3-time champion reveals he wasn't fired by WWE: "I was just shy of a million dollars"

A former champion just made a huge revelation. He claimed he wasn't fired by WWE.

MVP's first run in WWE was between 2005 and 2010. During this time, he competed mainly on the SmackDown brand. He gained a lot of traction due to his feud with Matt Hardy as well as his Inferno match against Kane. The three-time WWE champion departed the Stamford-based promotion in 2010. Since then, it was believed that he was released from his contract.

While speaking on a recent episode of Marking Out with MVP and Dwayne Swayze podcast, MVP revealed he was not fired from the company. Instead, he had asked for his release. The former United States Champion even claimed that the Stamford-based promotion wanted to offer him a five-year deal, but he wanted to go to Japan and rekindle his passion.

“A lot of people thought that I got fired from WWE my first run. I asked for my release. I was making… man, my best year I was just shy of a million dollars. It was like 80 or—you know, I was doing great. They were trying to give me a five-year deal and I said no, I don’t want to re-sign. I want to go to Japan because I needed to rekindle my passion.”

Triple H dislikes these WWE stars - Who are they?

The AEW star further added that many of the backstage talent were unhappy with their booking, and he promised himself that he wouldn't just show up to collect a check.

“They weren’t happy because of how they were being booked, how they were being used… and that WWE corporate culture of that time.I promised myself I never wanted to be the guy showing up for the check.” [H/T Ringside News]

Former WWE star MVP said he has zero respect for Triple H

MVP returned to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2018 and became a regular feature on TV between 2020 and 2024, where he formed Hurt Business with Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander. However, the group was abruptly disbanded before they could even hit their peak, which didn't sit right with members of the faction, especially MVP, who left the company last year.

Since leaving the sports entertainment juggernaut, the former United States Champion went on to say that he has no respect for Triple H. Speaking on TMZ's Inside The Ring podcast, MVP doubled down on his comments and said he has zero respect for The Game professionally or personally.

“I stand by those words. I have zero respect for him, personally or professionally,” he said. “And when I tell why, then people will be like, ‘Okay, that makes sense,'" said MVP.

MVP formed the Hurt Syndicate in AEW and has been doing quite well for himself.

About the author

Sunil is a pro wrestling journalist, covering AEW and WWE news stories at Sportskeeda. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing, and has nearly 7 years of experience. A wrestling aficionado since childhood, Sunil used to imitate his favorite wrestlers as a young kid, and started writing professionally about the sport via Sportskeeda’s revenue-sharing opportunity.

Sunil admires former world champions AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega for their ability to consistently deliver great matches as well as entertain crowds with their mic skills.

If ever given a chance to change a storyline, Sunil would have booked Roman Reigns to end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. According to him, The Tribal Chief needed the victory more than Brock Lesnar, as the latter was already an established performer when he defeated ‘Taker. He would’ve also made that as Taker’s final match.

Always focused on making his work accurate and reliable, Sunil thoroughly checks his facts before writing his articles. When not writing for pro wrestling, he spends his time watching cricket.

Know More

Worst WWE World Champions ranked - Check the list!

Edited by Sunil Joseph