5 World Champions WWE almost fired before they made it big

It is always enjoyable to watch your favorite WWE Superstars develop over the years and turn into megastars after putting in a lot of hard work and dedication.

John Cena, Triple H, and The Undertaker were all fresh when they arrived in WWE and turned out to become the biggest names in sports entertainment over their career.

While many Superstars have had the fortune of having a smooth career without any hiccups, a few landed in hot water due to their own behavior or due to unavoidable circumstances. However, many such big stars managed to fight out of the bad situations after almost being fired and turned out to become multi-time World Champions for WWE in the years that followed.

In this article, we will look at the 5 such WWE Superstars who almost got fired early in their careers before the company changed their mind and allowed them to become the biggest names in the business.

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#5 Randy Orton

The Viper almost said goodbye to his WWE career very early

Randy Orton is one of the biggest names in sports entertainment today. In fact, he is a brand name on his own and has managed to make it huge in the industry after getting off on the right foot in WWE.

Regarded as one of the finest heels in the business, Orton seems to have had a comfortable career that has lasted almost two decades and will probably go on for another ten years or so.

However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for The Viper who went against WWE’s Wellness Policy one too many times and landed himself in hot water.

Randy Orton ended up on the wrong side of the WWE Wellness Policy a few times

After his second Wellness Policy violation in 2012, Orton went against the rules a third time but the company decided to hand him another two-month suspension rather than firing him all-together.

The move proved to be fruitful as Orton turned out to be one of WWE’s biggest stars ever in the years to come!

The Viper has addressed his current status with the company in the following way:

“A little bit of luck, a little bit of talent. I don’t know. I know that I’ve been given, earlier in my career, I was given multiple second chances. I’d get in trouble for it, there would be a punishment, whether it was time-out or fines, but I would always come back. I am very consistent. I’m a guy that you can put in there with a Ricochet, for instance, and I can possibly help out talent that needs a little bit of a push or needs a change.”

There is no doubt that Orton is one of the best in the business, and he has helped the company develop a lot of new talent over the years.

#4 Triple H

What if WWE had let go of Triple H early on?

Triple H is undoubtedly one of the most respected men in all of WWE today. The Game won numerous Wolrd Championships during his career and played the perfect heel and also helped many new Superstars out, and helped in the growth of NXT.

While Triple H hit his prime in the late 90s and 00s, he was just another wrestler backstage during the mid-90s. He got himself in a bit of trouble for the infamous Curtain Call incident.

Triple H had a few hiccups in WWE before he made it big

In 1996, Triple H and Kevin Nash teamed up to compete against Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall at Madison Square Garden. After the match, all four men of the Kliq hugged it out. This did not fit well with Vince McMahon who decided to vent his frustration on The Game.

According to Vince Russo, Triple H was singled out to take the fall for the four men:

"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. They were gonna bury Triple H, and they were gonna torture Triple H. And they were gonna humiliate Triple H.”

Thankfully, WWE did not go ahead with the decision to fire him and this led to him becoming one of the biggest Superstars and an important figure behind the scenes in all of sports entertainment.

#3 Paige

Paige's WWE career came to a heartbreaking end

While Paige may not have enjoyed a lengthy in-ring career like many other phenomenal women WWE has signed over the past decade, she managed to win the NXT Women’s Championship and the WWE Divas Championship during her career.

Paige had the mic-skills and in-ring capabilities to rule WWE for a long time, but an unfortunate injury ended her career prematurely in 2018.

While it was heartbreaking to watch the Superstar go, fans learned that WWE almost fired Paige a long time earlier before changing their minds.

Paige could have become the top woman in WWE

During her time away due to an injury, Paige stated dating Alberto Del Rio. This did not go down well with WWE who had let go of the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion due to several issues.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter had reported that WWE had planned to let go of Paige in 2016 before deciding against it and letting the talented Superstar continue with her in-ring career.

Even though Paige retired only a couple of years later, she’s managed to leave a huge mark on the company and continues to play different roles for them both in and out of the ring to keep the fans entertained.

#2 Seth Rollins

Rollins rubbed people the wrong way in WWE

Seth Rollins joined WWE almost a decade ago after a good run with Ring of Honor (ROH). He was assigned to the WWE’s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, soon after, and Rollins went on to win the FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.

From there on, Rollins continued to dominate every single brand he was traded to, starting from NXT, where he became the only Shield member to become the NXT Champion.

He is now the most accomplished member of The Shield, as Roman Reigns and now-released Dean Ambrose have far lesser Championship victories as compared to him.

However, before Rollins gained much prominence in WWE, he was almost fired from the company during his time in the developmental brand.

Seth Rollins is one of the top Superstars in WWE today

According to reports, The Architect rubbed several people, including the coaches, the wrong way during his run in FCW and NXT and this did not settle well with the higher-ups. Just two years after his signing, he was under the radar to be fired before Triple H stepped in and sat down with the Superstar to guide him in the right direction.

Rollins has come a long way from then and is now among the top Superstars and merchandise movers in the company.

#1 John Cena

WWE almost made the huge mistake of firing Cena

John Cena has enjoyed being the face of WWE for a long time, and even though he’s been away from the company for some time now, he will forever be connected with the company.

At this point, it seems like Cena will be signed by the company for as long as he lives, even if he never takes to the ring again. His name and goodwill have served WWE well and it will continue to do the same for at least a decade to come.

Cena is still the face of WWE

However, it may come as a shock to many that WWE almost fired Cena just two months into his main roster career. After doing well in OVW that and making an excellent debut on SmackDown, he found himself in trouble in 2002.

Cena has revealed the following during an interview with Uproxx:

“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."

Stephanie McMahon stepped in and took an interest in Cena, allowing him to continue to make an impact in WWE. Thanks to the Princess of WWE, Cena became the most celebrated Superstar in the company’s history.