WWE History: 8 superstars Vince McMahon apparently couldn't control

#5 Steve Austin

Austin had some serious pull in 2000-02

By the end of the Attitude Era, Austin had become the biggest star in all of wrestling, alongside The Rock. In the process, he had gained some serious perks.

Austin was set to face Hogan at WWE WrestleMania 18, in a dream match for the ages. The Rattlesnake refused to wrestle Hogan and the match was changed to The Rock vs Hulk Hogan. Vince ended up pitting Austin against NWO's Scott Hall, with Hall winning via some questionable means.

Austin again refused, stating that losing to Hall at WrestleMania would hamper his credibility as a main event star. Vince had no choice but to cater to Austin and he ended up winning the match.

Months later, Austin refused to lose to newcomer Brock Lesnar in a match on WWE RAW. He didn't want to face The Beast in a throwaway match on the monday night show. Austin was let go immediately, but returned in time to face The Rock in his final match at WrestleMania 19.

The reason Austin refused to face Hogan was because the latter had done the same during Austin's WCW days.