To outside fans looking in and, of course, to plenty of the Superstars, headlining WrestleMania is the absolute pinnacle of your career. For your checkbook, the payday a Superstar gets from WrestleMania is possibly more than many mere mortals see in their entire lifetime.
But to the wrestlers, while headlining any show is quite the achievement, it doesn’t necessarily mean the be-all and end-all as far as sticking around. Whether a wrestler decides to retire or head to another company or just take a break after the show of shows, several over the years have opted to leave WWE the very same year they headlined the granddaddy of them all. There might have just been lengthy sabbaticals for some, but they all left.
10. Daniel Bryan
With all the recent hubbub about Daniel Bryan heading to AEW, he is one of the highest-profile Superstars on this list. He fought so hard to get his career back and then when many least expected it, found his way right in the middle of the feud between Edge and Roman, leading to the instant classic triple threat main event. Bryan hasn’t been seen since losing a career-ending match to Roman on SmackDown. Now he’s once again the talk of the town as it seems all but academic he’ll be All Elite come the fall.