5 WWE Superstars who got angry at wrestling being called 'fake'

WWE has been around for around seven decades at this point. From being just one of several major pro-wrestling corporations in the United States to becoming a global media giant, Vince McMahon's promotion has seen it all. The most fascinating aspect of WWE (as is with pro-wrestling as a whole) is the fact that it's scripted entertainment, similar to a weekly soap opera.

Its scripted nature allows the company to experiment with almost every possibility under the sun. The bumps WWE Superstars take and the punishment inflicted on their bodies on a weekly basis are all as real as they can get. That's why most Superstars don't take it lightly when someone dubs WWE, or the business, as being fake. In this list, we will be taking a look at five Superstars who were furious when WWE was called 'fake' by someone.

---

#5 Becky Lynch ranted about Ronda Rousey after the latter called WWE 'fake'

Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch

The feud between Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey on the Road to WWE WrestleMania 35 reached a boiling point when The Baddest Woman On The Planet called WWE a fake sport. Becky Lynch appeared on 'In The Kliq' around that time and ripped into Rousey for calling WWE 'fake' in her promos. Here are some notable quotes from Becky during her aforementioned appearance:

The fact of the matter is, let’s talk brass tacks shall we, because at Thanksgiving Ronda Rousey was in her kitchen crying, crying about how hard this business is because she couldn’t be at home to cook breakfast for her husband.

So, I have had no rest, no rest in at least four years, two years before that in NXT that makes six years and I have not cried about it once, but she has been on the road, not even on a full-time schedule for at this stage, what, four months?

Becky Lynch was the most popular Superstar in WWE, back in early 2019. She went on to headline WrestleMania 35 against Rousey and Charlotte Flair, with both Women's titles on the line. Lynch pinned Rousey to become a double Champion and create history on The Grandest Stage Of Them All.

#4 Brock Lesnar wasn't happy when UFC President Dana White called WWE 'fake'

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has done incredibly well in both WWE and UFC. His success in UFC resulted in major mainstream popularity and was the reason why The Beast bagged an incredibly lucrative contract when he came back to WWE in 2012.

Back in 2015, UFC President Dana White engaged in a Twitter conversation with a fan and made it known that he thought WWE was fake. Soon after, Brock Lesnar opened up on the same in an interview with ESPN's SportsCenter. Judging by his response, it was clear as day that he wasn't thrilled with White's comments about WWE being fake. Brock Lesnar didn't mince his words and ended up claiming that Vince McMahon is better than White when it comes to running their respective businesses, which have similar models.

Dana White is promoting fights, we're promoting fights. It just so happens that we get a little more longevity out of our fight and out of our fighters because of the circumstances.

Dana, probably in his defense, is promoting fighting - but it's the same thing. He's trying to sell pay-per-views. He's trying to sell money fights. It's the same racket.

The business model is the same; it's identical. I think Vince McMahon's better at it than Dana, and that might rub Dana the wrong way.

Brock Lesnar bagged great success in his first WWE run, but things only got better when he returned to WWE in 2012. Thanks to his mainstream success, WWE handed him a huge contract that allowed him to miss multiple shows in a row. At one point, Lesnar was the Universal Champion and fans wouldn't get to see the belt for weeks on end. He dropped the WWE title to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36, soon after which his contract expired.

#3 Young Rock didn't react kindly when fellow students called WWE and professional wrestling 'fake'

The Rock

Young Rock is an American sitcom, based on the early years of WWE legend The Rock. It's getting some great reviews from pro-wrestling personalities as well as fans. The former WWE Champion has been promoting the series on his social media lately, and occasionally shares an interesting tidbit from those simpler times.

In one of his tweets, The Rock revealed that he used to get angry at kids calling pro-wrestling 'fake' when he was in school. He recalled hitting a Piledriver on a kid in elementary school for saying the 'F word' and knocking out another kid in high school for the same.

The Rock did admit that he was in the wrong for attacking fellow kids who called wrestling a fake sport. He added that his dad Rocky Johnson, and other wrestlers had taught him to always 'protect the business.'

The Rock went on to become quite possibly the greatest talker in the business. His popularity as a WWE Superstar resulted in him getting several Hollywood offers, and the WWE veteran never looked back.

Today, The Rock has established himself as a successful Hollywood star and is the highest-paid actor in the world. He hasn't wrestled a WWE match since his six-second WrestleMania 32 outing against Erick Rowan. But many fans are hopeful that The Great One will return one day to face his cousin Roman Reigns in a blockbuster WrestleMania main event.

#2 Randy Orton blasted American rapper Soulja Boy for calling WWE 'fake'

Randy Orton

WWE Superstar Randy Orton is one of the most famous wrestlers in history and is a guaranteed future Hall of Famer. He has spoken up actively about how much a wrestling career takes out of a person. So, he was bound to get angry when someone who hadn't been a part of the business called it fake.

Recently, American rapper Soulja Boy called WWE 'fake', and Randy Orton wasn't one to let this one slide by. The Viper took to Twitter to launch a tirade against the rapper. Orton made it clear that WWE is similar to a movie, except that wrestlers are actors who perform stunts without using padding, and don't complain about the injuries they sustain.

Here is WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss' exchange with Soulja Boy:

The former WWE Champion then claimed that Bad Bunny would easily beat up Soulja Boy, as the former has seen the business and respects it. Orton finished off his rant by calling out the rapper and daring him to come to WWE and call it 'fake' to his face. Several WWE Superstars and wrestlers from other companies took exception to Soulja Boy's comments as well.

#1 WWE wrestler David Schultz assaulted a reporter backstage at Madison Square Garden for believing that wrestling is fake

The slap heard round the world

David Schultz didn't do much of note in WWE, but he will forever be remembered for an incident that took place backstage at the historic Madison Square Garden, in 1984. The incident took place on December 28, 1984, and involved 20/20 reporter John Stossel. When Stossel told Schultz that he thought the wrestling business was fake, the latter hit him on the head twice. The incident garnered huge media coverage, and Schultz later claimed that Vince McMahon had told him to take liberties with the reporter.

I did what I was told to do. Vince McMahon told me to blast him and tear his a** up and to stay in character and be Dr. D. When I went out that door I did not know who John Stossel was. I made John Stossel (because) nobody knew who John Stossel was and after that night and that TV show and after all the whining and crying this guy did, crying like a baby he goes on Barbara Walters saying he (Schultz) beat me up. But John Stossel last year on a TV show said his injuries were neurosomatic. That means that after he got his money he didn’t hurt anymore.

The reporter filed a lawsuit against WWE following Schultz's attack, with the matter being settled out of court for $280,000. Schultz never managed to become a top star in WWE but did well for himself in other promotions. He was inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995.