It's is well-known that WWE shows are scripted. In recent years, it has even been known for scripts from episodes of RAW or SmackDown to be leaked online. These documents have revealed the true extent to which the company scripts a large amount of what we see on WWE television.
Of course, the nature of WWE means that, sometimes, injuries can occur - leading to the result of a match being changed by company officials on-the-fly. This isn't what this list is based upon, though. Here are 5 times that WWE Superstars independently went off-script in moments that were obviously unplanned.
#5 Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman
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At the 2019 WWE Royal Rumble, Braun Strowman challenged Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in a Triple Threat match that also included Kane. Strowman, though, seemingly let the occasion get to him when exchanging blows with Lesnar in the middle of the match.
A stiff knee from the "Monster Among Men" caught Lesnar full-force in the jaw - and the former UFC Heavyweight Champion clearly wasn't happy with the situation. Lesnar reacted with a hard punch to the face of Strowman. This exchange was not your typical professional wrestling fare. It was obvious that Lesnar was livid and his punch loudly sent a message to Strowman to calm down.
Strowman hadn't worked with Lesnar too frequently leading into the match. It is possible that the now-Universal Champion was attempting to pace the match himself, something that veterans such as Lesnar are often in charge of. Lesnar likely delivered a heavy shot to Strowman to make it clear that he needed to slow down before someone got injured.
It's doubtful that the knee actually bothered former MMA competitor Lesnar, but it was stiff enough that he took note and decided that he needed to respond in kind.
#4 Chris Jericho vs Neville
Chris Jericho is one of the biggest names in the wrestling world, and "Le Champion" has known the business like the back of his hand for years. Therefore, when his opponent suffered a major injury on a live WWE television show, Jericho knew how to react.
Back in 2016, Jericho faced off against Neville on an episode of WWE Monday Night RAW and "The Man That Gravity Forgot" slipped and injured his knee. The ending of the match was planned to be Neville's top rope finisher, The Red Arrow. Following his injury, though, Neville was unable to climb the ropes, so the two Superstars had to think of another way to conclude their bout.
Usually the call to end a match early would be made by the referee in the ring or would be made by WWE management from backstage. However, on this occasion, nobody realized the full extent of Neville's injury - and Jericho was forced to take matters into his own hands.
Jericho tried a quick roll-up, but the referee was aware that this wasn't the finish and refused to make the three count. This then led to Jericho shoving the referee and getting in his face to tell him that Neville was hurt.
The WWE referee finally clocked on to what Jericho was doing. After Jericho had put his hands on the official, though, the decision was finally made to hand him a disqualification loss. Without Jericho going off-script, the ending of the match could have turned into a complete disaster.
#3. John Cena and Batista's Royal Rumble
The 2005 Royal Rumble match is easily one of the most memorable in WWE history, notably for the sight of an angry Vince McMahon storming down to the ring and tearing both of his quads. The WWE Chairman was then stuck on the floor angrily yelling, while remaining in a seated position.
This sequence of events was completely unscripted. Vince was not even supposed to appear in front of the live crowd that night. However, a botched finish to the Royal Rumble match forced him to make his presence known.
Batista and John Cena somehow managed to eliminate each other at the exact same time, with both of their feet touching the floor at an identical moment. It soon became obvious that this wasn't the finish that WWE had planned, so McMahon swiftly came to the ring to announce that the match would restart to determine a clear winner.
Vince McMahon was then helped to the back by the referees whilst the match was restarted. Batista went on to win the Royal Rumble and secure his spot in the main event of WrestleMania 21.
#2. R-Truth tried to make Brock Lesnar laugh
Brock Lesnar appeared on WWE Monday Night RAW back in January ahead of the 2020 Royal Rumble match and was confronted by fellow entrant R-Truth.
R-Truth made his way out to the ring and vowed that he was going to eliminate Paul Heyman from the Rumble match. This was all done in Truth's trademark style, where he says hilarious things, but maintains a deadpan reaction.
Brock Lesnar visibly found the segment highly amusing, largely because he had no idea it was coming. Mark Henry appeared on Busted Open Radio following the show and revealed that WWE wanted Lesnar to react as naturally as possible - and so "The Beast Incarnate" was kept in the dark about what would be said once he was in the ring.
“This was purely Heyman and Truth. When I heard it, I was like, No, no. [But] like the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true. That’s the only way that he could break like that. There was no acting. Brock was reacting. And it was absolutely beautiful.”
Truth has become so good at creating these kinds of moments without a script which is why WWE trusts him to go out there with very few boundaries.
#1 Gail Kim Eliminates Herself
Perhaps one of the most memorable unscripted female wrestling moments in the history of WWE, saw Gail Kim decide to rage against the WWE creative and eliminate herself from a Battle Royal live on RAW.
Kim didn't stop there either since the former Women's Champion walked out of the ring, out of the arena, and out of WWE for good. The Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame member has since been outspoken about the way women were treated during her time in WWE and declared the fact that she will never go back.
This was back in 2011, years before the Women's Revolution. Gail Kim had been told to get eliminated from the match early. However, she decided to take matters into her own hands and ensure that she did as she was told as quickly as humanly possible - by simply jumping out of the ring!
Gail Kim is easily considered to be one of the best female wrestlers of all-time. Unhappy that her potential was not being noticed whilst she was under contract with WWE, she made a decision by eliminating herself from the match that could not help but get people's attention.