7 biggest WWE Superstars with criminal records

WWE is the largest wrestling promotion in the world for many reasons. As such, it is also made up of one of the largest pool of wrestlers in the world, and these individuals are known to be the best in the business and work hard to get a chance to compete in the company.

However, several WWE Superstars have had some troubles outside the ring, and some of them have been pushed to get involved in some illegal activities. This has led them in being involved in some not-so-serious to serious crimes which have forced them to either pay a penalty or spend time behind bars.

In any case, WWE has tried to help those with troubled pasts to make it big in their company so that they can redeem themselves and focus their energy on doing something positive.

In this article, we will look at the 7 biggest WWE Superstars who have criminal records.

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#7. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar loves to hunt outside the WWE ring too!

Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest names in the wrestling industry today, and he is by far the meanest WWE Superstar we have seen in the ring to date. Lesnar has not only defeated every single person he has met in the ring, but he has also sent many of them to the emergency room after their matches.

Lesnar signed with the company in 2000, and a year later was arrested by police in Louisville, Kentucky as they suspected him of possessing a big amount of anabolic steroids. However, the charges were dropped as it was found that the substances recovered were legal growth hormones and he was released with a clean slate.

The Beast of WWE is known to hunt beasts himself

A decade later in 2011, Lesnar was charged with hunting violations during a trip to Alberta in late 2010. Lesnar is known to be an avid hunter and his love for hunting got him in trouble.

The two charges against him were dropped, but Lesnar pleaded guilty to a charge of improper tagging of an animal. This led to The Beast paying a fine of $1,725 and he was handed a six-month hunting suspension for the offense.

#6 William Regal

Regal has largely remained uncontroversial during his WWE career

In the year 2000, WWE signed an individual who would go on to become one of the best international wrestlers of his time. William Regal competed in a few matches for WWE early on before he was made the on-screen commissioner of the company.

During his time in the ring, Regal won several championships including the WWE Hardcore Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and the WWE European Championship.

Known for his heelish antics on-screen and extremely good behavior off it (save for some serious substance abuse issues in the past), Regal ran into some trouble during a flight from Japan to the United States. According to Regal’s autobiography, Walking a Golden Mile (p.173-174), the WWE Superstar got drunk on the flight and went to urinate, but did not shut the door behind him. A stewardess approached him to close the door, but Regal turned around at the wrong moment and ended up urinating on the stewardess.

The WWE NXT General Manager does not recall the incident

Regal claims that he was so drunk that he does not remember the incident and only remembers waking up in a cell in Anchorage, Alaska.

Today, Regal is one of the geniuses behind WWE NXT and serves as the brand’s General Manager where he has helped the company develop some of the finest talents in the world.

#5. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

Austin was arrested on screen a few times during his career

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is arguably the biggest name in the wrestling industry today. Even though he’s not the most decorated WWE Superstar in history, his character and gimmick made him the biggest name in the industry during his prime.

Famous for being an anti-hero, Stone Cold had several top rivalries that are remembered to this day and inspire the younger generation.

However, outside the ring, Austin hasn't always been a model citizen, either. In June 2002, Austin’s then-wife Debra Marshall complained to the police after The Rattlesnake reportedly beat her up at their home. Austin was arrested a couple of months later and was given twelve months’ probation and fined $1000 along with being asked to carry out 80-hours of community service.

The Rattlesnake of WWE has had his fair share of domestic problems

That wasn’t all, as Austin was once again called in by the police in March 2004 after his then-girlfriend Tess Broussard complained that Austin allegedly assaulted her. No arrests were made this time around and no charges were filled in the case.

Austin remains one of the biggest draws in WWE today even though he makes sporadic appearances and does not compete.

#4 Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy's mugshot

The owner of The Hardy Compound is well known for coming up with the best characters and gimmicks that have kept the WWE Universe and the rest of the wrestling industry entertained for almost two decades. Along with his brother, Jeff, Matt Hardy has managed to become one of the biggest names in wrestling and is best known for his work as a tag team wrestler.

