5 Wrestlers WWE almost fired and 5 they almost hired

#4 WWE almost fired: Batista

ALL LOVE, @DaveBautista! 😎 #SD1000 pic.twitter.com/NSmZf47Asx

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 17, 2018

'The Animal' Batista attained success in WWE as a main event wrestler before making it in Hollywood as a mainstream star. The former World Champion headlined multiple pay-per-views including WrestleMania and he was also a member of the popular faction, Evolution.

Batista competed in WWE's former developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling before moving up to RAW. After arriving on the main roster, his future was very thin. During an episode of Talk is Jericho in 2017, Jim Cornette spoke about how Batista almost got fired by WWE.

"We had a tailor-made gimmick for Undertaker, Kane and Big Show, and they bring [Batista] up and put him with D-Von, hang that thing around his neck and put a suit on him to cover up his muscles. I had lost my mind; then they were on the verge of firing him until he started working out with Triple H."

Batista found success as a part of Evolution and he credits Triple H for helping him reach that feat. The Animal put The Game over at WrestleMania 35 which was the former's final wrestling match.

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#3 WWE almost hired: James Storm

By the way, James storm in an interview said he was supposed to debut on raw I believe after WM and possibly reform beer money but that didn’t happen because of the pandemic #WWERAW pic.twitter.com/gu9LjZl4AH

— The Real One (@WWEREALONE) September 29, 2020

WWE attempting to sign James Storm to a contract has been an ongoing saga. The company tried to sign the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion several times to no avail. James Storm had a short stint on NXT in 2015, but he returned to TNA/IMPACT Wrestling after turning down a WWE contract due to IMPACT offering him more pay.

During an interview, James Storm revealed that he was supposed to make his long-awaited WWE debut after WrestleMania 36, but the company had to put the offer on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated:

"We agreed on all the terms. It was signed... I signed the contract and all that stuff and I was just waiting to take the physical. They called me and told me it was going to be put off because of all the stuff going on. You just take it and keep rolling. It's not their fault. It's just how everything is right now."

James Storm is optimistic that another opportunity to join WWE will arrive, and he's also hopeful that he and Robert Roode will reform Beer Money when they reunite in the company.