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While some WWE storylines are planned out several months in advance, others are simply thrown together at the last minute due to reasons that are often out of the creative team’s control.
For example, the storyline between Bayley and Sasha Banks on RAW and SmackDown in 2019-20 had clearly been carefully planned, with a possible betrayal being teased for almost an entire year.
On the flip side, Kofi Kingston’s sudden emergence as a WWE Championship contender in the build-up to WrestleMania 35 was not originally planned by WWE’s decision-makers.
Mustafa Ali was supposed to have a featured spot in a SmackDown gauntlet match before Elimination Chamber 2019, while Kevin Owens was scheduled to challenge Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.
However, due to Ali’s injury and Kingston’s popularity, WWE officials took advantage of the crowd reactions by drastically altering the story with just a few weeks to go before ‘Mania.
Now, while those examples show the differences between two storylines that ended up being featured on television, plenty of other WWE ideas have never seen the light of day.
In this article, let’s take a look at 10 unused WWE ideas that you might not know about.
#10 R-Truth wanted two WWE bodyguards in 2019
R-Truth revealed on E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness in 2019 that he pitched an idea to WWE’s creative team about recruiting Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel as bodyguards who could help him keep hold of his 24/7 Championship.
One member of the tag team would then try to win the title from Truth, while the other would stay loyal to him by breaking up the pinfall.
The WWE veteran added that the person who pinned him would have claimed that they only wanted to keep him on his toes by trying to win the title.
#9 Sonya Deville vs. Ronda Rousey
As one of the few female Superstars in WWE with an MMA background, Sonya Deville told Barn Burner Radio [H/T Fightful] in 2019 that she pitched an idea to Triple H about working with Ronda Rousey.
Deville said the match never came to fruition because Rousey was involved in other storylines on RAW during her one-year run in WWE, but she hopes to face the UFC Hall of Famer if she ever makes a return to the squared circle.
#8 Chris Jericho’s Madison Square Garden ideas
Chris Jericho recalled on an episode of WWE Story Time that he once handed Vince McMahon a list of ideas for his character before a WWE event at Madison Square Garden.
Although the WWE Chairman seemed receptive to some of the suggestions while talking with Jericho, the nine-time WWE Intercontinental Champion walked past a trash can 15 minutes later and noticed his list of ideas.
In the end, Jericho went along with McMahon’s idea to say “Welcome to Madison Square Jericho!” to the fans, and his own ideas did not get used.
#7 Becky Lynch pitched losing the WWE RAW Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch defeated Shayna Baszler in an eight-minute match at WrestleMania 36 to retain the RAW Women’s Championship, but the outcome would have been very different if Lynch had her way.
Speaking on The Bellas Podcast, The Man said she was originally due to lose her title to Baszler at WWE’s biggest show of the year – an idea that she personally pitched – but plans changed and she ended up retaining her title.
One month later, Lynch relinquished the RAW Women’s Championship after announcing her pregnancy.
#6 Hulk Hogan’s WWE heel turn
Hulk Hogan said on The Steve Austin Show in 2019 that he suggested to Vince McMahon before his WWE WrestleMania VI match against The Ultimate Warrior that he should turn heel and refer to himself as Triple H (Hollywood Hulk Hogan).
McMahon agreed that WWE had “gotten everything we can” out of Hogan’s gimmick, but he did not want his top Superstar to turn his back on the fans.
According to Hogan, McMahon rejected the Hollywood Hulk Hogan idea – something he later used in WCW – because he thought it would never work.
#5 WWE wanted Titus O’Neil in The New Day
Big E revealed on a 2020 episode of The New Day’s Feel The Power podcast that WWE officials wanted Titus O’Neil to become the fourth member of the faction.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion did not elaborate too much on the plan to add O’Neil to the group, except when he added that someone in WWE “tried to force him on us”.
He clarified that all three New Day members like O’Neil but they did not want him as part of their team.
#4 Big E & Xavier Woods could have destroyed Vince McMahon’s WWE office
Vince McMahon’s villainous Mr. McMahon character helped set up two of the biggest matches at WWE WrestleMania 35 – Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston and Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair – by holding back Kingston and Lynch in the weeks leading up to the show.
In another story from The New Day’s Feel The Power podcast, Big E disclosed that both he and Xavier Woods were supposed to trash McMahon’s office on an episode of SmackDown after the WWE Chairman referred to Kingston as a “B Plus Player”.
However, WWE’s plans changed and the segment did not take place.
#3 Luke Harper almost worked as Sami Zayn’s bodyguard
Luke Harper said on Talk Is Jericho in 2020 that he reluctantly agreed to play a role as Sami Zayn’s bodyguard around the time that Zayn returned to WWE television after WrestleMania 35.
Harper, now known as Brodie Lee in AEW, wanted to work as a singles competitor after spending several years in a background role behind Bray Wyatt, but he was still willing to give the storyline a try.
When he was informed that plans had changed and he was no longer needed as Zayn’s new ally, the former Wyatt Family member requested his release.
#2 AJ Styles wanted “Beat Up John Cena” merchandise
AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson enjoyed beating up John Cena so much in the summer of 2016 that they repeatedly said the phrase “Beat up John Cena!” at every opportunity in their WWE promos.
Speaking on his Mixer channel in 2019, Styles revealed that he wanted the phrase to be printed on a new WWE t-shirt. However, after presenting the idea to Vince McMahon, the WWE Chairman explained that it would not be good business to sell merchandise that tells fans to beat up the top good guy in the company.
#1 Heath Slater wanted Dean Ambrose in his WWE rock band
Heath Slater said on E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness in 2019 that he asked WWE producer Michael Hayes in 2012 if he could start his own on-screen rock band with Dean Ambrose, Fandango, and EC3.
Hayes said Ambrose and Fandango could not join the group because WWE already had plans for them, while EC3 was released from his contract shortly after Slater made the suggestion.
In the end, Ambrose became a member of The Shield and Fandango made his WWE debut with a victory over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 29.
As for Slater, he ended up receiving Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal as his new allies to form The Three Man Band (aka 3MB).
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