5 WWE Superstars who were suspended at the top of their game

Just like other athletes, WWE Superstars have to abide by a code of conduct. There are plenty of things that can get a wrestler fired or suspended. Suspensions can occur due to a failed drug test, non-appearance at events, behavior inside and outside the ring, or for any criminal activity that may reflect poorly on the company. In WWE, a suspension traditionally lasts anywhere from 30 to 60 days.

One major hangup for some wrestlers is WWE's Wellness Policy. Repeated Wellness Policy violations can result in the suspension of a Superstar's contract with the organization. Like any other sports organization, WWE maintains that unprofessional behavior is also a clear violation and that Superstars can be fined or suspended for their actions. Sometimes these suspensions come at the worst possible times.

Many WWE Superstars have found themselves in the midst of trouble at the pinnacle of their career. Others found themselves suspended when they were on the verge of doing something spectacular. Here is a list of 5 WWE superstars who were suspended at the top of their game.

#5. Mr Kennedy

There aren't many Superstars with the gift of gab like Mr Kennedy. He was both a brilliant wrestler inside the ring and a phenomenal talent on the microphone. Kennedy is also a former United States Champion and Money in the Bank winner.

After winning the contract at WrestleMania, it looked like WWE was going to book Kennedy for much bigger things. Due to injuries, he missed subsequent shows and later found himself in the middle of an infamous steroid scandal. Kennedy was suspended for 30 days and could never find the same momentum again. Subsequent injuries thwarted his hopes in WWE, and he was released by the company just four days into his 2009 return.

#4. Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam is not new to being surrounded by issues related to drug and cannabis usage. In 2006, when WWE merged ECW and introduced it as it's own brand, Rob Van Dam reached new career heights. The ECW star not only won the WWE Championship by defeating John Cena, but also retained the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. He became the only wrestler to hold both the belts simultaneously and the fifteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion. Rob Van Dam successfully defended the WWE Championship against Edge. On June 27, 2006, he also defeated Kurt Angle to retain the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

On July 3rd, a few days after Rob Van Dam had successfully defeated Kurt Angle, he failed to retain the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Edge and John Cena. The next night, Van Dam lost the ECW Heavyweight Championship to Big Show. Subsequently, Rob Van Dam was suspended for 30 days, as a result of his drug possession arrest a few days later.

After the smoke cleared, Rob Van Dam did achieve success, but constantly found himself surrounded by controversy. The story could have been entirely different had Rob Van Dam continued as WWE Champion, but the suspension came at the worst possible time for the high-flyer.

#3. William Regal

William Regal's career was mired with injuries, addictions, and untimely suspensions. William Regal has always been open about his past problems. He shares valuable feedback to young wrestlers and talks about his past addiction to Valium and other drugs.

As a WWE Superstar, Regal always fought in the mid-card and has won numerous championship belts. Although he has never won a world championship, he did find huge success when he won the King of the Ring tournament back in 2008. William Regal became the first wrestler to hand CM Punk his first submission loss.

Things were going well for William Regal, but a few short weeks later, he was kayfabe forced to leave the company due to a Wellness Policy violation. CM Punk would later become the World Heavyweight Champion, while William Regal would find himself in lower mid-card storylines.

William Regal continues to be a respected wrestler in the organization, and his work in NXT has been exemplary. As a professional wrestler, the suspension came at a time when Regal was at the very top of his game.

#2. Randy Orton

Randy Orton is not new to suspension and has been suspended twice for 60 days for violating WWE's Wellness Policy. Orton's first suspension came in 2006 and although it did not necessarily halt Orton's momentum, it did impact the WWE World Championship storyline.

Randy Orton defeated Royal Rumble 2006 winner Rey Mysterio to earn a title shot at WrestleMania 22, but failed to win the title on the big stage. A day later, Orton was served with a 60 day suspension for unprofessional conduct.

While the suspension may not have affected Orton's Hall of Fame worthy career, it did delay WWE's Championship plans for Orton. Orton would go on to challenge Hulk Hogan and form a tag team with the 'Rated-R Superstar' Edge. Orton would have to wait one whole year before he would once again find himself in the title picture.

#1. Roman Reigns

There is no denying the heights Roman Reigns has reached in his WWE career. 'The Big Dog' has been WWE's poster boy since making his main roster debut in 2012. In the initial years of his WWE career, Reigns was protected to such an extent that he never lost cleanly.

This changed at Money in the Bank 2016. Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns cleanly. The loss cost Reigns the WWE Championship. Reigns' reign ended at 77 days. A day later, Reigns was served with a 30 day suspension for his first violation of WWE's Wellness Policy. Reigns later returned to suffer clean losses against Dean Ambrose and Finn Balor.

WWE took a slightly different path with Reigns after the suspension. Reigns was relegated to the United States Championship picture. Not much changed for how Reigns was booked after that, however. He was still booked as a dominant Superstar, but there is no doubt that the suspension came at a terribly bad time for 'The Big Dog.'