3 and #2. Sasha Banks and NaomiBefore there was a Mercedes Mone in AEW, there was a Sasha Banks in WWE. During her time with the Stamford-based promotion, Mone was part of several iconic moments and was a key figure in the women's revolution. She was also the inaugural Women's Tag Team Champion along with Bayley.Mercedes Mone won the Women's Tag Team Titles again at WrestleMania 38, along with Naomi. Just when it looked like everything was fine, Mone and Naomi had a creative dispute with Vince McMahon during the May 16, 2022, episode of WWE RAW. They walked out of the company mid-show. Mone and Naomi were set to be part of the main event that night, which had to be reworked.#1. Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out of WWE in 2002Stone Cold Steve Austin is widely regarded as one of the biggest stars in the history of professional wrestling. Despite being with the company throughout the Attitude Era, cracks were starting to form between Austin and the sports entertainment juggernaut in 2002. Austin was seemingly not happy with his creative direction. The Rattlesnake was originally slated to face Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18. However, the two men refused to lose to each other. Additionally, Austin didn't think he could have a good match with Hogan. Therefore, The Rock faced Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania 18 and went on to become a face of the company.However, the last straw for Stone Cold Steve Austin was when he received a phone call from Jim Ross on June 10, 2002, telling him that he was going to lose to Brock Lesnar in the King of the Ring qualifying match that night on RAW. Austin not only refused to lose to Lesnar, but also walked out of the company that helped make him popular. According to Austin, he had no problem losing to Lesnar, but he felt disrespected that the company was asking him to lose on free TV with no build-up.However, since then, Austin patched things with WWE and even returned to action the following year.
