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WWE Superstars need to work on a lot of aspects to ensure that they remain in the good books of management. In-ring skills aren’t the only things that help a superstar excel and have a lengthy stint with the company.
Individuals need to ensure that they follow WWE guidelines and maintain a certain level of discipline backstage and in front of the WWE Universe. However, there are several wrestlers who were released by the company for bizarre reasons.
While some made comments that did not sit well with WWE, others’ actions caused the company to take drastic measures.
Take a look at five bizarre reasons why WWE released superstars.
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#5 Brad Maddox's words got him fired from WWE
Brad Maddox signed with WWE in 2008, after which it took him some time to move to the main roster. Maddox played the roles of a referee and the General Manager of RAW during his short stint with the company.
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In 2015, Maddox was fired from the company for a bizarre reason. During a house show, Maddox called the fans something that he shouldn’t have. This led to WWE releasing him from his contract.
Maddox spoke to Rolling Stone to discuss what led to his release from the company:
“I had a dark match in Indianapolis and I called the Indianapolis crowd “pr*cks.” I didn’t think anything of it. That’s never been a bad word to me. I didn’t think it was inappropriate. Vince [McMahon] was watching and did not like it. That was pretty much the reason.”
The former WWE Superstar also revealed that he did not get a chance to talk to Vince McMahon before being fired. However, he claimed that he did not see what the problem was as he did it during a house show.
“No, I didn’t get a chance to talk to him before I left. I wanted to, but I didn’t get a chance to. When I came to the back, people seemed split on it. Half the locker room didn’t think I could say that, the other half didn’t see a problem with it. To me, it’s like saying “screw you.” I didn’t think it was inappropriate at all, especially for a dark match. I was out there trying to work up the crowd. It’s not for TV. I’m making fun of the hometown and their football team and talking to them directly. I was just trying to warm the crowd up, that was my role. It just didn’t work out," Maddox said.
Maddox hasn’t been involved with wrestling since his WWE release.
#4 Finlay made a mistake as a WWE producer that cost him his job
WWE hired Finlay as a trainer in 2001, and he made his in-ring debut for the company in 2005. He had a good run in the ring for WWE, and his alliance with Hornswoggle was a treat to watch.
He transitioned into the role of a trainer and producer after putting an end to his in-ring career. During a house show, Finlay decided to cut the American national anthem and play The Miz’s music instead. He believed this would bring more heat towards Miz, who was playing a heel character at the time.
The bizarre decision caused a lot of backlash for WWE. The company decided to release Finlay from his contract following the move:
“They play the American national anthem over here before every event. We had Miz going out first and, because it was just before WrestleMania, we were trying to get as much heat on him as possible. So my spur-of-the-moment call, as I sat right by the technician, was to tell him to hit Miz’s music while they were half-way through the national anthem," Finlay explained.
“Of course, people were up in arms about it, but it was a good reaction as a heel. But there were National Guard people in the building that took exception to it, and I understand that fully. “It wasn’t intended to insult anybody in that way it was just part of an entertaining show. That’s what we do, we entertain it’s about cheers and boos.”
The WWE Superstar was rehired by the company soon after. He lost his job once again during the 2020 layoffs but was rehired by the company for a second time later that year.
#3 Paul London's smile cost him his WWE contract
WWE has seen several high-flyers make their way into the company over the years. Paul London was a superstar who was great at what he did inside the ropes. He had the talent and charisma to lead the cruiserweight division had he been given the chance to do so.
However, a bizarre incident led to his firing from WWE at a time when he was quite popular with fans. Speaking with The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, London spoke about the night when WWE shot Vince McMahon’s infamous Limo explosion video.
London revealed that WWE took several takes, and London was smiling during each one of them.
“Looking back at it the funniest thing about that segment is really all of the other wrestlers reactions or attempt at reactions and just how bad and funny it looked to see all of these actors or wrestlers, how hard they were trying to feed into this whatever it was so that was pretty comical. But we did that thing 9 times at least and I smiled every single time. Each take. It wasn’t the same smile but that was my motivation and they didn’t say anything different. I figured if they had a problem they would tell me. Vince even looked in my face on a few of these takes as he was walking around and doing these takes and looked at me. So it wasn’t like he didn’t see it 8 or 9 times.”
Paul London’s smile did not sit well with the WWE chairman, who fired him eventually fired him for this and several similar incidents the next year. The former superstar has since appeared on several different promotions but never competed for WWE again.
#2 Raven's friendship with a WWE Superstar got him fired
27-time WWE Hardcore Champion Raven had an intense rivalry with The Sandman during his career. The WWE Superstar was rather infamous with the fans at the time due to the gimmick he played.
Raven’s dare-devil attitude helped him get into some big rivalries before he was released by the company in 2003. During a recent interview with Scheduled For Two Falls, Raven spoke about his first gimmick in WWE and what led to his firing from the company.
Raven recalled that it was his good friendship with Shane McMahon that led to his departure from WWE. The former WWE Superstar claimed that his close ties with Shane did not sit well with Linda and Vince McMahon:
"Yeah that's true. Me and Shane used to be really tight but we drifted apart. He'd go out with me every night. Big heat with Linda and Vince. The boys thought I was kissing a** for my career but it actually killed my career, giving me heat," Raven explained.
There are several bizarre reasons why WWE Superstars have been released from the company. However, this reason sits near the top as being friends with the boss’s son, something that would often help an employee, surprisingly led to Raven’s downfall.
He went on to perform for several other promotions, including ROH and TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, before retiring from the ring.
#1 Daniel Bryan was fired for strangling a WWE employee
Daniel Bryan is one of the biggest names in WWE today. Bryan has proven time and time again that size doesn’t matter in wrestling as long as you have the skills and will to push forward.
Bryan has won several titles during his time in WWE and has worked hard to put over many superstars. However, his first stint with the company wasn’t all too great, and he was fired for a rather bizarre reason.
The Planet’s Champion was part of the Nexus faction in 2010 when one of his actions did not play out well for WWE. Bryan and other members of the faction were asked to attack everyone in the arena, including ring announcer Justin Roberts.
During the beatdown, Bryan used Roberts’ pink tie to strangle him. Roberts explained what went down during the night:
“Then they knocked out Mark Yeaton, as well as all of the commentators. I stood there and watched until they grabbed me. They held me as Justin Gabriel knocked me down with a punch. Then they ripped my suit jacket off. Then my shirt. I wore a pink tie that night that knotted up when they pulled on it. As I laid on the ground with my suit pants and just a pink tie, Daniel Bryan did what he thought he was supposed to do: make an impact. He saw an opportunity to get one last shot in on “the last victim.” He sat behind me, pulled on my tie, and strangled me.”
Roberts further revealed that the WWE Universe started blaming him for Bryan’s firing even though he had nothing to do with it:
“The next morning, I began receiving all sorts of hate messages. I heard from fans that I had “told on Bryan” for choking me; that I had gotten him fired because he choked me; and all sorts of crazy assumptions spun by people and their imaginations.”
The choking incident did not bode well for Bryan. The company played Bryan’s firing as part of a storyline, releasing the superstar and then quickly rehiring him later that same year.
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