'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
"Professional wrestling is a beautiful yet cruel mistress. She will treat you well and treat you horribly."
Luke Harper words couldn't have been any truer. Being a WWE superstar for a sustained period of time is a daunting task in itself, more so than making it big in the biggest promotion in the world which is as cutthroat as they come.
CM Punk and Mr Kennedy were handed their pink slips due to reasons that stemmed from backstage problems, while countless others were let go just because they weren't made for the big leagues.
And then you have select few who were fortuitous enough to hold onto their jobs after coming dreadfully close to being shown the door.
This list takes a look at those big names who were given another bite of the cherry and went on to formulate quite an envious resume:
#10 Stephanie McMahon
Oh, you read that right; even a McMahon doesn't enjoy job security. Being the daughter of a mad genius in Vince McMahon and growing up in the business enabled Stephanie McMahon to rise from being a receptionist in the WWE to the Chief Branding Officer that she is today.
As the real first lady of the WWE would tell you, her success didn't come on a silver platter. McMahon revealed on Lillian Garcia's podcast that she was on the verge of being fired from her family's business owing to a few careless mistakes, but she is a McMahon at the end of the day and learned from the missteps.
"It hasn’t always been pretty. I had to learn a lot along the way and I made a lot of mistakes along the way. And I think that the only way you truly grow and get better is by making mistakes. But as Vince says, you can make mistakes, just don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Mr McMahon is right. Don't make the same mistake twice but have Roman Reigns main event four WrestleManias in a row.
#9 Batista
Dave Batista would have never become Drax had it not been for a timely decision taken back in November 2002. Jim Cornette, who worked with OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling), oversaw the rise of Batista as one of the most over guys down at WWE's former developmental during the advent of the Ruthless Aggression Era.
Standing at 6'5", Batista was the right hand of the devil himself, squashed multiple opponents single-handedly, and didn't even sell their moves. As revealed by Cornette himself on Chris Jericho's podcast, they had found a future PPV opponent for the Undertaker and began fine-tuning his gimmick for the main roster.
In a move that threatened to end his WWE dream, Batista was handed over to the main roster creative, who put him in a forgettable angle with D-Von Dudley as Deacon Batista -- the evil enforcer of Reverend D-Von. Sigh!
The storyline fared so miserably that WWE almost gave him the boot. Being injury-prone and already 30 years old by then didn't help his cause either but saner heads prevailed and WWE clubbed him with Triple H. An animal was unleashed from the brink of failure who went on to win six world titles in a career filled with highlight reel moments.
#8 AJ Lee
It's a shame that WWE had cut one of the most popular female superstars of the last decade right before the dawn of the Women's Revolution. A serious cervical spine injury ended a superstar's career who would have thrived in the current set up.
Losing a popular figure at the premature age of 28 would have really come as shock to the WWE officials but they were indeed planning on cutting her off in 2013 itself.
Alberto Del Rio's first release from the company due to 'unprofessional behaviour' and an altercation with a WWE employee brought to light an incident that almost got Lee fired from the WWE.
The story goes like something like this. NBC Personality Michelle Beadle met old friend CM Punk at the Tribute To the Troops event after a long time that also had AJ Lee in attendance. Lee didn't know about Punk and Beadle's history and additionally about Beadle's colorful language.
Beadle herself will walk you through what in happen in this tweet she posted in December 2013:
The girlfriend screaming at Beadle was none other than Lee, whose job was on the line after the instinctive outburst. Dave Meltzer disclosed information on what happened backstage and said that AJ's robust star power was the real reason why WWE retained her and not her relationship with CM Punk.
#7 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss' current reign with the Raw Women's title will cross the 200-day mark before she unexpectedly drops the title to either Nia Jax or Asuka at WrestleMania 34.
From being an unproven rookie back in July 2016 to being a 4-time Women's Champion and the best microphone worker amongst the women in the WWE across both brands; Bliss' rise has indeed been Goddess-like.
Of course, it didn't come easy. Bliss was almost deemed a liability by WWE back when she was looking for her breakout moment in NXT. His initial run as a babyface failed to get over with the fans at Full Sail University, so much so that she could have been part of a large-scale talent cut had it not been for a change in character.
Here's what she said about her rough start on Sam Roberts' Podcast:
“From day one I knew it was my sink or swim moment because in NXT as a good guy my character wasn’t getting over and when I was told about the pairing with Blake & Murphy I knew there had to be a character change. Wednesday night we had TakeOver and I pushed Enzo and helped keep them as champions, I came the next day with new gear and different hair and I knew that if I didn’t run with it, I probably wasn’t going to have a job.”
Sometimes, actually, most of the times, turning them heel is all it takes!
