Quick Links
Sometimes luck just will get to you, which is indisputably the case for those 15 tremendous former and present WWE superstars. Sometimes you have to just take a step again and put your ego aside. For those 15 wrestlers, this wasn’t so easy.
So many wrestlers in the past have potentially jeopardized their careers on account of ego issues. Randy Orton is a superb example of this. Orton’s ego in the end result in his death at the young age of 24. After Orton turned into the youngest champion in WWE history, the success seemingly were given to him in the ring and behind the curtain amongst his peers. Triple H himself admitted that striking the identify on Randy that early was a foul thought. Orton was once stripped of the name early, causing his character to take a large step back.
Orton wasn’t the first and undoubtedly gained’t be the remaining wrestler with a boosted ego. Let’s check out 15 wrestlers with the biggest egos behind the scenes. Enjoy!
15) Sable
Most of the locker room behind the curtain used to be satisfied to see Sable leave the company in the 90s. Sable used to be it appears very unpopular with her co-workers, in large part due to the indisputable fact that she had an inflated ego downside.
Sable believed that she was the core reason RAW drew such high ratings, prompting many to dislike her. According to X-Pac, the dislike against her was once so obvious that they made up our minds to leave her with a parting gift before she left the corporate for just right. During her final show, X-Pac decided to let out some “waste” (for lack of a higher phrase) in Sable’s travelling bag.
In addition to all of this, Sable filed a law swimsuit in opposition to the WWE for sexual harassment in the work place for $110 million. Many wrestling enthusiasts have been shocked to peer Sable go back to the WWE in 2003. Rightfully so.
14) Goldberg
The knock on Goldberg all the way through his career was once his inflated ego backstage. His time with the WWE used to be short lived on account of egos clashing between him, Triple H and Vince McMahon. In this incident, Goldberg as soon as once more refused to put ability over, the handiest factor used to be this time he was in the WWE, and not WCW.
Upon starting his profession in the business, Goldberg used to be quite humble. Eric Bischoff himself discussed how simple it was to deal with Goldberg. Unfortunately, afterward that all modified. Bischoff claims that dealing with Goldberg all over his good fortune used to be one in every of the most tough parts of his occupation. Eric even referred to Goldberg as a “industry monster”. Among the talent, Goldberg wasn’t too fashionable either. His reluctance to put young ability over pissed off many wrestlers. Chris Jericho used to be a great example of this, as Goldberg refused to paintings with Chris because of his dimension. Jericho later left WCW on account of this and changed into considered one of the company’s peak draws.
It is still noticed if Goldberg can as soon as and for all put his ego apart and feature one closing run with the WWE.
13) Ric Flair
The basic knock on Ric Flair behind the scenes was once that the former sixteen-time World Heavyweight Champion was “two-faced”, telling a wrestler one thing and later telling management one thing else. The overdue Ultimate Warrior justified those feedback by means of pronouncing that Flair claimed he used to be the highest, however yet would not take fits towards certain wrestlers. Flair had an inflated ego when it got here to his wrestling skill and would best fight in opposition to peak line wrestlers in the late 80s. This drawback furthered in WCW when Bischoff refused to push Flair any more. This ultimately ended in Flair leaving WCW altogether.
Flair also has a historical past at looking down at different wrestlers. Gangrel mentioned the fact that Flair wouldn’t even have a look at him for years on account of his status in the world of professional wrestling. Gangrel claimed that Flair did this with most of the skill all through a tour in Australia.
12) Kevin Nash
Some believe that Kevin Nash had the biggest ego in the history of pro wrestling, Nash’s ego was once all about cash.
Fans that met Nash at appearances or autograph sessions have been also not too pleased with their remedy from the former WCW World Champion who apparently barely acknowledges his fans (many believe Nash simply confirmed up to those events for the pay take a look at). Nash also has a history of rubbing wrestling enthusiasts the incorrect method through announcing things like he handiest got into the business for the money.
Nash once took a job with creative in WCW despite having no prior enjoy, and he claimed to have completed so on account of the cash. Speculation is that Nash’s ego changed into inflated after spending the better part of his career alongside Shawn Michaels.
