6 WWE Superstars who were reportedly bullied out of the company

WWE Superstars may be larger than life characters and incredible athletes, but even they have to face problems just like regular people. Over the years, there has been plenty of allegations of bullying within the company, and though WWE has tried to stamp this out, it hasn't always worked.

Despite being physically imposing, these wrestlers were made to feel weak and insignificant by their fellow employees. Here are five WWE Superstars who were reportedly bullied out of the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.

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#6 Daniel Puder

Puder's action during a match with Kurt Angle cost the Tough Enough star dearly.

The Tough Enough competition has provided some of WWE’s next top stars, including Maven, Ryback and The Miz, but few winners have done well. One winner who amounted to very little is 2004’s Daniel Puder, who defeated the future WWE A-lister in the finals but ticked off a lot of Superstars along the way. On the November fourth episode of SmackDown, Kurt Angle challenged contestant Chris Nawrocki to an amateur-style match, and after defeating Nawrocki, breaking his ribs in the process, the Olympian was challenged by Puder.

Putting his MMA experience to use, Puder caught Angle in a keylock, a hold that would’ve broken the former WWE Champion’s arm, if referee Jimmy Korderas hadn’t fast-counted Puder’s shoulders to the mat. After this, Puder became one of the most loathed stars backstage, with trainer Bill DeMott and The Big Show having an ax to grind with him.

Appearing in the 2005 Royal Rumble, Puder was subjected to very stiff chops from Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Hardcore Holly before his elimination. Spending his one-year contract in OVW, Puder rejected a lowball offer to move to Deep South Wrestling and ended his WWE career.

#5 Ivelisse Vélez

Ivelisse has fared much better outside of WWE.

Though she would find success in wrestling later as part of Lucha Underground, Ivelisse Vélez is another Tough Enough star to not make it in WWE. However, this wasn’t her fault, and she certainly can’t be blamed for having a bad attitude. Instead, Vélez only spent a year in developmental before being released, though revealed the controversy behind her release in a 2015 interview.

In said interview, Vélez claimed that WWE trainer Bill DeMott was the reason for her release, after she spoke up against the former WWE star’s bullying ways. DeMott, who resigned from WWE in March 2015, reportedly used controversial techniques as part of his training, often using offensive language and was aledgedly physically abusive to the rookies.

Whilst these allegations were nothing new, and had even led to DeMott getting fired from the WWE in 2007, before being rehired in 2011, Vélez wasn’t the only Superstar to speak up against DeMott, who to this day continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Whilst this was a huge victory for Vélez as well as countless other Superstars, we do have to wonder just how her career in WWE could’ve been if WWE had taken action sooner.

#4 Palmer Cannon

Cannon was a breath of fresh air but was quickly gone.

After three years on the indie scene and time in Deep South Wrestling, Palmer Cannon was callup up to SmackDown in 2005, as a representative from the Network. WWE’s parody of UPN, who they felt were interfering too much in WWE programming, Cannon was often at odds with then General Manager Teddy Long, with Cannon often going behind the Hall of Famer’s back.

Whilst an entertaining gimmick, Cannon’s time on WWE TV would only last a few months as fans would never see the man compete in a match. During an Italian stop on a European Tour, Cannon quit the company, flying home with a different airline than the rest of the Superstars, and leaving only his wrestling gear behind.

Cannon’s abrupt departure was down to the bullying he suffered at the hands of John ‘Bradshaw' Layfield and Chris Benoit, with Mr. Kennedy, who had only just debuted on SmackDown, later revealing that the two World Champions felt no remorse at ending Cannon’s career with their bullying, with the Wolverine seemingly taking Cannon’s presence on SmackDown as an insult.

Whilst WWE tried many times re-negotiate a deal with Cannon, he refused to return, or even speak to anyone representatives from the company ever again.

#3 Sable

Sable was a huge part of the Attitude Era.

The original Diva, it’s hard to express just how over Sable was with fans during the Attitude Era. One of the biggest stars of the time, Sable’s 1999 Playboy magazine went on to become one of the best-selling issues ever, at a time where wrestling was at it’s most popular in the mainstream.

Not long after her issue was published, Sable abruptly left the WWE, and filed a lawsuit against the company for over $100 million. As part of the suit, Sable claimed that the backstage was an unfit working environment, full of inappropriate discussions and crude behaviour.

These claims seemed a lot more believable after Sean Waltman admitted to putting faeces in Sable’s bag, though she and WWE would settle for an undisclosed amount out of court. Returning to WWE years later, Sable would once again pose for Playboy with the company, and hopefully had a better experience with the company the second time around.

#2 Rene Dupree

Dupree with Tag Team partner Kenzo Suzuki.

In 2003, Rene Dupree made history, as the youngest man to ever win a championship at WWE, aged just 19 years old, a record that he would hold for 15 years before being beaten by 10-year-old Nicholas. But despite winning the World Tag Team Championships with La Resistance as a teenager, this was not the start of a long, fruitful WWE career.

Whilst the young man’s battle with addiction did harm his career, it was ultimately bullying, led by notorious bully JBL that caused him to exit the WWE. Berated by the Texan with homophobic slurs, Dupree would also have his wrestling gear destroyed, and the French flag he used shoved in the toilet.

Hardcore Holly also victimized Dupree, after a confusion with a car rental led to a traffic ticket meant for Dupree ended up in Holly’s name. Settling this in the ring, Holly battered the young Superstar at a house show in Syracuse, which included several unprotected chairshots to Dupree’s head.

With friends in the right places, Holly received no punishment for his actions, as the Undertaker defended it, and Dupree left the company in 2007, miserable, and after reportedlysuffering dozens of concussions.

#1 Vader

Despite being a mountain of a man, Vader was reportedly bullied by Shawn Michaels.

Standing at 6 foot 11 and weighing nearly 500lbs, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could push around Big Van Vader. One of the most respected stars from his time in Japan, Vader hoped to be a big star in WWE, though things quickly went south. Entering his first feud with then WWE Champion Shawn Michaels, the pair were set to face off for the title at SummerSlam 1996.

Michaels, who was at his most petty, was no fan of Vader, and berated the super-heavyweight backstage, telling Vader he could get him fired at any time, and would, if he was too stiff in the ring. Brought to tears by HBK, Vader’s time got worse, as it became clear he was not going to become the company’s next monster heel.

Instead, Vader was forced to refer to himself as a “fat piece of sh*t” on RAW by the writers, and even Vince McMahon joined in, complaining about his employee’s odour during a live AOL chat. Leaving the WWF in 1998, Vader thankfully found himself back in Japan, where he once again proved his greatness