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WWE is a scripted sport and works in the same manner as a weekly soap opera with long-lasting storylines and segments that are a part of the same. These angles then lead to matches between the participating Superstars at major events.
To carry out these angles without a hitch, the company employs a team of creative writers that churns out stories for WWE TV on a regular basis. WWE Superstars usually go ahead with these stories without making a fuss about it, but there have been instances where the opposite happened.
At one point in their careers, some Superstars become popular enough to bag the power to influence booking decisions. When such a time arrives, Superstars can change a pre-determined booking if they don't like it, or feel as if it wouldn't benefit them in any manner. In this list, we will take a look at five WWE Superstars who changed major booking decisions, for a variety of reasons.
#5 Goldberg didn't want to ruin his character with a loss to The Fiend
At Super ShowDown 2020, The Fiend was set to defend his Universal title against WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg, in what many dubbed a dream encounter. Until that point, The Fiend was an unstoppable monster who had put down everyone who came in his path. Fans were hoping for him to win the match and head towards WrestleMania as Universal Champion. The original WWE plans weren't any different either.
Things changed at the last minute though, as Goldberg didn't want to lose to The Fiend and 'ruin' his image in front of his young fans.
"We were told that Goldberg going over was a last-minute decision, apparently because Goldberg didn’t want to risk damaging his image. It was noted that Goldberg bargained for creative control and pushed for the title win because 'The Fiend' was a monster and the younger fans needed to see him come out victorious, or it would ruin his character."
The Fiend and Goldberg's WWE Super ShowDown match didn't even last five minutes
Goldberg squashed the most dangerous entity in all of WWE in a matter of minutes, at Super ShowDown. He had become a legit draw at that point and was able to influence major WWE bookings when it came to his position on the roster. Goldberg went on to lose the belt to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36, while The Fiend defeated John Cena at the same event.
#4 Bret Hart sensed the potential of The Rock
Bret Hart and The Rock are two of the biggest Superstars in the history of WWE. Back when The Rock was a young gun with a bright future ahead, Bret Hart was among the ones who sensed that he had something in him that could turn him into a major star in the coming days. Around that time, Bret Hart was set to score a win over The Rock (who went by the moniker of Rocky Maivia at the time) on an episode of RAW.
The Rock hadn't made it big yet in WWE at that point
The result of the match had to be changed though, as the WWE legend refused to win against The Rock. The match took place on the March 25, 1997 edition of WWE RAW, and ended with The Rock picking up a DQ win over Hart. Hart's decision reportedly didn't sit well with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, who believed that The Rock posed a threat to their standing on the WWE roster. Bret Hart was on point in regards to The Rock's potential, as the latter went on to become one of the greatest Superstars to ever step foot in the squared circle.
#3 John Cena changed his mind shortly before the SummerSlam showdown against The Nexus
The summer of 2010 saw The Nexus wreaking havoc on WWE TV and attacking a string of personalities in their quest to take over the company. The Nexus kicked off a feud with WWE Superstar John Cena, who was the top name in the promotion at the time.
As per Chris Jericho and Edge, who were a part of the seven-on-seven match at SummerSlam 2010, Team Cena was slated to lose to The Nexus. Unfortunately for the rookies, Cena had other plans. Here's Justin Gabriel explaining what exactly happened:
"There was a back and forth between Jericho and Cena about what should happen. We should have changed the finish, but being rookies we didn't want to be pushy. We all knew we should have changed it. Everything from that point went downhill. It should have run for at least a year and put more of an emphasis on some of the characters."
The Nexus never recovered from the WWE SummerSlam loss
Following the loss at WWE SummerSlam 2010, The Nexus soon fizzled out, and Wade Barrett's faction never recovered from the blow. One wonders what would have happened if Cena had agreed to let The Nexus go over at SummerSlam. Wade Barrett had the skills to make it big in WWE, and several other Nexus members could have become legit stars in the company. Barrett never won a World title during his stint in WWE and parted ways with the promotion in 2016.
#2 Hulk Hogan wasn't interested in putting Shawn Michaels over
On the road to WWE SummerSlam 2005, Shawn Michaels turned heel in a rare occurrence, and hit the Sweet Chin Music on WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan. The crowd in the arena couldn't believe their eyes over what had just happened. The duo went on to headline WWE SummerSlam. Originally, the plan was for a face vs. face feud, with Hogan winning the first match and returning the favor to Michaels later on. Hogan insisted that Michaels turn to the dark side for the rivalry, which he did.
Hogan and Michaels never squared off in a WWE ring again
Unfortunately for Michaels, Hogan later refused to have the second match with him, and also wanted to go over at SummerSlam. If you watch the SummerSlam encounter, you'll notice that Michaels went overboard with his sells, to the point that it turned into a hilarious outing that made fans chuckle at what was happening in the ring. Due to Hogan changing his mind, the plans for the feud to continue were dropped altogether, and Michaels soon kicked off a rivalry with Chris Masters.
#1 Edge had issues with the idea of him breaking The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania
Years before Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak at the 30th edition of The Show of Shows, WWE had plans for Edge to do the same. At WWE WrestleMania 24 in 2008, Edge faced The Undertaker in a World title match to close out the show. Edge walked into the match as Champion, and lost the title to The Deadman in the end. Here's what Michelle McCool had to say about the affair, and how Edge's refusal to break the streak led to WWE changing plans for the main event.
"Actually, I remember at WrestleMania [24] versus Edge they talked about Edge breaking the streak. It was Edge that was actually like, 'That makes zero sense. I don’t want to do that. Why would I do that? The fans already love him. What’s it gonna do for Edge?' It was Edge that went to bat for the streak."
Edge became a WWE Hall of Famer in 2012
Edge was one of the biggest Superstars in WWE at the time, and was the top heel on SmackDown for years on end. He retired from the business in 2011 due to a neck injury, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the next year. Edge made his miraculous WWE return at the 2020 Royal Rumble, and came incredibly close to winning it all.
