5 Times Vince McMahon refused to rehire WWE Superstars

WWE have created numerous legends who will be forever remembered for their prowess in the ring. Some of these legends have had tumultuous relationships with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, which has probably resulted in them not being offered a return to the company.

Some of them may not have been rehired because they are no longer of value to the company or can't be fit into any storylines in WWE. However, there have also been instances where McMahon has refused to sign Superstars just because of who represents the Superstar as their manager.

Here, we take a look at five instances Vince McMahon refused to rehire WWE Superstars:

#5 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle has had an up and down relationship with WWE and Vince McMahon. Angle became one of the most popular and important Superstars in WWE during the Attitude Era and after. He was regarded for his incredible work in the ring and also his comedy segments.

But, behind the scenes, Angle had issues with his health which resulted in him eventually leaving the company in 2006. He had a good run with TNA, where he put on good matches but he wanted to return to WWE.

He contacted WWE and Vince McMahon in 2014 but they weren't even willing to have talks with him. This is what Angle had to tell Sports Illustrated in 2015 about the conversation he had with WWE and Vince McMahon:

“Paul [Levesque] is in charge. I found that out when I contacted Vince. I’ve always had a good relationship with Paul, so I didn’t consider that a problem. But he decided they had enough talent. For the Vince McMahon who I knew, enough was never enough. He always wanted more. I don’t know what was going on over there, but they even canceled our meeting. I never went to see them. They didn’t even sit me down and talk to me.”

Angle eventually did return to WWE in 2017, where he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and later became the RAW GM. He was released by WWE in 2020.

#4 Alberto del Rio

Alberto del Rio was one Superstar who was touted to have a bright future, but his conduct backstage, as well as other reasons, led to his eventual exit from WWE. The Mexican Superstar had two runs with WWE, the first coming between 2009 and 2014. It was during this tenure that he won the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship.

He returned to the company in 2015, but left a year later, reportedly unhappy at how WWE used him. Earlier this year, he said that he had spoken with WWE about a return to the company:

"We have been in communication. We have rebuilt the bridge. On their part, they were wrong on some decisions and I also did some things wrong on my part. I am hoping that we can reach an agreement sometime this year or by the middle of this year I’ll be back there."

But, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that WWE and del Rio's representatives have had no contact and he also revealed that del Rio is not someone Vince McMahon wants to work with.

With his recent indiscretions away from the ring, it is highly unlikely that the former WWE Champion will return to the company.

#3 Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels' bad reputation backstage in WWE in the 90s is a well-known fact. The Heartbreak Kid rubbed people the wrong way and had genuine heat with many Superstars backstage.

WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson, who was Vince McMahon's right-hand man, revealed how he played a part in bringing back Shawn Michaels, despite the WWE Chairman not wanting to see Michaels in a WWE ring.

Patterson revealed this in an interview a few years ago, but he didn't go into detail about when this incident happened as HBK has retired on more than one occasion.

“Vince and I would work very hard at getting talent back. Some of these guys would get fired over the years. They were talented, but they would do stupid things. One of them was Shawn Michaels and Vince (McMahon) didn’t want to hear nothing about him, in fact he is dead, Shawn Michaels is not coming back. Once in a while I would bring up his name. Shawn Michaels never called saying 'Pat could you get me in', he never called, I just wanted to convince Vince and then Shawn Michaels back."

#2 Chyna

Chyna is regarded as one of the most important women Superstars in WWE's history. But her relationship with WWE was less than ideal from when she left the company in 2001 to her death in 2016.

She revealed that she pitched for a return to WWE and even sent a letter to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon about putting aside their differences for one more run with the company.

During an appearance on the Howard Stern show, she opened up about her letter to Vince McMahon and their reply:

"I wrote [WWE Chairman Vince McMahon] a legal letter, it was very professional instead of like the trainwreck, all over, like crazy. Had my stuff together and I wrote him a certified letter by lawyer and said, 'Hey, are you ready to put everything aside personally, and would you like to do business with me?'"

She said that WWE did reply to her letter and this was their response:

“We’re not interested at this time.”

Chyna was finally inducted as part of D-Generation X into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.

#1 CM Punk

CM Punk is one Superstar who has had one of the most stormy relationships with WWE and Vince McMahon in recent years. Punk, who retired from WWE in 2014, did so as he was angry about being misdiagnosed by WWE doctors, as well as pay-related issues and his unhappiness at why he didn't main-event WrestleMania.

Fans have been clamoring for him to return to the company but Punk did not entertain these requests as he revealed he had no interest in returning to WWE.

After an unsuccessful stint in the UFC, Punk debuted on WWE Backstage, a WWE analysis show on FOX last year. Punk reiterated that he was signed with FOX and not WWE and he still had no interest in wrestling.

But, earlier this year, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that the former WWE Champion's agent had reached out to WWE about a return. But, Vince McMahon reportedly feels that he can't do business with Punk, which has ruled out any return to the WWE ring.