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With the recent Alberto Del Rio debacle, questions have once again cropped up regarding WWE superstars being unhappy with how the organization has been treating them. Even the legendary Rey Mysterio has expressed his frustrations and unhappiness with the biggest global sports entertainment organization, and has been trying to get out of his contract with the company. It isn’t the first time something like this has happened, as in the past, some of the greatest names in the business have left the organization on bad terms, either with Vince McMahon or with the management.Some of the greatest names in the business have had a falling out with the chairman of the board at one point or the other, but Vince has always been a businessman first, thus bringing them back when it made sense. In this article, we look at five various superstars, who were the face of the WWE at one point or the other, but ended up walking out of the WWE either because they were on bad terms with Vince, or with the management/other performers.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin is arguably the greatest name in the history of professional wrestling. Not only did he spearhead the Attitude Era, but also shattered every record imaginable in the business. Austin is also rumored to be the biggest draw that WWE ever had, and has generated more revenues than any other superstar in the history of the organization. Austin’s greatest feud was with the evil boss, Mr. McMahon, and that turned into a reality in the early half of the new millennium, when he walked out of the WWE due to creative issues.
Vince McMahon then came out and announced to the world that Steve had “taken his ball home”. Rumors started making rounds that Austin was unhappy with the creative direction for his character, and wasn’t willing to put the newest sensation, Brock Lesnar over. Austin eventually returned to the WWE and ended up retiring soon after, due to problems stemming from his neck injury.
#4 CM Punk
Perhaps the biggest story of 2014 was CM Punk walking out of the WWE. The last time anyone from the WWE Universe saw Punk in a WWE ring was during the Royal Rumble in January, and reports surfaced before the next episode of RAW began that Punk had a heated argument with Vince McMahon, and walked out of the arena. As months passed, everyone hoped that the former WWE champion would return to the organization; some went as far as saying that it was inevitable, but Punk never returned to the WWE, and his contract with the organization ran out in July.
Although no one knows the exact reason why Punk quit, or has any information regarding his heated exchange with the boss, very few people are as headstrong about their beliefs and decisions as CM Punk. Punk has since announced his retirement from professional wrestling, and is now happily married to the former WWE Divas champion, AJ Lee. Although most of the fans would hope that Punk eventually returns in a part – time role, similar to that of Brock Lesnar and The Rock, for now, we might have seen the last of the Second City Saint in a WWE ring.
#3 Brock Lesnar
The current WWE World Heavyweight champion has arguably been the most dominant competitor to have walked through the curtains in a decade! Not so long ago, Brock Lesnar did the unthinkable, when he broke The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania, and then annihilated the former WWE World Heavyweight champion, John Cena, and thus steamrolled his way through the entire locker room. Very few would’ve thought Lesnar would return to the company a decade ago, let alone being the ‘chosen one’ to break the coveted streak at the grandest stage of them all.
In ’04, after WWE heavily invested in Lesnar, he gave the company a short – term notice, saying that he was going to leave to focus on a different career. WWE had no other option but to let Lesnar go, but signed him to a no – compete clause. Lesnar returned to pro wrestling, thus violating the contract he signed, which resulted in a long, drawn out battle between the WWE and Lesnar. Lesnar finally won the legal battle, but not before angering quite a few people at the top in the WWE.
#2 The Ultimate Warrior
The rise of The Ultimate Warrior was quite similar to that of Lesnar’s, but he was looked upon as the ‘chosen one’ after Hulk Hogan passed the proverbial torch. Warrior rubbed quite a few people in the wrong way, and wasn’t very popular backstage among his peers, but he had something that very few superstars at that time had – charisma and the ‘it’ factor. Warrior soon found himself at the top of the mountain, winning the prestigious WWE Intercontinental title as well as the coveted WWE championship.
All that came crumbling down when Warrior refused to show up at a PPV, claiming that he was underpaid, and demanded equal payment as Hulk Hogan. Vince McMahon, wanting to teach Warrior a lesson, initially agreed to his demands, but proceeded to fire Warrior as soon as he walked to the back during the course of his match! The WWE brought back Warrior once more, but let him go after a very short stint. Warrior would make once last appearance in a WWE ring after he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but sadly passed away the very next day.
#1 Bret Hart
Arguably the greatest blow up happened right after the most infamous incident in professional wrestling history. Dubbed the ‘Montreal Screwjob’, Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Triple H screwed Bret Hart out of the WWE championship, and out of the company during the Survivor Series PPV in ’97. Bret was scheduled to retain the title and give it up on the next episode of RAW, as he had signed with WCW, but Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels double crossed the legendary grappler in his home country, as an irate Bret spat in Vince McMahon’s face!
Bret later destroyed the ringside area, and allegedly punched Vince McMahon backstage, when The Undertaker forced Vince to confront Bret Hart. As a result, Vince broke his ankle and Bret Hart left for WCW. A lot could have happened if things hadn’t ended the way they did, but in the end, Bret walked away from the WWE with bad blood and it took more than a decade for Bret and Vince/Shawn to bury the hatchet.
