Popular WWE Superstar Reportedly Leaves Company After Contract Expires

By Brian Jones

A popular WWE Superstar who had had a huge win at WrestleMania 37 is leaving the company. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Cesaro has "quietly exited" the company after his current contract expired. It's been reported WWE and Cesaro had been in negotiations but didn't come to an agreement. WWE reportedly offered Cesaro an extension on his current deal, but it was turned down. 

The last time Cesaeo was on WWE was Feb. 11 when he lost to Happy Corbin on Friday Night SmackDown. He was scheduled to appear on this week's SmackDown but that won't happen since his contract expired. Johnson also said there won't be a 90-day non-compete since he wasn't fired. This means Cesaro can join any promotion at any time. 

Cesaro, 41, has been with WWE since 2011. He was competing in the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling before being called up to the main roster in 2012. During his time in WWE, Cesaro won the United States Championship, the Raw Tag Team Championship five times, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship twice and the Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy at WrestleMania 30. Last year, Cesaro received a major push, beating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37. He went on to feud with Universal Champion Roman Reigns before his push came to an end.

One of the things that stood out with this year's Royal Rumble is Cesaro didn't compete in the Royal Rumble match, which is something he talked about in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated. "Yes, I was," Cesaro said when asked if he was upset about not being in the match. "A lot of people would have liked to see me in the Rumble, and a lot of people would have liked to see me win. That would have put me on the next path of my journey. I saw Big E say in an interview he'd like to see me win, and that was very nice. I appreciate the support of my colleagues, but unfortunately, that did not happen."

Cesaro also talked about putting on a show when he's on SmackDown. "If you're tuning in to SmackDown to watch me, you will get the top in-ring performance I can give," he says. "It's exciting, it's unpredictable and it's fun. I want people to see that every time I'm in the ring, and that consistency and quality is what sets me apart."

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