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Factions have been a mainstay in pro wrestling for a long time now. The idea of a faction gives the promotion a wide variety of storylines to play with over the course of a long period of time, which could be several years in some cases. Some of WWE's biggest Superstars were once part of major factions.
The Rock, Randy Orton, Batista, Roman Reigns, and many more were once affiliated to factions and utilized these runs to get themselves over with the audience. There have been instances in the past though, where a Superstar realized that being a part of a faction could benefit them in the long run, and offered to join the faction. In this list, we'll focus on three Superstars who asked to join a faction, but were rejected. Also, we will take a look at two WWE Superstars who were offered spots in factions, but they rejected the offers.
#5 Titus O'Neil (rejected by The Hurt Business)
By the time October came around, The Hurt Business had become one of the most dominant factions in all of WWE and was wreaking havoc on RAW on a weekly basis. WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil was watching the faction closely and finally decided to approach them with an offer. O'Neil offered his services to The Hurt Business, and stated that with his connections and public image, he could take the faction 'worldwide'.
The Hurt Business seemingly didn't want another WWE Superstar in the group
MVP and others took a couple of seconds to ponder on the same and made their decision in a quick manner. The quartet hinted that O'Neil was now a part of The Hurt Business. As he shook hands with Bobby Lashley, MVP and Lashley cleared the air and a beatdown commenced immediately. Lashley, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander beat Titus O'Neil down, making it clear as day that his offer had been rejected by The Hurt Business.
#4 Maven (refused to join Evolution)
At WWE Survivor Series 2004, Randy Orton and company defeated Triple H and his band of villains in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match. Every winner was given an opportunity to become RAW GM for one week, with Maven getting the first shot at the same. Maven gave himself a World title match against Triple H in the main event of RAW, and The Game didn't want any of it. He tried to talk Maven out of having the match, by offering him a spot in Evolution, but Maven had made up his mind.
Maven had his fair share of success in WWE but never won the big one
Maven had suffered some serious punishment at WWE Survivor Series but was still hell-bent on wanting a title shot. The match was marred with interference from several RAW Superstars, including Snitsky, who kicked Maven in the head during the final moments of the match. A Pedigree followed and was enough for Triple H to pick up the win. One wonders where would Maven be today if he had accepted Triple H's offer to join Evolution, which went down in history as one of the greatest factions of all time.
#3 Billie Kay (rejected by Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott)
The IIconics were split up earlier this year, after being together for the entirety of their careers in WWE. Billie Kay is now on SmackDown, while Peyton Royce is a part of the Red brand. For a while now, Kay has been approaching a bunch of WWE Superstars with her resume and headshot, in an attempt to land a gig. It didn't work with The Street Profits, as well as King Corbin, but Billie Kay didn't stop here. She approached The Riott Squad during Talking Smack and offered to give some guidance to the duo.
Billie Kay's search for an opportunity will continue on WWE TV
In response, Ruby Riott and Morgan challenged her to a tag team match on SmackDown. This week, Billie Kay and Natalya lost to The Riott Squad, and the post-match interview that Morgan and Riott gave is bound to leave Kay in disappointment. Ruby Riott stated that they already have a third member in Sarah Logan, who's off being a mom, and added that they don't really want to look at Billie Kay's resume. She further said that Kay is going to have to show her resume to someone else, thus making it known that they don't want to add her to the faction.
#2 John Cena (refused to join The Nexus)
The summer of 2010 saw The Nexus wreaking havoc on the WWE roster. The band of rookies was attacking everyone in its path, and it was John Cena who finally decided to put an end to the chaos. Cena and Wade Barrett had a talk on the July 19, 2010 edition of RAW, which saw Barrett offering Cena a spot in the stable. According to Barrett, Cena could achieve ten times what he already had in WWE, if he joined him. Cena pondered on it a bit, and finally refused to join the squad.
SummerSlam 2010 saw Team WWE facing off against The Nexus
Barrett, in a fit of rage, told Cena to leave the ring like a coward or take the beating of his life at the hands of The Nexus. Cena left the ring, but he had an ace up his sleeve. He told Barrett that he had assembled a team that was going to take on The Nexus at SummerSlam 2010, and finally put an end to the chaos. A string of WWE Superstars joined Cena on the ramp, including Bret Hart. At SummerSlam 2010, Team WWE defeated The Nexus, with Cena being the sole survivor.
#1 Mia Yim (rejected by The Hurt Business)
Back in September, The Hurt Business added another member to the mix, in Cedric Alexander. The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion turned heel on the September 7, 2020 edition of RAW, and joined the trio. WWE's official Twitter handle later posted a picture of the carnage Alexander and company left in the ring, and the tweet garnered an interesting response from none other than WWE Superstar Mia Yim. She stated that The Hurt Business won't even consider looking at her resume.
Mia Yim is now on a mission to destroy WWE while being aligned with RETRIBUTION
Eventually, Mia Yim ended up joining another faction that went on to feud with The Hurt Business, RETRIBUTION. Yim, now known as Reckoning, became an integral part of RETRIBUTION and the unruly stable wreaked havoc on the WWE roster for months on end. She took on Dana Brooke in her in-ring debut back in November, in a losing effort. Mia Yim has a bright future ahead of her as a WWE Superstar, and it would be interesting to see how the character of Reckoning fares for her in the coming months.
