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WWE is the biggest professional wrestling company in the world. It has its big moments and is also involved in controversies from time to time.
The company has been forced to write many stars off television in its history after they landed in hot water with higher-ups. Sometimes, the disappearance of a talent from television is not noticeable. It usually becomes a hot topic among fans if a star is pulled from tapings during an ongoing storyline.
So let's take a look at six stars WWE took off TV after they sparked controversy.
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#6. Drew Gulak was pulled from NXT after Ronda Rousey's accusation
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Drew Gulak is the latest name to be pulled off WWE programming. This happened after Ronda Rousey accused him of grabbing the string of her sweatpants backstage at a WWE event.
Gulak later took to Twitter and revealed that it was an accident and he was just attempting to shake Rousey's hand. The former Cruiserweight Champion added that he also apologized to The Baddest Woman on The Planet for it.
The 36-year-old veteran returned to NXT in December 2022 and joined the No Quarter Catch Crew in the white-and-gold brand last year. On the latest episode of NXT, the group came out without him, and his name was also not featured on the titantron.
It seems like the company will keep him off TV until a potential investigation into the matter is complete.
#5. Randy Orton was suspended for Marijuana usage
Randy Orton is one of the greatest pro wrestlers ever to lace up his boots and undoubtedly, a future WWE Hall of Famer. But he also has his share of controversies.
The Viper caused many troubles for himself and others during the early days of his career. He was suspended for sixty days in 2006, shortly after WrestleMania 22.
Orton revealed in a conversation with WWE Magazine in 2006 that he was suspended due to anger management issues. Later in 2021, he disclosed on Broken Skull Sessions that he was actually suspended for smoking Marijuana backstage at SmackDown.
The Stamford-based promotion announced at that time that The Apex Predator had suffered a broken ankle at the hands of Kurt Angle during the King Of The Ring tournament, which is why he was written off TV.
#4. Shawn Spears reportedly made officials unhappy by gaining massive support on his own
Shawn Spears, formerly known as Tye Dillinger, got the number "ten" very over among fans between 2017 and 2018.
He made his main roster debut by entering the Men's Royal Rumble match at the #10 spot and was set to do the same in 2018. However, he got assaulted by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn backstage because of this he could not enter the bout.
According to reports at that time, Spears made officials in the company unhappy because they didn't want fans to chant "10" which became too popular for their liking. Fans were chanting "ten" even when he was not on screen which reportedly rubbed some people the wrong way.
Spears departed WWE for AEW in 2019 and returned to the Stamford-based promotion earlier this year.
#3. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for not following creative's directions
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are two of the few rare names who angered WWE officials at one point, but still managed to have successful careers in the company.
They were sent back to the United States from WWE's European tour in 2017 after they went into business for themselves on an episode of SmackDown in Manchester.
It was reported at that time that the duo was supposed to take offense from The New Day after a match between Zayn and Kofi Kingston, but they did not follow the instructions and left the ring instead.
This garnered some heat for them backstage and the former Tag Team Champions were written off TV in the weeks leading to Survivor Series.
#2. Rey Mysterio had to drop the Intercontinental Title after violating WWE's Wellness Policy
Rey Mysterio is one of the most beloved stars among fans, but even he made some mistakes in his pro wrestling career.
The WWE Hall of Famer violated the Stamford-based promotion's Wellness Policy in 2009, which led to him being suspended for thirty days. This happened when he was holding the Intercontinental Championship.
After the announcement of his suspension, he dropped the title to John Morrison on the SmackDown taping before the suspension went into effect.
#1. Roman Reigns dropped the WWE Championship just before his suspension
Roman Reigns is one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling right now. He won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 and held the title until Money in the Bank that year.
Seth Rollins, who vacated the title due to a knee injury in November 2015, returned at Extreme Rules 2016 to set up his match against Reigns at Money in the Bank.
The Visionary shocked the fans when he defeated his former Shield brother cleanly and captured the title which he then lost to Dean Ambrose just a few minutes later, as Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
A few days later, the Stamford-based promotion announced the suspension of Roman Reigns as he violated the company's Wellness Policy. This led to him missing the build-up to the Shield Triple Threat match at Battleground 2016, where he returned from suspension.
