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With social media allowing WWE fans to be more connected than ever before, it does not take long for theories to spread about certain Superstars being erased from the company’s history books.
For example, after Roman Reigns pulled out of WrestleMania 36, WWE edited the former Shield member out of a WrestleMania 31 clip that aired on RAW.
While this prompted speculation that he was somehow being punished, Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue clarified that there was never an issue between WWE and Reigns, and he was only left out of the video because WWE did not want people asking questions about where he is.
That example shows that not every theory about WWE trying to rewrite history is true, but did you know that plenty of Superstars really have been erased from WWE’s history books – sometimes forever, sometimes only for a few years – and their name has not been spoken of again?
In this article, let’s take a look at five Superstars that WWE tried to erase from the history books.
#5 WWE tried to erase CM Punk
CM Punk walked out on WWE in January 2014 following a heated discussion with Triple H and Vince McMahon about his injury problems and concerns that he had about the direction of his character. Since that day, WWE has subtly attempted to erase Punk from the company’s history books on multiple occasions.
One of the first examples of this came in April 2014 when eagle-eyed fans spotted during a WWE Network documentary about The Ultimate Warrior that a sticker had been placed over Punk’s face on a Royal Rumble poster.
In March 2017, WWE risked the wrath of CM Punk’s fans again when a poll on the company’s official website listed The Undertaker’s WrestleMania appearances and the opponent he faced at each event. However, next to WrestleMania 29, Punk’s name was mysteriously absent.
One month later, Brock Lesnar defeated Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 to win the WWE Universal Championship for the first time in his career. This kick-started a 504-day reign for “The Beast”, which meant CM Punk’s modern-era record of 434 days as a WWE World Champion had been broken.
Fast forward to November 2018 and WWE decided to crown a new “Best in the World” at Crown Jewel, with the winner of the WWE World Cup being given the nickname that was used by Punk during his wrestling career.
After Shane McMahon won the trophy and went on to be known as “The Best in the World”, Punk said on the Sauce & Shram podcast that the nickname is likely a dig at him.
"I think he's been calling himself ‘The Best in the World’. And this is the funny thing about the company, is I could say, 'Yeah, that's a little shot at me.' And you know, it probably is, but they'd deny it until the cows come home."
In February 2020, another example of Punk being erased from history emerged after an episode of RAW when WWE’s announcers left his name off the list of people who were going to appear on that week’s WWE Backstage. Punk wrote in a since-deleted tweet that it was “petty” of them to not say his name.
#4 WWE tried to erase AJ Lee
A three-time WWE Divas Champion and arguably the most popular female Superstar of her generation, AJ Lee’s accomplishments have been largely ignored by WWE since she announced her retirement in 2015.
Lee held the Divas Championship for a record-setting 295 days between June 2013 and April 2014. However, just five months after her WWE departure, Nikki Bella surpassed Lee’s record by six days before losing the Divas Championship to Charlotte Flair at Night of Champions 2015.
The timing of Nikki’s title loss led many fans to speculate whether WWE only allowed her to keep hold of the Divas Championship for so long (301 days) due to Lee being the previous record holder.
One year after Nikki broke the record, a ‘WWE 24’ documentary aired on the WWE Network about the Divas Revolution/Women’s Evolution – a movement that Lee undoubtedly played a huge part in. But, as the Twitter user below noted, she did not even receive a mention in the 41-minute episode.
In December 2015, Big E even made light of WWE no longer acknowledging AJ Lee (aka "the woman who's [sic] name is not to be uttered") by joking that he could not join forces with his former allies, Dolph Ziggler and Lee, again.
After her husband, CM Punk, began working on WWE Backstage in 2019, AJ Lee clarified that she is “very retired” and she has no plans to return.
#3 WWE tried to erase Chris Jericho
Talk of Chris Jericho being erased from WWE history began in the same week that he officially signed with AEW. While this was hardly a surprise, he was immediately removed from the RAW video package at the start of the show and replaced by Cesaro.
In April 2019, Jericho said on Sirius XM that he is banned from WWE and he has been “removed from the annals of history”.
“I’ve talked with him [Vince McMahon] a couple of times. But I’m kind of public enemy number one there now. I’ve been kind of removed from the annals of history. I asked the other day if I could have a couple of their guys on my podcast to promote 'Mania and I was told, ‘No, it’s not appropriate because you’re in AEW.’ I am banned from WWE.”
Jericho added that his name was removed from Edge and Christian’s show on the WWE Network, while some videos featuring him on Xavier Woods’ UpUpDownDown YouTube channel had been taken down.
AEW’s first World Champion acknowledged in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times in 2020 that his name is unlikely to be mentioned on WWE programming again.
“They’ll probably never mention me again. I don’t blame them. Why would they promote me in any way, shape or form, when I’m the head of this opposing army, in their opinion, that’s stealing money out of their pockets?”
Nobody has won more WWE Intercontinental Championships than Jericho (nine), but WWE opted not to include him in a 2020 video highlighting the rich history of the title.
When a Twitter user pointed out that Jericho was missing, he implied that WWE is erasing him from history again by sarcastically replying, “Who?”
#2 WWE tried to erase Hulk Hogan
In 2014, Hulk Hogan began working as an ambassador and occasional on-screen talent for WWE following an eight-year absence.
One year later, he was fired by the company after audio emerged of him using racial slurs in a recording from 2007. WWE also removed Hogan from the WWE Hall of Fame and took down all references to the veteran Superstar from the company’s website.
At the time, Hogan had a role as a judge on the Tough Enough panel alongside Daniel Bryan and Paige, but he was immediately replaced by The Miz when news broke about the audio recording.
Hogan told Sports Illustrated in 2015 that he informed Triple H about the leaked recording as soon as he heard about it.
“Triple H said, ‘Okay, thanks for calling. Let me talk to Vince [McMahon].’ He called me back a half hour later and he goes, ‘I’ve got some news and it isn’t good. Vince said that you need to resign.’ I never heard from Vince or talked to Vince. In the middle of the night, they just fired me.”
In July 2018, WWE confirmed that Hogan had been reinstated into the Hall of Fame. He has since featured sporadically on WWE television, including as the host of Crown Jewel 2018 and as the manager of a babyface team at Crown Jewel 2019.
#1 WWE tried to erase Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit’s legacy became a topic of conversation again in 2020 after a television series covering controversial moments in wrestling – Viceland’s Dark Side of the Ring – produced two episodes on the former WWE Superstar’s 2007 double-murder and suicide.
Speaking in a 2009 interview with WWE Magazine, Vince McMahon made it clear where he stands on whether his company should acknowledge Benoit.
"It's not right to pretend he didn't exist. It's one thing to include him as part of a historical perspective, which I believe is okay, and it's another thing to promote him, which is not okay. The situation is very similar to that of O.J. Simpson—despite his controversy, O.J. was still a part of the NFL scene. You can't deny that he existed."
Since McMahon made those comments, hundreds of Benoit matches have been made available to watch on the WWE Network. But, as you can see below, they are not accessible via the search tool at the top of the page.
The picture above shows that Benoit’s name is also not included on WWE Network content. Unlike other match listings, which make it clear to viewers who is competing in which match (Kane vs. Undertaker, in this case), Benoit’s matches are worded differently to avoid his name being used.
We found a missing AEW star RIGHT HERE.
