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Throughout WWE's history, one thing has been made clear over and over again - no Superstar is bigger than the business. You might be the face of the company, or very over with the WWE Universe, but that does not save you from the ax of getting fired.
We've seen many top WWE Superstars getting fired, and whether they or their fans liked it or not, the show went on with or without them. There have even been instances where the company fired Superstars only to rehire them shortly after.
That being said, there are many top WWE Superstars on the current roster who, you might not believe, were very close to being fired by WWE. Who are these Superstars and what did they do to be in that position? Let's find out in this article right here!
Also, be sure to comment below and let me know what do you think would have happened if WWE had fired them? It's interesting to wonder about the impact it would have had on WWE programming!
#5 WWE's Golden Boy - John Cena
Starting with one of WWE's greatest Superstars of all time, Mr. Hustle Loyalty Respect - John Cena. There are many interesting backstage stories about the 16-time World Champion, and one of them is that he was very close to being fired by WWE very early on in his career.
Before he became Super-Cena and the face of the company, he was struggling to connect with the fans. John Cena himself revealed the same in a recent WWE Network documentary:
“I was told that I would be getting my release at Christmas cuts because it just wasn’t working, and there was no argument there, it wasn’t”
It was during the European tour of WWE where Stephanie McMahon saw John Cena rapping alongside fellow WWE Superstars and asked him to do the same on TV. This little moment turned out to be huge for his career as the Doctor of Thuganomics was born, and the rest is history. Dave Meltzer revealed the following about the incident:
“John Cena worked OVW for a while, which is where he really learned his craft. He was called up too soon, which everyone knew, and there’s political reasons why that happened, and it nearly cost him his career. If it wasn’t for Stephanie McMahon taking a liking to him after they’d just about decided to let him go, he could’ve been gone.”
In an interview with Uproxx, John Cena stated:
“I was about to be fired. I was in a Becky Lynch-type scenario where I was forgotten and I was about to be let go and I took a chance on myself. I took a chance on redefining my character and it worked and I’ve never stopped. And I wasn’t the corporate headquarters first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth choice, but the audience began to make noise"
Well, isn't it awesome that things worked out for Cena at the right time? Because if they didn't, we would have missed out on one of the most successful WWE Superstars of the modern era of Professional Wrestling.
#4 WWE's Chief Brand Officer - Stephanie McMahon
If you think being the Boss' daughter makes Stephanie McMahon immune from being fired from WWE, think again! WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon has been known to be a strict businessman who doesn't let personal and emotional opinions come in the way of his business.
While Stephanie McMahon plays her character of a massive heel exceptionally well now, she started her career as the innocent daughter of the evil Mr. McMahon. The Billion Dollar Princess revealed in one of her interviews with Lilian Garcia how she almost got fired multiple times because his father wanted her to be better than everybody else.
"From Vince McMahon's perspective, especially, you have to earn it even more because you're his child. You have to be better than everybody else and he puts you to that test every single day. I've almost been fired numerous times. 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." (Credits for the quotes)
Over the last 20+ years, Stephanie McMahon has been an integral part of several storylines. So, it is pretty hard to imagine today's WWE without her involvement in numerous iconic segments.
#3 WWE Hall of Famer and former COO - Triple H
If Stephanie McMahon was not immune from getting herself almost fired, neither was her husband and WWE Hall of Famer, Triple H, who also got very close to being fired by WWE. The man who is considered by many to be the one to take over the company from Vince McMahon made a massive mistake during the early stages of his career, for which he could have lost his job.
Unlike now, maintaining kayfabe was a huge deal back in the day. But one incident changed it all for many - The Curtain Call at Madison Square Garden in 1996. The Kliq, consisting of Scott Hall, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Kevin Nash broke kayfabe in front of a jam-packed MSG crowd and hugged each other despite being on-screen rivals.
During an interview, the former head writer of the company, Vince Russo revealed the following:
"Well, here’s what happened. Curtain Call happened at Madison Square Garden. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall went to WCW. Shawn Michaels was the champion, so they weren’t going to touch him. So, who was going to be the whipping boy? Triple H."
"I mean, at the time, Bruce Prichard and Jim Cornette wanted Triple H fired. They wanted him fired. That’s how pissed off they were."
While Triple H was not released from WWE, he was booked to lose most of his momentum as a punishment. He was also denied an opportunity to become the King of the Ring that year.
#2 WWE's Kingslayer - Seth Rollins
The next big name on the list is the Kingslayer, one of the biggest WWE Superstars of the current era - Seth Rollins. One of the most interesting backstage stories about Seth Rollins is how he almost got fired from WWE due to his "behavioral issues". Former WWE writer Rob Naylor revealed how the Monday Night Messiah was almost let go during his time in FCW/NXT.
"Rollins’ issues were simply that he didn’t always listen precisely to his coaches. He’d be told not to do a move… and then do it. I know that while Rollins was in FCW and NXT, people felt at times he had ‘behavioral issues’. That was never the case in my estimation. Every coach on the staff was just as hungry at one time, so that was overblown. But he was on the bubble to be let go months prior to the Shield angle, based on the perception of some from the office.”
Seth Rollins spoke to WWE.com and confirmed the fact that he almost lost his job and how frustrated he was.
“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."
It was his on-screen and off-screen mentor Triple H who talked sense into him, which made him change his attitude, and the rest is history. Seth Rollins is currently a four-time World Champion in WWE, and from the looks of it, he has a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career ahead of him.
It was reported a couple of weeks ago that WWE made the decision to give Seth Rollins creative freedom backstage.
#1 WWE's Apex Predator - Randy Orton
The list keeps getting interesting! WWE's resident Viper Randy Orton is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time and his accomplishments vouch for the impact he has had in the last 18 years. Being a 13-time World Champion in the company, Orton is a sure-shot future Hall-of-Famer. But even his stardom wasn't enough at one point to save him from getting fired.
Randy Orton has had his issues with WWE's Wellness Policy, violating it on more than one occasion. It is a rule that if a WWE Superstar violates the Wellness Policy of the company three times, they will be given an immediate termination. But in Randy's case, there were several officials who contemplated releasing him after his second violation. As per a 2012 report:
A WWE source described the meeting's atmosphere as "hostile;" it was determined that a further decision concerning Orton awaits. The report adds there are "several" officials lobbying for his termination as a cost-cutting measure. They feel his lucrative 10-year contract—signed in January 2010—can no longer be justified if he is brought back in a mid-level role. His second suspension hinders WWE from continuing to feature Orton in headline role since a third drug-testing policy infraction would result in automatic termination.
It's awesome to know that Randy Orton was able to turn his life around for the better because currently, he is unarguably the most interesting part of WWE.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
