5 times Superstars were unhappy with WWE rules

It has been a long time since WWE transformed from just one of several major wrestling corporations in North America to a global media conglomerate. Vince McMahon's promotion has been wowing pro-wrestling fans for decades, and has given us a long string of in-ring legends and classic matches.

What happens inside a WWE ring is mostly scripted, but that doesn't mean that the company doesn't have a set of rules that all Superstars need to follow.

Over the years, WWE has made it a point to have a set of rules that its employees need to follow. Many have been punished for breaking these rules, and it goes without saying that there have been a few Superstars who have had issues with WWE's rules in the past.

In the following list, we will take a look at five instances when WWE Superstars were unhappy with the company's rules.

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#5 WWE Superstars upset with new rule in regard to branding on third parties

Paige has a major presence on Twitch

Mere days ago, WWE sent waves across the industry by making it clear that its wrestlers have 30 days to stop activities on third-party platforms like Twitch and Cameo. WWE felt that Superstars appearing on these platforms hampered the company's brand. The news was met with outrage across social media, by fans and wrestlers alike.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported that WWE Superstars were very upset with the company for stating that it owns their real-life names.

"I know doing commercials for anybody is not going to happen and that was always going to be not fine and they told also — the one that has a lot of people upset is them telling people that they own their real names. Everyone knows that WWE owns your stage names, that’s a given, but the idea that they own your real names, I don’t know what that means and it hasn’t been explained, but I know talent has been told that."

Soon after the news broke out, former WWE Diva Paige changed her Twitch profile from her in-ring name to her real-life name. Several former WWE Superstars like CM Punk and Gail Kim took shots at the promotion for this new rule.

#4 Taynara Conti was told by WWE to not use a certain word on TV

Taynara Conti

Taynara Conti was released by WWE in April, as a part of budget cuts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. She sat down with Ring The Belle soon after, and opened up on her time with WWE. While she was on NXT, Conti used a catchphrase that she yelled at her opponents during matches.

Her catchphrase "Are you crazy?" soon became a thing of the past when WWE told her that she couldn't use the word 'crazy' anymore. Conti recalled how she explained to WWE that it was a part of her character, but to no avail.

“I always tried to put that in my matches, like I need to find a moment to do it. One day, I had a match on TV. Someone from WWE told me, ‘Hey, Tay, we cannot say ‘crazy’ on TV anymore.’ I was like, ‘Oh no, that’s kind of my thing now.’ They were like, ‘Yeah, sorry, don’t say it.’”

WWE had included the word in its list of banned terms, and thus Conti was told to not utter it on TV again. She later began using the "Latinas do it better” catchphrase.

After three years in NXT, she was let go by WWE, and went on to appear in the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup tournament. Conti was recently invited by The Dark Order to join the stable.

#3 WWE Superstars react to Brock Lesnar being exempted from the Wellness Policy rules

Brock Lesnar

In this unique case, WWE Superstars were unhappy with the rule being different for them and Brock Lesnar. WWE has a wellness policy that prohibits its Superstars from using performance enhancement drugs, as well as other banned drugs.

Over the course of the past several years, a number of Superstars have been punished for violating the policy. This wasn't the case with Brock Lesnar though. The Beast failed two tests with USADA, and went unpunished for the same.

Roman Reigns had failed a wellness policy test around the same time as Lesnar, and was given a 30-day suspension. While talking with FOX News, a WWE spokesperson stated that the rule doesn't apply to part-time Superstars like Brock Lesnar. Many WWE Superstars were reportedly upset over Lesnar's exemption.

WWE kept promoting Lesnar for future episodes of RAW. At SummerSlam 2016, Lesnar took on Randy Orton in the main event, and beat the tar out of him to pick up a dominant win.

#2 Hardcore Holly goes off about WWE's dress code in his book

Hardcore Holly

Bob Holly was one of the toughest wrestlers to ever step foot in a pro wrestling ring. He was known to go stiff on rookies, back when he was a part of WWE SmackDown during the Ruthless Aggression Era. Holly went on to publish a book chronicling his journey in the wrestling business. He opened up on WWE's dress code rule that Vince McMahon implemented in 2004, and revealed that he wasn't pleased with it.

Holly had a debate with Vince McMahon in a meeting, moments after the WWE Chairman announced the new rule, which stated that Superstars would need to wear business attire while traveling.

Holly told Vince that it wasn't his gimmick, but the WWE Chairman wasn't in a mood to hear his side. McMahon also made it clear that Mick Foley, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and John Cena were exempt from the rule. Holly recalled that he was angry at other Superstars for not speaking up, and silently listening, while he debated with Vince McMahon. Eventually, Holly had to do what was asked of him.

#1 David Hart Smith opens up on WWE's "stupid rules"

David Hart Smith

Former WWE Superstar David Hart Smith worked for the company in the mid to late 2000s, and was a part of a faction named The Hart Dynasty, along with Tyson Kidd and Natalya. He won the Tag Team titles on two occasions, but was released from his contract in August 2011. Around two years after his release, he sat down with WrestleTalk TV and opened up on WWE's "stupid rules" that didn't make any sense to him.

"Too many stupid rules, to be honest with you."

"WWE, they have a rule for some reason that there's only allowed one save, the partner's allowed to make one save. Otherwise, if it's a second, it's a DQ. You don't know that, nobody knows that, so why don't they tell the fans that, so at least if they see the guide make a save on his partner, fans go, 'Oh, he makes one more, he is gonna be DQ'd. And I think it's a dumb rule because that's what makes the fireworks and the magic with Tag Team matches."

David Hart Smith had nothing but praise for NJPW, and hailed the company for how it presents its tag team contests. In addition to his WWE stint, Smith wrestled for NJPW, AJPW, and several other promotions.