5 Times WWE Superstars got in trouble for going off-script

One of the most interesting aspects of WWE, or pro wrestling as a whole, is the fact that it's similar to a weekly soap opera, and thus gives room for infinite possibilities when it comes to presenting content on TV. WWE has taken advantage of the same throughout its storied history and given us a wide variety of angles and matches that made the fans go gaga.

An important part of weekly WWE TV is the promo that a Superstars cuts on the mic. These promos help WWE Superstars hype up their matches and give incentive to the WWE Universe to tune into the eventual match. Sometimes, WWE Superstars end up trying things their way, which leads to an off-script promo. The same thing has happened during WWE contests as well, on various occasions, with Superstars breaking script and changing a pre-planned sequence.

In the following list, we will take a look at five WWE Superstars who went off-script, and ended up landing in trouble because of the same.

#5 Batista does a blade job and gets heavily fined

This incident took place way back in 2008, when Batista was a mainstay on WWE RAW. The Animal was involved in a heated feud with WWE legend Chris Jericho, and the duo faced off in a Steel Cage match on the November 3, 2008 episode of RAW with the World title on the line.

During the match, Batista did a blade job on himself, as he wanted to add realism to the contest. Jericho hit him with a steel pipe moments before escaping the cage, and Batista wasn't supposed to shed blood following the sequence. The World Champion had probably forgotten that WWE had fully embraced the PG Era by that point, and a blade job was a big no-no at that point of time.

"Then he starts passing out fines. So my fine was $100,000? My heart dropped. I thought it would be like $25,000? When he said $100,000, I was just heartbroken. I literally think that he sucked the life out of me that day. I think that's the day that I knew things were never going to be the same."

Batista was clearly upset with the hefty fine Vince McMahon slapped him with. He would leave WWE in mid-2010, immediately after finishing off his months-long feud with John Cena, which saw Batista suffering three straight pay-per-view losses against the 16-time World Champion.

#4 Big Cass angers Vince McMahon after going off-script during Danel Bryan feud on WWE SmackDown

Big Cass had tons of promise, but his WWE career ended in controversial fashion and we never got to see him become a top star on one of the main brands. In 2018, Big Cass kicked off a feud with WWE veteran Daniel Bryan, with Cass being a heel at the time. Bryan had come out of retirement mere weeks ago, and the WWE Universe was supporting the former World Champion during the feud.

In a SmackDown segment, Big Cass was set to hit a Big Boot on a little person, dressed as Bryan, but Cass ended up doing much, much more. He threw a series of punches at the guy, and Vince McMahon was livid beyond belief.

"This was specifically designed to get me uber, uber heat. Then I was panicking because I was like, 'This is not the reaction they want.' So then I did what I thought was right, I got back through the curtain, it was very, very bad. It was a bad night for me."

"That is the understatement of the century. Furious… he was furious. That was the first straw, rightfully so. That was such a bad decision. So stupid."

Big Cass' WWE career soon came to an end, and he hasn't been much active in pro wrestling ever since then. Cass and Enzo Amore were two incredibly talented Superstars, and the WWE Universe hadn't imagined in its wildest dreams that both men would be out of WWE by mid-2018.

#3 Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are sent back from WWE's UK tour after SmackDown incident

The incident happened in late 2017, while WWE was on a UK tour. During an episode of SmackDown, the heelish duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was involved in a segment with The New Day and Shane McMahon. The original script called for Owens and Zayn to put over The New Day by taking a beating at the hands of the trio and then fleeing the scene. This sequence was written to make The New Day look strong on the road to WWE Survivor Series, where the trio was set to take on The Shield in an inter-promotional match.

Kevin Owens and Zayn instead left the ring, leading to an awkward visual. The two Superstars received major backstage heat following the incident, and were sent back home as a punishment for their deeds. Many believed at the time that Vince McMahon was going to suspend the duo following the incident, but they were back on WWE TV the very next week.

#2 Daniel Puder shoots on WWE legend Kurt Angle and is eventually punished

This is one of the most infamous incidents in WWE SmackDown history. Back in late 2004, WWE legend Kurt Angle challenged the band of Tough Enough rookies to a squat thrust competition. Chris Nawrocki emerged victorious in the end and got a match against Angle. Unfortunately for Nawrocki, Angle ended up breaking his ribs during the fight, and fellow Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder wasn't happy one bit.

When Puder's turn came, he decided to teach Angle a lesson, and locked the former WWE Champion in a Kimura Lock. The official quickly realized what was happening, and made an awkward three-count to give Angle a victory. The WWE Hall of Famer looked visibly frustrated at Puder's actions. At the Royal Rumble 2005 event, Puder entered the free-for-all, and was given the beating of his life by the trio of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Hardcore Holly. The three Superstars hit him with a series of hard chest chops, following which he was thrown out of the match. Puder never competed on the main roster ever again, and was let go months later.

#1 The Curtain Call incident leads to Vince McMahon canceling Triple H's WWE push

In mid-1996, WWE Superstars Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were all set to leave for WCW. On May 19, the duo appeared on their last WWE show at the legendary Madison Square Garden. Scott Hall took on Triple H in one of the matches, while Shawn Michaels wrestled Kevin Nash inside a steel cage, in the main event. These on-screen rivals were the best of friends behind the scenes, and were dubbed The Kliq. After the match, Triple H and Hall came out, and the quartet hugged it out in the ring.

Back in the mid-90s, maintaining kayfabe was still a necessity, and Vince McMahon wasn't happy with The Kliq's actions. He couldn't punish Hall and Nash. Michaels was the WWE Champion, and didn't suffer for his actions either. In the end, it was Triple H who was punished for the incident, and his mega push was canceled. The Game was scheduled to win King of the Ring 1996, and the win was eventually given to Stone Cold Steve Austin. One wonders what would have happened if Austin wasn't given his 1996 push, as it was the biggest factor in WWE beating WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

Edited by Kaushik Das