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At present, WWE has several different brands, which opens up much more TV time for their contracted superstars. Despite this, there are still several wrestlers who have been taken off WWE TV and have not been heard from for several weeks or even months.
Whilst many superstars then struggle to return to WWE TV following their removal, others manage to make it back. Most recently, Aleister Black was able to spend six months on the sidelines before he returned this past week.
Of course, there are other wrestlers who haven't been as lucky and the following list looks at some of the most bizarre reasons why WWE removed their talent from programming.
#5. Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler were collateral when Jaxson Ryker was removed from WWE TV
The Forgotten Sons were seen as the next big thing during their time in NXT before their promotion to the main roster landed them in the mix for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler and Jaxson Ryker fought for the Tag Team Championships as part of the 2020 Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Ryker later took to Twitter to post a controversial Tweet supporting the United States President at the time, Donald Trump.
The Tweet gained a lot of attention and several fellow wrestlers even commented on the fact that it was in bad taste at that time, which led to WWE removing all three stars from TV.
Ryker has since been moved over to Monday Night RAW where he teams with Elias. Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler were given a second chance at the beginning of this year when they became The Knights of The Lone Wolf.
Cutler's personal issues outside of WWE then forced Blake to be written off TV once again when the storyline was scrapped. Cutler was released from the company back in January.
The former NXT Tag Team Champion wasn't given another chance on WWE's main roster. He was one of several surprising names released from the company following WrestleMania when WWE made their annual budget cuts. This is made even more surprising given the fact that Blake recently announced that he and his wife Sara Lee were expecting their third child.
#4. AJ Lee refuses to be part of a storyline and is written off WWE TV
AJ Lee is a former Divas Champion in WWE but opted to retire from the company back in 2015 when she was seen as the longest-reigning Divas Champion in WWE history.
Following her WWE departure, Lee wrote "Crazy is my Superpower" which went on to become a New York Times Best Seller. In the book, Lee confessed that she turned down a WWE storyline where the company wanted to make light of her bipolar disorder.
According to Lee, WWE reportedly wanted her to:
“Take part in a series of goofy skits in which her character hallucinated, kissed a leprechaun and danced with dinosaurs from outer space."
Lee and her mother have both struggled with bipolar, as noted throughout the book, and the former Champion wasn't happy with the idea. Lee explained:
“It was a joke, but, to me, it wasn’t something to laugh at. It’s hard to not think you’re alone in the world so it’s good to connect with other people who’ve faced the same issues.”
Lee also went on to note that she believes turning down this storyline was the reason she was then taken off WWE TV for two months.
#3. Tye Dillinger was too popular for WWE's liking
It's been a few years since Tye Dillinger made his main roster WWE debut as number 10 in the 2017 Royal Rumble match. Dillinger was seen as The Perfect 10 down in NXT and looked to continue that trend on the main roster.
Dillinger was set to enter the 2018 Royal Rumble match at number 10 once again the following year. However, he was beaten up by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn backstage before he could make his entrance.
It was later reported that Tye Dillinger had been written off WWE TV because he had become too popular. Furthermore, the company was not happy with fans chanting "10" when he wasn't on screen. Instead of capitalizing on Dillinger's popularity following his main roster debut, WWE decided to sideline him for several weeks instead.
The Perfect 10 did finally make an impact on the main roster, but later went on to request his release from WWE and is now wrestling as Shawn Spears in All Elite Wrestling.
#2. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are removed from WWE TV after "going into business for themselves"
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been friends and enemies throughout their spell in WWE. While the two stars are currently feuding, this wasn't the case back in 2017.
Zayn and Owens were part of WWE's European Tour and after Sami Zayn was defeated by Kofi Kingston as part of SmackDown's live event in Manchester, the duo were set to put over The New Day and take a beatdown.
Instead, Owens fed Kingston several punches before exiting the ring and leaving the area alongside Sami Zayn, garnering the duo some heat backstage. The duo were then sent home from the European Tour for "going into business for themselves" before being written off WWE TV for several weeks.
They were not part of Survivor Series, which took place a few days later but, unlike many other stars who have been punished by the company, both men have been able to recover and reignite their careers over the past few years.
#1. Chris Jericho was taken off WWE TV after he disrespected the Brazilian Flag
Chris Jericho has always been seen as a controversial WWE star, something which has continued into his career in AEW.
The former World Champion was part of a WWE Live Event in São Paulo, Brazil back in May 2012. He reportedly denigrated the Brazilian flag during a match against former WWE Champion CM Punk.
Jericho was forced to apologize mid-match, otherwise he would have been arrested, despite it obviously being his way of garnering some cheap heat from the crowd.
WWE then had to be seen to punish Jericho to avoid any backlash from its fanbase and sponsors, so the company announced that Jericho had been suspended for 30 days following the show and was sent home.
Just two years later, WWE was forced to send out another apology after The Big Show pulled down the Russian Flag as part of his feud with Rusev. It appears that since then, WWE has learned its lesson when it comes to including flags in storylines.
