5 current WWE Superstars who were almost fired

Over the years, WWE has worked hard to hire the best sports entertainers in the industry. Their homework allowed them to turn many stars into megastars who've brought big business to the company.

In recent years, many big names got fired from WWE. Following the pandemic, WWE axed many stars to cut costs and keep the company lean.

Many current WWE Superstars came close to being fired at some point in their careers, but hung on. They continued to work hard and turned into headliners for the company.

The officials made the right decision by not firing these big names. With that in mind, take a look at the five current top superstars who were almost fired by WWE.

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#5. Rhea Ripley was nearly fired by WWE a couple of times

Rhea Ripley has transformed into one of the best female WWE Superstars. After kicking off her career in NXT, Ripley climbed to the top of the brand. She made history by defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.

The Nightmare is currently an integral part of RAW. She's been featured in the top title picture, and it’s only a matter of time before she wins the title again.

However, life wasn’t always so easy for Ripley. She appeared on My Love Letter To Wrestling with Mark Andrews to discuss a variety of topics. During the conversation, the former NXT Women’s Champion revealed she was nearly fired by WWE early in her career:

"A lot of things really. It was sort of the whole year between the Mae Young Classic I and II. I went through a lot mentally behind the scenes. I was constantly being told that I wasn’t good enough and I had to do something to improve it."

"I was on the chopping block a couple times and nearly got booted. I just had a lot going on and I was very down. I want to say, at that six month period, I was like, 'You know what? Stop this. I don’t care what anybody thinks about me. All they’re going to do is judge me anyway.'"

The Nightmare decided to turn things around and change a few things about her character and appearance. It worked well as she quickly became a fan favorite in NXT.

#4. WWE came close to firing Randy Orton

Randy Orton is on the verge of becoming the most decorated world champion of all time. At 41, Orton has done and won it all in a career spanning two decades.

The Viper is arguably the most consistent performer in the industry. However, he has had his fair share of problems. Orton violated the company’s wellness policy program multiple times, and he was nearly axed for it.

In 2012, many WWE officials wanted The Apex Predator fired for his repeated violations and attitude. Here are details that came out of a meeting between Orton and some of the top WWE executives, including Vince McMahon and Triple H, following his violation in 2012:

“A WWE source described the meeting’s atmosphere as “hostile,” it was determined that a further decision concerning Orton awaits. The report adds there are “several” officials lobbying for his termination as a cost-cutting measure. They feel his lucrative 10-year contract – signed in January 2010 – can no longer be justified if he is brought back in a mid-level role. His second suspension hinders WWE from continuing to feature Orton in headline role since a third drug-testing policy infraction would result in automatic termination.”

Vince McMahon decided against terminating Randy Orton’s contract. The decision proved to be fruitful as Orton went on to headline countless premium live events in the decade that followed.

#3. Alexa Bliss was nearly fired from WWE before she made it big

Alexa Bliss has broken several barriers in WWE. She has an inspirational story that led to her transformation into a successful superstar after facing her demons.

Like many other superstars on this list, Bliss was also nearly cut from WWE during her time in NXT. During her time on the brand, Bliss was used as a valet for Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake.

The Goddess appeared on the Not Sam Wrestling Podcast in 2017 to discuss a few topics. She revealed she was almost fired before making a drastic change:

"From day one I knew it was my sink or swim moment because in NXT as a good guy my character wasn’t getting over and when I was told about the pairing with Blake & Murphy I knew there had to be a character change. Wednesday night we had TakeOver and I pushed Enzo and helped keep them as champions, I came the next day with new gear and different hair and I knew that if I didn’t run with it, I probably wasn’t going to have a job."

The change worked for Little Miss Bliss, who transformed into a headlining star. Bliss has worked on several exciting characters since moving to the main roster. It'll be interesting to see where her work takes her next.

#2. Seth Rollins was almost fired before he became the WWE NXT Champion

Seth Rollins is one of the biggest main-eventers WWE has today. His career took off during his time in NXT, where he was the inaugural champion.

Rollins is one of the best in-ring workers in the industry today. Even though he's extremely talented, his attitude almost got him fired from early on. In an interview with WWE.com, Rollins spoke about his position in WWE and how close he was to being fired:

“I literally almost lost my job. I had been there for almost two years. I was very frustrated. I couldn’t get along with anyone. I thought I deserved more than I did.”

Triple H stepped in and made Rollins realize that he needed to change his attitude if he wanted to make it big in the company:

“We sat down and talked for a good couple hours. That was an eye-opener for me, I think, in a lot of ways, because it really felt like that was going to be it. And if I don’t do this now [and] make this work now, I may not get another chance.”

The Architect pushed Triple H to make him the inaugural NXT Champion if he wanted to make his brand take off. Hunter agreed, and the decision helped NXT reach new heights. WWE made a wise decision by not firing Seth Rollins early in his career.

#1. Becky Lynch was nearly fired during her time in WWE NXT

Speaking of main-eventers, Becky Lynch turned WWE on its head, becoming one of the biggest names in sports entertainment. Lynch was a mid-carder, but her transformation into The Man helped her become a big name in WWE.

Her headlining victory at WrestleMania 35 was met with a great response. Six years before her iconic victory, she was nearly fired from WWE.

According to reports, people inside WWE thought she'd never have the "it factor," let alone become one of the leaders of the Women's Revolution. The Man took to Twitter to confirm that WWE nearly fired her during her time in NXT:

Becky Lynch made the most of every opportunity. It bore fruit years later as she became one of the biggest stars the industry has produced. She's now leading the Women’s Revolution in WWE and breaking more barriers.zx