3 WWE Superstars who rejected apologies from fellow wrestlers, and 2 who accepted

Roman Reigns rejected Riddle's apology, which was written by Randy Orton
Roman Reigns rejected Riddle's apology, which was written by Randy Orton

WWE is a giant media conglomerate that houses some of the biggest names in pro wrestling. These wrestlers are household names and boast millions of ardent followers on social media.

With such a large number of popular stars working under the same umbrella, egos are bound to clash. When two superstars clash in real life, things get heated quickly.

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels is probably the best example of how things turn ugly when two massive egos clash. Hart wasn't happy with Michaels saying he wouldn't put him over, which led to Bret refusing to drop the WWE title at Survivor Series 1997. The rest is history.

Back then, it would've been impossible to make Bret and Shawn apologize to each other and bury the hatchet. But there have been instances throughout WWE's storied history that have seen superstars apologizing for their mistakes.

In the following slideshow, we'll take a look at three stars who rejected apologies from fellow wrestlers. We'll also discuss two stars who accepted a fellow wrestler's apology.


#5. Titus O'Neil rejects WWE legend Hulk Hogan's apology over racist comments

Hulk Hogan's illustrious career has been marred by a long list of controversies. Back in 2015, a private video leaked in which Hogan was heard making racist comments. The backlash was massive, and Hogan was removed from the WWE Hall of Fame.

After the dust settled, Hogan was reinstated to the Hall of Fame. He spoke with the WWE locker room before Extreme Rules 2018. Hogan's apology sounded half-hearted and fake, and WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil wasn't happy about it:

"This is not about second or third chances. This is about a man making a decision to make statements that he truly felt in his heart I believe at that time. He may not feel that way now, he may regret it. But to come out and say, 'I didn't know I was being recorded' and 'be careful what you say' and 'I don't remember saying that stuff.' When you start out an apology like that. Dude, you lost it already. I wanted to give him a chance, I didn't know what that meeting was about going in, but I wanted to give him a chance." (H/T Bleacher Report)

The New Day was also hesitant in accepting Hogan's apology, but Big E's tweet hinted that he forgave the WWE legend:

Two years after posting the tweet, Big E addressed Hogan as "some other guy," hinting he still hadn't forgiven The Immortal One.

#4. Michael Hayes accepts Bret Hart's apology over demeaning comments

Back in 2016, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart made controversial comments about The Fabulous Freebirds. Hart said they never drew money in WWE:

“Why have they been overlooked when you can induct The Freebirds who never did squat in WWE? Ever. Never drew any money, never did anything. When I remember The Freebirds, they were all drunk and passed out at the gate at one of the airports in my first day in WWF. None of them even made the show that day, they were too drunk to make their plane.” (H/T WrestlingInc)

The Hitman dubbed them "screw-ups" and seemed upset at the fact that Owen Hart was not in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Hart later realized he had gone too far with his comments and decided to apologize to Hayes. The WWE Hall of Famer replied to the apology via a wholesome tweet, saying he happily accepts it:

Hart had also targeted Seth Rollins and Triple H in the interview and apologized to them as well. It's not known if his apology was accepted by Triple H or Rollins.

#3. Kelly Kelly rejects Randy Orton's apology after he publicly shamed her

In 2011, WWE Superstar Randy Orton appeared on the 98KUPD's Real Rock radio show and made offensive comments targeting female wrestler Kelly Kelly.

He didn't mince his words while airing dirty laundry about Kelly and named WWE Superstars who "slept around" with her. Orton faced severe backlash from the WWE Universe over his comments and took to Twitter to apologize to Kelly Kelly:

Kelly Kelly had enough of Orton at that point and shared a cryptic tweet soon after. Here's what she wrote in the tweet:

"The best way to fight stupidity, is by ignoring it."

She quickly deleted the tweet, and the issue was never brought up again. Orton was way out of line with his comments about Kelly Kelly, and many fans called for his suspension at the time. Over the years, Orton has grown as a human being and has acknowledged his past actions on various occasions.

#2. Becky Lynch accepts Nia Jax's apology and is grateful she broke her nose

On the go-home episode of WWE RAW for Survivor Series 2018, Nia Jax accidentally broke Becky Lynch's nose during an in-ring brawl.

The incident gave fans the iconic visual of a bloodied Lynch looking down at the ring while surrounded by a sea of fans. Lynch was given the biggest push of her career over the next several months.

Jax later apologized to Lynch by sending her a bouquet. Lynch didn't just accept the apology but was grateful for what happened on RAW:

“She sent me flowers, but I should’ve sent her flowers. Yeah, yeah it was after that, there was an iconic image to go with the match." (H/T WrestlingInc)

Lynch also said that Jax breaking her nose was a major turning point in her career:

"So yeah, 100% it was a blessing in disguise. I don't know what would have happened otherwise. We would have had our match, I probably would have won. Who knows? Who knows what would have happened?. It's so hard to tell, but I am very grateful for everything that happened along the way." (H/T Republic World)

Lynch's push culminated with a history-making WrestleMania main event. She headlined WrestleMania 35 with Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey. Lynch pinned Rousey to win both the RAW and SmackDown Women's titles at The Show of Shows.

#1. Roman Reigns rejects Riddle's apology written by Randy Orton

Last year, WWE Superstar Riddle claimed that Roman Reigns doesn't move the needle, and added that he could beat him in a real fight.

The Tribal Chief wasn't happy with Riddle's comments. In a recent interview by Riddle, he revealed that he wrote an apology to Reigns and asked Randy Orton if he could make his note any better.

The Viper wasn't impressed with Riddle's apology letter and sent him a note that he wrote. Riddle ended up sending the apology to Reigns, who refused to accept the same:

“I sent Randy an apology that I wrote for this person. Randy looked at it and was like, 'Nah, this is all wrong, this is what you write.' He sent me an apology back and there was no apology at all. It was basically like, 'My bad.' He knows this Chief better than I do. So I sent this apology and let's just say that he did not accept it."

Here's hoping, for Riddle's sake, Reigns notices his recent interview and learns exactly what happened between Riddle and Orton before he received the apology.

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