Some of the reasons may include wrestling for another promotion or having a less rigorous schedule compared to WWE. But, there are some rejected WWE for very different reasons.
Here, we take a look at 6 Superstars who didn’t join WWE for unusual reasons:
#6 Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner is a legend in the pro wrestling business, having wrestled for several big pro wrestling companies. He had a few spells with WCW and WWE, before reinventing himself at TNA.
Steiner’s last run with WWE was back in the early 2000s, a forgettable one that perhaps ended his relationship with WWE. The veteran wrestler revealed that WWE offered him a Legends contract a few years ago, which he rejected, calling it “illegal”:
Steiner is also not a fan of the WWE Hall of Fame and has been critical of it, saying it was “fantasy” and only in “Vince McMahon’s mind”.
So that rules out a potential return for Scott Steiner to WWE to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame!
#5 David Starr
David Starr has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons as he has been accused of sexual abuse, resulting in several wrestling promotions disassociating with him.
Starr, who has been a part of several European wrestling promotions, revealed last year that he has rejected WWE a few times due to them not providing healthcare, which European promotions offer. This is what he had to say about rejecting WWE’s approaches:
This is unusual as he would have earned a lot more in WWE which would have covered his healthcare expenses. Most American-based wrestling promotions do not offer healthcare to its employees, which rules him out of wrestling in the US, if he ever returns to pro wrestling following allegations against him.
#4 Kayla Braxton
Kayla Braxton has been SmackDown’s backstage reporter and interviewer for a while now, and even hosts WWE’s online show, The Bump. She has been good in her role backstage, despite having never watched WWE.
Kayla Braxton revealed earlier this year that she did not have any intention to work with WWE and that she actually rejected an offer made by WWE because she wanted to be a mainstream reporter!
Braxton was previously a part of a local Orlando TV channel where she presented entertainment news, but made the big - and challenging - jump to present in front of millions in WWE.
#3 AJ Styles
When AJ Styles signed with WWE back in 2016, many were surprised that it took him so long to actually join the company. Styles, who had been a mainstay of TNA for years, finally joined Vince McMahon’s promotion after a stint in ROH and NJPW.
Styles could have actually joined WWE way back in 2002, when he was offered a developmental deal by the company, after his stint with WCW came to an end.
But, Styles rejected that deal as he did not want to move away from his family, especially his wife, who was in college.
Styles is a family man, and no one can criticize him for putting family first, but we wonder how the landscape of WWE would have been if Styles had actually progressed in WWE in the 2000s.
#2 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle will go down in history as one of the greats to wrestle in a WWE ring. He made the transition from amateur wrestling to pro wrestling very smoothly - and quickly - but his first foray into the world of pro wrestling didn’t get off to the right start.
When Vince McMahon offered him a 10-year deal just after his gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, Angle had one condition that he laid out to WWE and McMahon. He said that he didn’t want to lose in WWE.
In the world of pro wrestling, hardly anyone has an unblemished record. Angle was not going to be an exception even if he was an Olympic medallist and an American hero. He eventually did sign with WWE two years later and had a Hall of Fame career.
#1 Terry Funk
WWE Hall of Famer and pro wrestling legend Terry Funk, had a glorious pro wrestling career, spanning decades. He had a run with WWE in the mid-80s and was set to return to the company once again, this time in a backstage role to replace Pat Patterson as the creative head of the company.
Funk had a good meeting with Vince McMahon as well as Patterson, but he had a change of heart at the last minute. Funk did not want to travel from New York to his home and decided not to sign with WWE. He left a note for McMahon, which said that his horse was dying.
Funk eventually did sign for WWE a few years down the line, and Vince McMahon actually asked Funk how his horse was!
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