WWE has been known to do budget cuts following WrestleMania each year for several years. The cuts were initiated by WWE's owners, TKO, to offset debt via roster releases and major pay cuts to talent, helping them cut costs.

In May, over two dozen wrestlers across different brands were released. Some decided to leave the company after refusing to renew their contracts, as they were asked to take pay cuts of close to 50% of their existing pay.

Notable names of released talent include Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, the entire Wyatt Sicks faction, the Motor City Machine Guns, and Kairi Sane.

But three stars, who were veterans working in WWE in 2026, were offered significantly lower salaries for their contract renewals and had up to 50% of their original pay deducted.

In this article, we look at 3 stars who refused to take the pay cut and quit the company.

Xavier Woods was a member of the decorated New Day faction along with Kofi Kingston and Big E. Big E retired from wrestling following a high-risk neck injury that, despite healing completely, still posed a threat to him had he continued.

Kingston and Woods continued as the New Day and later added Grayson Waller to the team. However, his appearances were only sporadic, and Woods and Kingston were part of the Tag Team Title race along with the Usos against then-Champions AJ Styles and Dragon Lee last year.

Woods was later sidelined with an injury and last appeared on TV in the January 26 edition of Raw. When it came time to renew his contract, Woods declined to take a pay cut, ending one of the most famous tag teams of the last decade when he decided to quit the company along with his tag team partner.

#2.Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston, whose real name is Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah, was a star even before becoming a part of the New Day tag team in WWE. The Ghanaian wrestler's athletic abilities and flair for entertaining fans earned him a major following in the company's PG Era.

He managed to win it all in the Stamford-based promotion and became their 13th Grand Slam Champion. Kingston had memorable Intercontinental and United States Title runs between 2008 and 2013 before making history with the game-changing New Day tag team, who have been babyfaces as well as heels.

He competed in his final match in April on SmackDown alongside Grayson Waller in a tag team bout against R-Truth and Damian Priest, but the pair lost on the night.

Kingston was later offered a new deal with reduced pay, just like his partner Xavier Woods. The star refused, and this led to the end of an era with all New Day members having quit WWE by mid-2026.

#1. Sheamus

Sheamus has been one of the company's most well-known and dominant wrestlers of the 2010s. The Celtic warrior, who hails from. Dublin, Ireland, was initially disliked by WWE fans as the company gave him a major push early on in his career. During these early years, Sheamus became the WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion, and also won the Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, and Money in the Bank all between 2009 and 2013.

However, as time progressed, their resentment would fade, and fans took to Sheamus as a heel when he went over to the dark side in 2015. His tag team with Cesaro, titled The Bar, also went over with fans.

In recent years, Sheamus hasn't been a regular part of the company's programming, and his last match was against the Judgment Day with John Cena and Rey Mysterio on his team in November last year.

Sheamus has left an indelible mark on WWE fans, especially those from the modern era, and it came as a shock to many when the 48-year-old decided to depart the company after refusing to take a pay cut.

All of the above superstars were later moved to WWE's alumni section on its official website. With all three stars being legends in their own right, it's understandable that they would not accept pay below a certain standard. But this is also concerning for other similar wrestlers who have spent a decade or two in the company, are in their 40s or 50s, and are nearing the ends of their careers.

Many legends have wrestled well into their 70s, like Ric Flair and Terry Funk, and some have even had great runs in their 50s. The Current WWE Champion, CM Punk, is 47-years-old. Which begs the question, had WWE paid these three legendary stars more to have them stay, they could have had more to add to the highlight reel of already illustrious careers.

For now, all we can do is wish them luck in their future endeavours, whether it be wrestling in other promotions or dabbling in something else entirely.

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