5 shocking storylines the WWE said no to

The WWE is all about entertaining the fans and giving the millions (and millions) of fans in the WWE Universe something to remember.

The company have plenty of methods to give fans something to remember, including incredible athletes, compelling stories, and shocking twists.

Whether it be Vince McMahon as the higher power, Stone Cold turning on the fans at WrestleMania X-Seven, or Brock Lesnar conquering The Undertaker's undefeated streak 13 years later, the WWE are no stranger to having shocking ideas, for better and for worse.

But then, there are some ideas, so shocking, that the WWE doesn't even want to put them on their shows, with fans left wondering that simple question: What if?

Here are five shocking storyline ideas that the WWE said no to, and why they never made it to TV.

#5 The Lunatic and Lee

Many fans would have loved to have seen these two as a power couple.

If you pop onto Tumblr or any site similar, you'll no doubt find plenty of WWE fanfiction.

Eager members of the WWE Universe writing stories of their favorite Superstars, often having their top Superstars hook-up.

Well in 2012, the WWE nearly made one of these 'ships' come true, with former writer Kevin Eck claiming that the WWE were considering pairing AJ Lee and Dean Ambrose together.

Two favorites in the mind of online fans, the plan was for the pair to meet at a mental asylum, and fall in love, before debuting as a couple on RAW.

The idea was quickly scrapped, however, and whilst no definitive answer has been given, it has been reported Lee rejected the idea of using a mental asylum.

Instead, the couple never emerged, and Ambrose debuted with the Shield that November.

#4 Kevin Nash as RAW General Manager

Would Big Daddy Cool have been a success as RAW General Manager?

When the Anonymous RAW GM first appeared, excitement was high. Communicating via a laptop, the anonymous figure would tease fans with classic lines from Hall of Famers, as fans continued to wonder who it was.

But then, the anonymous RAW GM went on, and on, and on, and on, and fans quickly lost interest.

Eventually, in 2012, the WWE decided to reveal the mystery figure who had ruled RAW with an iron fist!

It was Hornswoggle. A cheap joke, that died instantly.

Many names were actually considered to be revealed as the Anonymous RAW GM, including Triple H who took power in the Summer, John Bradshaw Layfield, still a year away from his return to the commentary desk, and Kevin Nash, who returned for a brief stint at the 2011 Summerslam.

#3 Hogan and The Rock the second choice match

Hogan and The Rock met in a true dream match but plans were originally very different.

When Hulk Hogan returned to the WWE in 2002, he found the company was very different than before. No longer the top star, Hogan found himself at odds with The Rock, with the two former World Champions scheduled to face at WrestleMania.

But despite this match being a true dream match (and should have main evented over Triple H-Jericho), the original plan was much different, as it was Stone Cold Steve Austin who was offered the chance to face Hogan.

Whilst both Hogan and Vince McMahon wanted the match, the Rattlesnake wanted no part of the match, thinking it would tank given both men's limitations.

Instead, Hogan faced the young, healthy People's Champion in one of the greatest matches in WWE history, and Austin fell down the card, facing the nWo's Scott Hall.

#2 Muhammad Hassan, WWE World Champion

Hassan should've won the World Heavyweight Championship before real-life conflict derailed his career

Muhammad Hassan was a truly groundbreaking character for his time. An Arab-American, Hassan would say how he loved his country but was disgusted by the mistreatment of Arab-American citizens following 9/11.

Despite commentators and fans missing the point, saying Hassan hated the U.S and should move, the Detroit-star was very successful and reportedly was planned to dethrone Batista at Summerslam 2005 for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In July though, Hassan's career would come to a halt, after he cut a scathing promo that aired on the same day as the 7/7 bombings in London.

Quickly written off television, Hassan would be gone from the company not long after, and Batista would hold the championship until January the next year, where he was forced to forfeit it due to injury.

#1 John Cena's heel turn

Cena had a rough year in 2012, and many fans expected a heel turn.

Another one from Kevin Eck, this story regards the WWE's ultimate babyface, John Cena.

Turning face in late 2003, Cena has always remained a good guy, though was reportedly scheduled to turn heel in 2012.

Speaking to PWTorch, Eck said how everyone (including Cena himself) was on board with the idea, saying:

"We started making plans for it and then Vince got cold feet."

In the interview, Eck explained how the WWE had signed a lucrative deal with Walmart for a new wave of merchandise, and Vince McMahon feared that turning their biggest star against the fans would hurt sales.

Whilst Cena has shown some darker roots on occasion (such as calling The Undertaker a coward in 2018), it seems that Big Match John will never embrace his dark side, now as a part-timer.