#6 Goldust
Underrated legend should be the first thing that comes to mind when the Bizzare one's mentioned. Sure, Goldust may not have been a main eventer who drew massive reactions but he revolutionized the business in his own outlandish way.
At 48 years old, the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes still performs on Raw, which is a testament of his loyalty. The veteran, though, has had his fair share of troubles with the authorities backstage.
Goldust was part of the infamous Plane ride from Hell in 2002 that led to many top stars losing their jobs over irresponsible drunken shenanigans. While Mr Perfect Curt Henning was fired for getting into a shoot fight with a rookie at that time named Brock Lesnar, Goldust was let off despite taking to the public address system of the plane and going on to serenade his ex-wife Terri Runnels, who also on the flight.
Jim Ross, who was the Vice President of Talent Relations of WWE at that time, had to intervene and stop Goldust from further embarrassment.
In what would generally account for 'unprofessional behaviour' and a straight firing, Goldust was apologetically in the doghouse for an indefinite period and was forced to run out his contract without a renewal. He made his fifth return to WWE in 2013 and has been an active member of the roster ever since.
#5 Ric Flair
From an underrated legend to one of the GOATS, who also played a notorious part in the infamy that is the plane ride from hell.
The Nature Boy was possibly the most wasted of them all as he walked around with nothing but a robe on and misbehaved with the air hostesses. Being one of the biggest names in business ensured that the 16-time World Champion was still a WWE Employee, however, he couldn't escape two lawsuits that were filed by two of the flight attendants.
For a man who claims to have taken Halle Berry 'on a ride to space mountain', the 2-time WWE Hall of Famer's antics shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
#4 Triple H
Talking about infamous moments, the MSG Curtain Call would change pro wrestling forever back in 1996. At a time when kayfabe was religiously followed, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Triple H and Scott Hall broke the cardinal rule of pro wrestling and hugged each other after the main event.
Ramon and Diesel were on their way to WCW and were wrestling their last match at the iconic arena in a show that was main-evented by a steel cage match between Diesel and Michaels. In an unprecedented moment that stunned the fans at MSG, Hunter and Hall would come out after the main event and all four men would share an emotional hug before posing for the fans to end the show.
Michaels was untouchable by virtue of being the WWE Champion at that time while Hall and Nash were on their way out of WWE. The onus of The Kliq's careless actions fell on the young shoulders of the Game and thankfully for him, he survived the wrath of Mr McMahon.
The WWE COO lost almost all of his matches in the remainder of that year and was also dropped as the planned winner of the King of the Ring Tournament, which was eventually won by a certain Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Moving on to the king of King's most promising protege...
#3 Seth Rollins
“I literally almost lost my job. I had been there for almost two years. I was very frustrated. I couldn’t get along with anyone. I thought I deserved more than I did."
The Architect wasn't the quickest of learners when he first broke into the scene in WWE's former development, FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling). Rollins was almost kicked out even before his main roster run before Triple stepped in to save the day.
Rollins stated in a WWE.com interview that his meeting with Triple H was an eye-opener that worked as the foundation for the accolades that followed.
“We sat down and talked for a good couple hours,” said Rollins. “That was an eye-opener for me, I think, in a lot of ways, because it really felt like that was going to be it. And if I don’t do this now [and] make this work now, I may not get another chance.”
Seth 'freaking' Rollins is a special talent, and he proved it by going on to become the biggest success story to come out of NXT. Vince McMahon may have the Big Dog, but The Kingslayer has been Triple H's chosen one since day oneish.
#2 Randy Orton
Orton is the new generation bad boy of the WWE. Just to get it out of the way, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels are the OGs.
When it comes to Wellness Policy Violations, the 13-time WWE Champion is a serial offender and has two strikes on his record. Three strikes result in an immediate termination but the top brass reportedly contemplated releasing Orton during his second violation as they felt laying him off from his highly lucrative 10-year contract would help in cost cutting.
There's no arguing that Orton was born with natural talent but The Viper surely has some really powerful admirers backstage, who have contributed to his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
But a megastar much more liked than Orton backstage was also nearly discarded from the WWE within two months of his debut.
#1 John Cena
Yeah, Mr McMahon almost fired one of his greatest creations even before giving him a shot. However, another McMahon took the right call and gave the Cenation leader another chance and the rest, as they say, is history.
Stephanie McMahon took a liking to this jacked up white boy who was about to be dumped into the world of irrelevancy. According to Dave Meltzer, WWE would have pushed Batista as the company's flagbearer in place of Cena, which as we all know, could have been disastrous. The 16-time WWE Champion reinvented himself and till date shuts his critics up with much aplomb.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
