Last week was emotional for the WWE Universe, with Royal Rumble taking place on Sunday, Wrestlemania beginning to set into motion and surprise release announcements, there's just no telling what fans will see next. Fans were blown away when WWE released an official statement about Dean Ambrose not wishing to renew his contract after it will expire in April. Soon after, news broke that Hideout Itami will also be getting released from the company. Could more superstars be following in their footsteps? Rumors say that a big money name may just be eyeing for their exit from the company soon.

Dean Ambrose bids WWE farewell

After losing the Royal Rumble match last Sunday and the events that transpired on Monday night Raw, Dean Ambrose informed WWE management that he would not be renewing his contract with the company. Ambrose was offered and improved contract and pay raise but still declined to continue working with the company after Wrestlemania. Reports are saying that Ambrose’s reason for not wanting to renew his contract is due to creative differences on his character with the writers team and his disdain of acts he deems “hokey”.

Although the news came as a shock, it's understandable why Ambrose is choosing to leave. Before he became Dean Ambrose he was known as Jon Moxley in the independent scene. Some of his best promos can be found on YouTube, he's won just about every championship there is to win in each company that he's worked, and he's done just about everything there is to do in a ring. However, WWE only wants their fans to think about what “Dean Ambrose” has done in their ring.

When Ambrose arrived at WWE, he was placed in development known at the time as Florida Championship Wrestling. When FCW was rebranded into what is now known as NXT, Ambrose was nowhere to be seen. WWE Creative simply had no idea what to do with his character, a similar fate fell on Solomon Crowe. When Ambrose got moved to the main roster, he showed promise of being the biggest star out of the three members of the Shield, but has not had as big of a push as his Shield brethren.

What is next to for the Lunatic Fringe remains to be seen. A long overdue vacation is most likely next in his sights, since the man has been wrestling since 2004. Fans are already speculating that Ambrose will be making the jump to All Elite Wrestling once he is done with WWE. It is highly possible that Ambrose would make the switch since there is so much more he could do creatively in that company. The silver lining of all of this is how Ambrose is leaving the company. Ambrose is leaving the company on good terms and going about it in a way where there is a possibility for him to come back. There's too much bad history of popular wrestlers leaving WWE on bad terms that fans have seen take years to mend.  

Hideo Itami takes his exit from WWE

Shortly after news broke about Dean Ambrose’s departure, WWE released another official statement, this time announcing that Hideo Itami would be leaving the company. Unlike Ambrose, Itami actually requested that he be released from his contract and was granted his request after a 90 day non-compete/severance period. Looking back at his career in WWE, it comes at no surprise why Itami would want to leave.

Hideo Itami had made a name for himself as Kenta while wrestling in Pro Wrestling Noah before getting signed by WWE. Itami was hyped as a major signing in 2014 and many fans were excited to see him rise to the top. Unfortunately this would not come to be as consecutive injuries would start to derail his success less than nine months after his debut. That momentum he had coming into the WWE would no longer be there after being out for close to two years.

Itami has fallen into that category of wrestlers who is better off finding more success working outside of WWE. It is sort of similar to what has become of Cody Rhodes and the exact reason why Kenny Omega refuses to sign with WWE. Ergo Itami has a legitimate reason to want to leave the company.

Ronda Rousey to be the next in line for a departure

Could there be any more shocking announcements to come? OF COURSE! Wrestlemania is coming, Hall of Fame inductees have yet to be announced and rumors have it that Ronda Rousey could be leaving the company after Wrestlemania. That's right, Rousey may just be planning on leaving the company after a year. Rousey joined WWE last year at the Royal Rumble and had her debut match at Wrestlemania XXXIV. She is currently the Raw women's champion and allegedly might be get the main event slot at Wrestlemania XXXV against Becky Lynch.

WWE fans were waiting for Rousey to make the switch to wrestling since 2014. Now that she's here, there's so much she has yet to do, which makes the thought of her leaving so soon a bit unsettling. Women don't typically stay in the wrestling business as long as the men do (and the ones who have should be applauded) and that is mostly because they want to start a family. Rousey has made it known that she and her husband are wanting to have babies soon, which has lead to speculations that she'll be making her leave after Wrestlemania. One thing's for sure, WWE Universe wants to see a match between the Four Horsewomen of WWE and the Four Horsewomen of UFC. It sure would make for a hell of an exit match.