6 Superstars who didn't join WWE for unusual reasons

For most pro wrestlers, joining the WWE is still a dream and a life goal. It takes a lot of hard work, skill and a slice of luck to be offered a job with WWE. There are some Superstars who have shunned the glitz and glamor of WWE for a variety of reasons.

Some of the reasons may include wrestling for another promotion or having a less rigorous schedule compared to WWE. But, there are some rejected WWE for very different reasons.

Here, we take a look at 6 Superstars who didn't join WWE for unusual reasons:

#6 Scott Steiner

Scott Steiner is a legend in the pro wrestling business, having wrestled for several big pro wrestling companies. He had a few spells with WCW and WWE, before reinventing himself at TNA.

Steiner's last run with WWE was back in the early 2000s, a forgettable one that perhaps ended his relationship with WWE. The veteran wrestler revealed that WWE offered him a Legends contract a few years ago, which he rejected, calling it "illegal":

"WWE offered me a legends deal. My lawyer looked at it, and it’s basically illegal. It’s not worth the paper that it’s written on. So f–k them. That’s why a lot of guys are leaving like Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. It’s a monopoly and the product suffers because of it. You have two dumbasses running it in Stephanie and her f***ing husband Triple H."

Steiner is also not a fan of the WWE Hall of Fame and has been critical of it, saying it was "fantasy" and only in "Vince McMahon's mind".

"I don’t deal in fantasy. I don’t deal in hypotheticals. Where’s the Hall of Fame at? It’s f—–g nowhere. It’s in Vince’s mind. So it’s all bulls–t. Screw that!”

So that rules out a potential return for Scott Steiner to WWE to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame!

#5 David Starr

David Starr has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons as he has been accused of sexual abuse, resulting in several wrestling promotions disassociating with him.

Starr, who has been a part of several European wrestling promotions, revealed last year that he has rejected WWE a few times due to them not providing healthcare, which European promotions offer. This is what he had to say about rejecting WWE's approaches:

“I’ve been contacted by them before and I’ve turned it down a couple of times. The thing that doesn’t hit home with the European audience is the health care thing. Because [you’re] very fortunate to just go to the hospital. That’s one of the reasons I moved to the UK. Being a professional wrestler, it’s hard to afford healthcare, the things you need.”

This is unusual as he would have earned a lot more in WWE which would have covered his healthcare expenses. Most American-based wrestling promotions do not offer healthcare to its employees, which rules him out of wrestling in the US, if he ever returns to pro wrestling following allegations against him.

#4 Kayla Braxton

Kayla Braxton has been SmackDown's backstage reporter and interviewer for a while now, and even hosts WWE's online show, The Bump. She has been good in her role backstage, despite having never watched WWE.

Kayla Braxton revealed earlier this year that she did not have any intention to work with WWE and that she actually rejected an offer made by WWE because she wanted to be a mainstream reporter!

"After I left college, I got engaged and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, but that commitment didn't work. Around the same time, WWE contacted me.. It was random and I said: 'No thanks'. I said no because I was in show business; I wanted to be a show reporter and didn't know what WWE was about. I've never seen WWE in all my life."

Braxton was previously a part of a local Orlando TV channel where she presented entertainment news, but made the big - and challenging - jump to present in front of millions in WWE.

#3 AJ Styles

When AJ Styles signed with WWE back in 2016, many were surprised that it took him so long to actually join the company. Styles, who had been a mainstay of TNA for years, finally joined Vince McMahon's promotion after a stint in ROH and NJPW.

Styles could have actually joined WWE way back in 2002, when he was offered a developmental deal by the company, after his stint with WCW came to an end.

But, Styles rejected that deal as he did not want to move away from his family, especially his wife, who was in college.

“My wife was in college and I couldn’t go to Ohio and make her move back in with her mother. That would have been terrible. She even told me to take the deal and run with the opportunity, but I couldn’t do that to her. It’s God first and family second.”

Styles is a family man, and no one can criticize him for putting family first, but we wonder how the landscape of WWE would have been if Styles had actually progressed in WWE in the 2000s.

#2 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle will go down in history as one of the greats to wrestle in a WWE ring. He made the transition from amateur wrestling to pro wrestling very smoothly - and quickly - but his first foray into the world of pro wrestling didn't get off to the right start.

When Vince McMahon offered him a 10-year deal just after his gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, Angle had one condition that he laid out to WWE and McMahon. He said that he didn't want to lose in WWE.

"In 1996, after I won the gold medal, Vince McMahon said he’d like to meet with me. He threw a contract at me right away, it was a 10-year deal, it was more money than I ever saw in my lifetime at that time. I looked at the contract and stared back at Vince and said, ‘Mr. McMahon, thank you for the offer. I hope you know I’m an Olympic gold medalist, so I could never lose.’ I didn’t hear from Vince McMahon after that, I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand what this was."

In the world of pro wrestling, hardly anyone has an unblemished record. Angle was not going to be an exception even if he was an Olympic medallist and an American hero. He eventually did sign with WWE two years later and had a Hall of Fame career.

#1 Terry Funk

WWE Hall of Famer and pro wrestling legend Terry Funk, had a glorious pro wrestling career, spanning decades. He had a run with WWE in the mid-80s and was set to return to the company once again, this time in a backstage role to replace Pat Patterson as the creative head of the company.

Funk had a good meeting with Vince McMahon as well as Patterson, but he had a change of heart at the last minute. Funk did not want to travel from New York to his home and decided not to sign with WWE. He left a note for McMahon, which said that his horse was dying.

"I went to meet with them about it, and going from my ranch, with all the open space, to New York City, with the cabs and people, the hustle and bustle, was culture shock. It was an hour to get here, an hour to get there. There was no place to go that I was going to get to very quickly. I met with them and then had dinner with Pat. It was great—we laughed a lot and told old stories. Then, I went up to my hotel room and went to bed. As I lay there, I got to thinking, I'm not sure if I want to follow through with this deal. I got up the next morning and left a note for Vince. It read, 'My horse is sick. I think he's dying. I'll see you later.'"

Funk eventually did sign for WWE a few years down the line, and Vince McMahon actually asked Funk how his horse was!