Nash’s ego also took over in the ring now and then. The late Rowdy Piper claimed that Nash would override what he was if truth be told informed to do all over suits. The feelings towards Kevin Nash were fairly blended all the way through his career.
11) The Miz
During a shoot interview, Alberto Del Rio admitted he hated working with The Miz. Del Rio stated his sturdy dislike for The Miz inside and outside the ring, evaluating his in ring skills to a little bit girl's. Alberto also commented on The Miz outdoor of the ring, claiming he was extraordinarily loud and obnoxious.
Other rumors speculate that since The Miz landed movie roles alongside with the credential of maineventing WrestleMania, his ego behind the curtain soared to new heights. Wrestling enthusiasts are very important of The Miz, and lots of believe he’s only in the wrestling business for publicity; legendary manager Jim Cornette backed up this statement.
10) CM Punk
This is not surprising; sure, CM Punk without a doubt does have an ego. During his final run with the WWE, Punk claimed several instances that he was once the "best in the world”. Punk admits that he not only used this in the ring, but also believed it outside of it claiming he was the only thing right with the WWE at the time.
Punk was also quick to bash many of his former colleagues (like Ryback and Triple H). Punk’s arrogance rubbed many people the wrong way, and this ultimately led to his departure from the company (some also believe that Punk’s ego and ego alone drove him out of the WWE). Rumor has it that Punk was purposely sent a fax on his wedding day of his release as a way to get him back for all the years that he exercised his over the top ego backstage.
9) Ultimate Warrior
The Warrior will go down as one of the most iconic wrestlers in history. Backstage however, he was not as well received; his blunt in your face attitude rubbed many people the wrong way behind the scenes. Selfishness was a big theme that surrounded the Warrior throughout his career amongst his peers. Warrior refused to put many wrestlers over, wanting to squash most of his opponents quickly.
Warrior was also very money driven. In 1991, things got heated between the two after The Warrior wrote a hand written letter to Vince, demanding more money for what he was doing for the company. It is believed Warrior asked for $500,000 or else he would not wrestle at Summerslam. The Ultimate Warrior believed he was owed a lot of money that was never given to him. Believe it or not, Vince accepted The Warrior’s demands, and went as far as calling the Warrior “a member of the family, as a man and as a friend”. Although, only 2 months later, things all broke down; Vince suspended the Warrior and also refused to meet his past demands because of a “breach in contract”. The Ultimate Warrior would end up quitting WWE the very next night. This was described as one of the many times Warrior's ego took over.
8) Randy Orton
Orton’s ego pretty much ruined his first ever run as champion. Orton became the youngest champion in WWE history at the age of 24. A mix of immaturity and a boosted ego eventually led to Orton’s demise. Triple H admitted in an interview that putting the title on Orton that early was a mistake. Orton’s ego was not only apparent in the ring, but grew backstage amongst his peers as well. Rachelle Loewen got it the worst. Orton was furious when the rookie Diva did not know who he was. This infuriated him to the point that he decided to leave a parting gift in her bag.
Despite his old antics though, rumor has it that Orton has changed his ways a whole lot in the last couple of years, becoming much more of a pro and much less ego driven.
7) Brock Lesnar
Brock’s ego actually began to rise as soon as he signed on with the WWE, and this was in large part due to his amateur wrestling background. Brock was seen as a bully to a lot of the talent in OVW. His behavior would almost get him fired before ever showing his face on an episode of RAW. Lesnar was in hot water with the company after scoop slamming a female extremely hard, after she specifically told Lesnar before the match she was sustaining an injury. The husband of this Diva was Jim Cornette. Cornette didn’t take too kindly to the situation, and this almost got Brock fired early on.
That ego is still present today, as Lesnar basically said: “I clock in and clocks out”. Brock doesn’t speak to talent, so he pretty much does his thing and leaves. Some believe this is an ego problem, while others simply believe that Brock just doesn’t like people.
