5 Times WWE Superstars were punished backstage by Vince McMahon

Modified Sep 30, 2019 08:42 GMT

There's one cardinal rule in WWE that you have to remember at all times - don't cross Vince McMahon! A number of Superstars have crossed Vince McMahon over the years and none of them have really come off better in the long run after it with the notable exception being Triple H.

WWE Superstars are sometimes punished for indiscretions on-screen while at other times, they are quietly doled out punishment backstage. Let's take a look at 5 WWE Superstars who ticked off the Chairman of the board and what transpired afterwards.

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#5 Titus O' Neil

One of the weirdest suspensions in WWE history took place after Daniel Bryan's retirement ceremony in 2016. After Bryan's farewell speech, as he left the arena to the backstage area along with Brie Bella, the rest of the Superstars gathered on the ramp proceeded to follow suit.

Vince McMahon was there and he was the first to try and follow Bryan out but for some reason, Titus O'Neil pulled him back, presumably to let Stephanie leave first but why would you do that to Mr. McMahon on live television?

You could immediately see that Vince was furious as be pulled himself away from Titus. it was said that he wanted to fire O'Neil backstage but was talked into giving him a 2-month suspension instead. O'Neil's friend Batista even urged him to quit WWE after this punishment. Check out a video of the incident below:

#4 Sasha Banks

The latest entry into this list is Sasha Banks. Banks was reportedly upset backstage at WrestleMania after finding out that She and Bayley would be losing their women's tag titles.

Banks reportedly kicked up a storm backstage and while others were trying to calm her down, one Superstar got hurt in the exchange. Banks hasn't been seen on WWE television since then and it's clear that higher-ups are not happy with her. Banks has reportedly even asked for her release from the company but Vince McMahon will definitely rather freeze her contract than let her go.

#3 Triple H

This is one that younger readers may not even be aware of - the infamous curtain call incident. After Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had signed with WCW in 1996, their last match took place at Madison Square Garden.

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After the Michaels-Diesel main-event, Scott Hall and Triple H came out and hugged it out. This breaking of kayfabe in an arena full of people was a lot more serious back in the mid 90's than today.

Micheals was a top star and Vince couldn't punish him so his wrath fell on his future son-in-law Hunter Hearst Helmsley. HHH was set to win the '96 King of the RIng but plans were changed. He then lost to Ultimate Warrior in under two minutes at WrestleMania 12. Things turned out well for Triple H in the end, though.

#2 Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns has been the top dog in the WWE for a while now. After his debut on the main roster with The Shield and the subsequent split-up, Reigns has been the most pushed star in the WWE. The man is a 4-time world champion, a former US and Intercontinental Champion and has won the Royal Rumble. He's also one of the only two people to have beaten The Undertaker at WrestleMania.

The only real hiccup in Reigns main roster run (other than consistently getting booed by a section of fans) came after Money In The Bank 2016. WWE informed us that Roman Reigns had been found guilty of a Wellness Policy Violation. Reigns immediately apologized to his fans but Vince McMahon still suspended him for 30 days, although his hands were tied because of the Wellness Policy. WWE could have swept it under the rug but Vince chose to suspend Reigns instead.

#1 Chris Jericho and Batista

This infamous incident took place in 2008. Jericho and Batista faced off in a steel cage match on WWE RAW. This was at the beginning of the PG Era of WWE and blading was a big no. Batista seemed to disagree and bladed before the finish. Vince McMahon was furious.

Both Jericho and the referee in-charge, Mike Chioda, were fined $5,000 for their part in what happened. The road agent who helped put the match together, Dean Malenko, was also fined $5,000. For his part in what happened, Vince McMahon fined Batista a whopping $100,000.

Batista spoke about the incident years later during an interview. He described a meeting himself and Chris Jericho had with Vince McMahon:

"Then he starts passing out fines. So my fine was $100,000…My heart dropped. I thought it would be like $25,000…When he said $100,000, I was just heartbroken. I literally think that he sucked the life out of me that day. I think that's the day that I knew things were never going to be the same."

Edited by Nishant Jayaram