John Cena and 4 top stars you may not know WWE almost fired

Some of WWE's biggest superstars almost got fired from the company in the past few years. Vince McMahon's company has released many wrestlers including former world champions like Braun Strowman, Jeff Hardy, and Ric Flair. It has also let go of several young talents.

Some wrestling fans may not know that the company was also about to let go of some of today's biggest superstars in the past. A few years ago, WWE almost fired a current champion. Another wrestler WWE thought about releasing in the past later became arguably the greatest in company history. Vince McMahon even, surprisingly, almost fired one of his own children.

Here are five top stars you may not know WWE almost fired.

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#5. Former WWE RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss is one of the most talented superstars of this generation. She joined WWE in May 2013 and spent nearly three years on NXT before making her main roster debut in July 2016.

Despite not winning any titles during her NXT run, Little Miss Bliss later captured many championships on RAW and SmackDown. The Goddess is now a former three-time RAW Women's Champion, two-time SmackDown Women's Champion, and a two-time Women's Tag Team Champion. The 30-year-old also won the 2018 Money in the Bank ladder match.

Although she is now one of the most accomplished female superstars, Bliss' career, surprisingly, was almost cut short during her NXT days.

During an appearance on the Not Sam Wrestling Podcast in 2017, the former RAW Women's Champion disclosed that changing her character after teaming up with Blake and Murphy on NXT saved her from being fired from Vince McMahon's company.

"From day one I knew it was my sink or swim moment because in NXT as a good guy my character wasn’t getting over and when I was told about the pairing with Blake & Murphy I knew there had to be a character change. Wednesday night we had TakeOver and I pushed Enzo and helped keep them as champions, I came the next day with new gear and different hair and I knew that if I didn’t run with it, I probably wasn’t going to have a job," she said.

Bliss has not wrestled since her defeat against Charlotte Flair at Extreme Rules in September 2021. Nevertheless, she recently returned to television, appearing on the Red Brand.

#4. Former WWE Champion Seth Freakin' Rollins

Before he became Seth Freakin' Rollins, WWE almost fired the former Universal Champion.

Rollins signed with Vince McMahon's company nearly 12 years ago. After spending about two years in developmental, the 35-year-old grew frustrated over his role in WWE. Hence, he had a bad attitude and often clashed with NXT trainer Terry Taylor.

"I literally almost lost my job. I had been there (in developmental) for almost two years. I was very frustrated. I couldn’t get along with anyone. I thought I deserved more than I did," he told the company's official website.

During his appearance on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions last year, The Architect disclosed that Triple H did not like his attitude during that time. The Game then told him that "he saw nothing special in him." The Executive Vice President was even willing to fire Rollins if he did not change his behavior.

However, a meeting with NXT head trainer Joey Mercury saved Rollins' job in Vince McMahon's company:

"I was sick of the stagnation in WWE. We sat down and talked for a good couple hours. That was an eye-opener for me, I think, in a lot of ways, because it really felt like that was going to be it. And if I don’t do this now [and] make this work now, I may not get another chance," he added.

Luckily, Rollins kept his job. He is currently one of the top superstars on the roster. The Visionary is now a Grand Slam and Triple Crown Champion.

Rollins is currently the number one contender for the Universal Championship. He will go one-on-one with Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event for the title.

#3. WWE RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch signed with WWE in 2013 and competed for two years on NXT before making her main roster debut. Like Alexa Bliss, Big Time Becks did not accomplish much during her NXT days. She even failed to impress a few people backstage.

In an interview with CBS New York in 2019, Lynch revealed that a few people even wanted to fire her during her early days in Vince McMahon's company.

"I got a couple of text messages this week from people here at work and NXT or worked in the office side of things. (They said) I don’t know if you knew this, but there are some people that wanted to fire you when you were in NXT. Congratulations on the main event (of WrestleMania 35). I was like, 'Well, no, I knew that,'" she said.

Luckily, the Irish wrestler did not get fired. Instead, she has become one of the company's biggest superstars since joining the main roster in 2015. The 34-year-old is now a six-time Women's Champion. She currently holds the RAW Women's Title.

The Man will now defend her championship against Doudrop at the Royal Rumble.

#2. WWE legend John Cena

John Cena was the face of WWE for nearly a decade and a half. However, many fans may not know that the 16-time world champion was once very close to getting fired from Vince McMahon's company.

During an episode of the Ruthless Aggression documentary series, The Leader of the Cenation revealed that the company planned to fire him nearly five months after his main roster debut in 2002.

"The WWE, they used to make a series of cuts around late November and around mid-May. 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. They gave it to me on a silver platter – John Cena, Ruthless Aggression – and I failed, I messed it up," he said.

Nevertheless, the company's decision changed after Stephanie McMahon, coincidentally, listened to Cena performing a freestyle rap at the back of a bus. She was so impressed and asked him to make it part of his on-screen character. Hence, he adopted The Doctor of Thuganomics persona and continued working for Vince McMahon's company.

Cena is now arguably the greatest superstar in the company's history. After spending nearly 16 years as a full-time competitor, The Leader of the Cenation is currently a part-timer.

The 16-time world champion last competed in Vince McMahon's company in August 2021 when he challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Nevertheless, he came up short.

#1. WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon was a teenager when she kicked off her WWE career as a model more than two decades ago. The Billion Dollar Princess then worked in different jobs inside her father's company, including becoming a receptionist, writer, and on-screen talent.

In an interview with Chasing Glory a few years ago, McMahon confessed that she had made several mistakes throughout her career. She also revealed that she almost got fired from her father's company a few times because of these mistakes.

"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. But as Vince says, you can make mistakes, just don’t make the same mistake twice," he said.

McMahon is now a former Women's Champion. She last competed in WWE in 2018 when she teamed up with her husband Triple H to face Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34. The Billion Dollar Princess and The Game lost the bout.

Despite no longer being a regular in-ring competitor, McMahon is still one of the company's leaders. She currently holds the position of Chief Brand Officer.