6) Hulk Hogan
So many wrestlers in the past have backed up the claims on Hogan’s huge ego failing to put anyone over himself. The likes of Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Ric Flair and the late Ultimate Warrior have backed up these claims in the past. Former WCW star Scott Steiner went as far as to say that Hogan killed WCW by never putting anyone over and only working with those that he wanted to work with. Despite his tremendous success, many former wrestlers are very critical when it comes to Hogan’s behavior outside of the ring.
5) Bret Hart
Not only was this Bret’s slogan, but he truly did believe he was: “the best there is, best there was and best there ever will be”. Bret was always critical of others' work during the years, and would often put many wrestlers down.
Rumor has it that Bret’s demise with the WWE came because of his ego. With so many new stars emerging it was clear the Bret was no longer the go-to guy, and this infuriated him to the point that he wanted to leave the company and head to WCW (where he was promised an upper card role and World Heavyweight Championship). His ego also took over when he refused to drop the title to Michaels. The protocol is to drop the title when you are leaving the company, but his inability to do so caused one of the most iconic moments in WWE history, The Montreal Screwjob.
4) Triple H
Ken Shamrock described Triple H as the man with the biggest ego in the WWE. Shamrock claims that Hunter always has to be at the forefront of everything. In addition to his, Shamrock claimed that Triple H always had a hard time putting others over.
Others speculate that because of his status with the company, the WWE always went the extra mile to make him look good. This went to the extent that even in video game trailers Triple H was seen in his almighty form. The New Age Outlaws backed this statement up, describing Hunter as being selfish and always putting himself over others behind the scenes, no matter who he had to throw under the bus.
3) Shawn Michaels
Despite being one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time, HBK was extremely difficult to deal with during the 90s, something Shawn even admitted himself. Shawn was generally described as not being a “team player” and going about his business with his buddies only (aka the Kliq). What frustrated many about Shawn’s attitude was that he was only willing to drop matches against his friends and no one else.
Shawn’s ego was seemingly through the roof during the 90s, as he would go as far as to tell Vince what angles he would be working. He would also tell his buddies to not take bumps for certain wrestlers, believing they were not worth the extra bumps and bruises.
His ego got really bad towards the end of his run in the 90s, and in his final match, Michaels refused to drop the title to Austin at WrestleMania XIV. It took a threat from The Undertaker to finally put Austin over in his final match of the 90s.
Shawn’s ego backstage was the biggest knock throughout his tremendous in-ring career.
2) Stone Cold
This is no secret; Stone Cold has a pretty big ego. Over the years, his boss himself Vince McMahon, has said that Austin at times is very difficult to deal with. Austin’s ego got the best of him a couple of times leading him to walk out of the WWE on multiple occasions. In one instance, Austin left the WWE after refusing to lose to Lesnar in a one on one match during an episode of RAW. As McMahon stated “Austin took his ball and went home”. Jim Ross himself admitted that at times Austin thought he was bigger than the entire business itself.
1) The Rock
Yes, believe it or not The Rock had quite the ego at times backstage. As a guest on Chris Jericho’s Podcast, Bubba Dudley discussed the time he and The Rock got into a rather heated altercation backstage before a match. Bubba was apparently extremely angry when The Rock refused to take a spot that Bubba had come up with. The plan was for Stacy Keibler to distract The Rock, allowing the Dudleys to take over the match. The Rock agreed with Bubba that it was a good idea, but it just wasn't fitting for him. Bubba at first thought it was a joke, but ultimately realized it was not and The Rock was really not on board, trying to protect his image and refusing to put his ego aside.
In any other recent situation, John Cena was very angry when The Rock wouldn’t allow Cena to make fun of him on live television. This led to the two wrestlers clashing with one another backstage. During Chris Jericho’s Podcast, Cena said it best, “the fans want to see LeBron against Jordan”, referring to the WWE Universe wanting to see the best between the two and not some one-sided affair. John wanted the chance to fight back and eventually got his way despite the Rock’s displeasure. Rocky was very sensitive when it came to anyone threatening his character in the ring.
Sources: thebiglead.com, bleacherreport.com
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmrKifp8G0e5BuZLCqlajBrbHRrGSwoaSderW0xGaZop%2BXmsC1edGemKVlnJ6zpnnEoKasZw%3D%3D