WWE can be a tough place to work when it comes to the backstage environment. The better moments will see the chance to find fame and fortune along with creating a legacy in an art form loved by most to work in the industry. However, the political element of the WWE system can see many wrestlers walking on eggshells.
There are many occasions of WWE firing wrestlers for strange reasons. WWE will often make an odd move to release others, but certain ones crossed the line with firings that made little sense. Each scenario shows just how unforgiving it can be to work in WWE. Find out just what could cause a wrestler to lose their job in the company. The following wrestlers were shockingly fired from WWE for the strangest reasons.
14 Daniel Bryan
WWE released and rehired Daniel Bryan before he became a major main event star for the company. Bryan was fired after his first night with the Nexus faction during their vicious attack. The moment of Bryan choking Justin Roberts with a tie got him fired since choking was against WWE’s rules. No one informed Bryan of this and the entire Nexus group was just told to be as brutal as possible with the attack.
13 Marty Elias
Referee Marty Elias recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s podcast to discuss officiating the WrestleMania 25 classic between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Fans discovered Elias was fired a few months later for showing up to work in a KISS t-shirt instead of the suit. Elias revealed he had a lot of heat on him when Michaels requested him to officiate his match with Undertaker over Charles Robinson that caused WWE to look for any reason to axe him.
12 Brad Maddox
WWE was trying to repackage Brad Maddox as a heel wrestler with a new look after his General Manager run ended. Maddox got into hot water with Vince McMahon when using the phrase “cocky pricks” to insult the fans during a dark segment before a show. The phrase was apparently banned by WWE and released Maddox for it.
11 R.D. Evans
Former WWE writer and independent wrestlers R.D. Evans had one of the strangest endings to a WWE run. The 2019 Hall of Fame speech from Bret Hart and Natalya on behalf of the Hart Foundation saw Bret breaking a rule of thanking Vince McMahon. Evans was chewed out for this as the producer and both sides agreed to his release.
10 Raven
The first WWE run of Raven as manager Johnny Polo saw him revealing he was fired for a hilarious reason. Shane McMahon became a friend of Raven when making the road trips for WWE and the two often partied all night. Vince didn’t like seeing his son presenting an unprofessional dynamic and fired Raven to take away the temptation.
9 Muhammad Hassan
WWE almost made Muhammad Hassan the World Champion in 2005 when planning to have him eventually defeat Batista. The timing of a controversial segment on the same day as the attack caused WWE to end the character. Hassan was sent back down to developmental and never given another chance despite showing great potential in a difficult gimmick.
8 Paul London
Paul London was among the most underrated in-ring workers for WWE of the 2000s. WWE never saw singles potential from London, and he felt miserable working for the promotion. London decided to get silly by smiling backstage during a segment where the entire roster watched Vince McMahon walking to his limo during a serious segment. WWE removed London from television and eventually fired him not too long after.
7 Gangrel
The Brood was a fun act of Edge, Christian and Gangrel playing vampires. Edge and Christian had Hall of Fame worthy careers while Gangrel was fired faster than expected. Gangrel revealed he got a lot of heat backstage for the silliest reasons. Vince McMahon was upset that Gangrel forgot to tuck in his puffy white shirt and it exposed his larger stomach. Gangrel was fired shortly after for upsetting McMahon.
6 Emma
One of the strangest firings in WWE history came when Emma got in trouble with the law for accidentally leaving a store with an iPod case. The belief was that she forgot it and walked through the security area. WWE fired Emma but rehired her just a few hours later due to clearing up the miscommunication.
5 Matt Hardy
The infamous love triangle between Edge, Lita and Matt Hardy saw Hardy getting fired when Lita cheated on him with Edge and he made it public. WWE didn’t want the drama and felt Edge and Lita had more importance to the company. Fans started chanting “We want Matt” at live shows to force WWE’s hand in bringing him back to make the real issue a part of the storylines on television.
4 Jimmy Jacobs
Former WWE writer and Ring of Honor star Jimmy Jacobs had his WWE time end in controversy. Jacobs posted a photo of him with members of the Bullet Club when they did their invasion filming for Being the Elite in the parking lot of a WWE show. Vince McMahon fired Jacobs that week, but Jimmy revealed he wanted out of his contract after the miserable experience of Vince yelling at him most weeks.
3 Finlay
Finlay has been viewed as one of the top producers in WWE history that most talents loved working with him. WWE, however, chose to fire Finlay for one of his ideas coming on a house show. The Miz interrupted the national anthem to get heel heat and start the show with a bang. WWE was not happy about this and fired Finlay before bringing him back a few years later.
2 Dawn Marie
Former ECW manager Dawn Marie became a consistent part of WWE following the brand split. Dawn was the top rival to Torrie Wilson as a heel on the Smackdown brand. WWE had one of their worst stories come out when it was revealed they fired Dawn when pregnant. Something like this happening today would get WWE in trouble with the national media.
1 Jim Ross
Jim Ross has always had an up and down relationship with Vince McMahon and WWE. One horrible moment came when WWE fired him for something out of his control. Ross was hosting a WWE 2K panel about the upcoming video game with many legends and current stars. Ric Flair hijacked the panel with long stories having nothing to do with the video game after having a few drinks. Ross was blamed for not taking control of the situation.
Sources: Wrestling Observer, The Ross Report, PW Torch, Talk is Jericho