What’s unfortunate is that both brothers have had drinking problems that have landed them in trouble with the law, especially when it has come to Driving Under the Influence (DUI).

Apart from that, Matt has also had some domestic disputes as at the beginning of 2014, he ended up fighting with his wife Reby Sky during the couple’s stay at a motel in Virginia.

The former WWE Tag Team Champion tries to remain in everyone's good books

While not many details are available, the two got into a physical fight after that, which led to both the parties involved getting a few bruises on their faces.

According to the 911 call made, the operator was told that a female guest was being “beaten up.” The husband and wife were arrested by the police and later released.

Thankfully, the WWE Superstar has managed to mend his ties with his wife and the couple welcomed their son Maxel into the world in June 2015. Matt remains a big draw in the world of wrestling today and has joined AEW after another successful run in WWE.

#3 Randy Orton

Orton had to get a few tattoos covered up after the mishap

Randy Orton is arguably the best heel in WWE right now and one of the finest wrestlers of our generation. He will likely go down in history books as one of the most accomplished WWE wrestlers of all time and his legacy will continue to live on forever.

The 13-time World Champion has recently turned 40, and it seems like he has another 10 years left in him that could help him become the most decorated WWE Superstar in history.

While Orton joined WWE at a very young age, he enlisted with the US Marines after graduating from high school at age 18. Orton did not last long as part of the Marine Corps as he was discharged after bad conduct in 1999.

Orton was discharged for going AWOL on more than one occasion, and for disobeying the order from a commanding officer.

Randy Orton managed to make it big in WWE

The Viper was tried by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and was convicted under a special court-martial. He was then forced to spend over a month in the brig at Camp Pendleton.

Orton joined WWE in 2001 and ended up becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in the company’s history at the age of 24.

#2 Booker T

Booker T has come a long way after facing his demons

Booker T is the most successful African-American Wrestler of all time and, after his incredible time in WCW, he joined WWE and became even more successful during his time in the company.

The WWE Hall of Famer asked for his release from the company in 2007 which was granted soon after, and he continued to make waves in other wrestling promotions before retiring. Booker T is now back on the company’s payroll and has been doing a great job at commentary and as an analyst for the company.

Booker, however, did not have an easy life early on and got involved in some criminal activities which led to his arrest just two years before making his wrestling debut.

Booker had a tough time before he joined WCW and WWE

Booker tried to rob a Wendy’s store with three partners in 1987 while wearing the uniform of the restaurant. He was arrested during the robbery and pleaded guilty in December 1987 to two robbery counts which led to a five-year prison sentence.

Booker was released after serving 19 months before being released on parole. Thankfully, he ended up on the right path and joined the world of wrestling.

#1 MVP

WWE has returned to the company after a successful first run

Montel Vontavious Porter joined WWE back in 2005 and had a different and interesting gimmick that made him a big name in the mid-cards. MVP went on to win the WWE Tag Team Championships with Matt Hardy once, while he became a two-time United States Champion during his initial run that lasted over five years.

While MVP made sporadic appearances in WWE following 2010, he returned for a full run with the company in 2020. It’ll be interesting to see how long MVP continues to wrestle, and whether he will be able to put new stars over before he hands up his boots.

As told by MVP himself, he had a rough childhood that almost tore his life apart. At the age of 12, he joined a street gang that left him in juvenile detention for six months after a robbery.

Later on, he was made to serve a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence after taking part in armed robberies and kidnappings. His original sentence was for 18 years, but he was released from jail early owing to good behavior.

Vince McMahon decided to give MVP a chance in WWE

Thankfully, the WWE Superstar saw light and rose above it all to join WWE and become a big name in the wrestling business.

MVP still has trouble traveling for work as he is banned from entering a few countries thanks to his criminal record. The Superstar has revealed that he is not allowed in Japan and has to get into a lot of legal paperwork when going to Canada.