10 times a WWE wrestler was “FIRED” on screen, and why?
WWE firing superstars on live television was inevitable during the Vince McMahon era, and it has always captured the attention of the WWE Universe.
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List of fired WWE superstars (via WWE)
WWE is seemingly one of the most legendary companies to have ever existed in the pro wrestling industry. One of the reasons is its compelling storylines. Over the decades, the term “You’re Fired!” has become the norm for the Stamford-based company. The term has been frequently used over the years, every time a superstar gets fired in the storyline.
Vince McMahon and the whole McMahon family made the firing moments iconic because of their frequent happenings. The former WWE Chairman believed in keeping the superstars intimidated by himself and every authority figure. The company has always carried out these moments in a dramatic and substantial way. Moreover, the dramatic effects led to better storylines.
Recent years have even seen real-life releases or firings like the ones in the WWE storylines. It has always excited the WWE Universe, adding more flair to the storylines. Besides, fans have seen several such firing moments in WWE programming. Here is a list of wrestlers who were fired on screen.
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10. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on SmackDown (2018)
The summer of 2017 saw Kevin Owens feud with SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon. Owens’ rival-turned-friend Sami Zayn aligned with him in the storyline against the authority. Shane O’Mac took out his frustrations, depriving Owens and Zayn of several title opportunities. This led to complete chaos between them.
As a result of those interceptions, Owens and Zayn laid an attack on Shane McMahon. Daniel Bryan was the SmackDown General Manager back then. Bryan fired them for attacking the authority figure on SmackDown. This heated rivalry led to a tag team match between Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 34.
9. Cody Rhodes and Goldust on Monday Night Raw (2013)
On an episode of Raw, Cody Rhodes spoke about Randy Orton’s fear of facing Daniel Bryan and asserted that the matchup was best for business. Triple H, being the ultimate authority figure, heard Cody’s unwanted comments. As a result, The Game booked him in a match with The Viper, putting Rhodes’ job on the line. Despite having an amazing match, Cody Rhodes failed to defeat Randy Orton. Therefore, he was fired as per the stipulation.
Cody Rhodes’ brother, Dustin Rhodes, a.k.a. Goldust, returned the next week to avenge his brother’s firing. He was set to face Orton to bring his brother back into the company. Triple H raised the stakes and booked the match, putting Dustin’s job on the line. Goldust lost the match, and hence another member of the Rhodes’ family was out of WWE within the span of a week.
8. Raw General Manager Mick Foley on Monday Night Raw (2017)
Following the WWE Draft in 2011, the returning brand split happened in 2016. As a result, Mick Foley was appointed as the General Manager of Raw that year. Foley was authorizing Monday Night Raw’s matches alongside Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. However, a year later, WWE fired the Hall of Famer.
Mick Foley took a bold decision when he decided to fire Stephanie herself due to her frustrations over her. The decision made Triple H furious, which resulted in Foley assaulting The Game in his defense. The next week, the WWE legend came to the ring to announce his leave of absence for his own sanity. As soon as Foley’s promo ended, Stephanie McMahon confronted him and instead fired Mick Foley from the company.
7. Chris Jericho on Monday Night Raw (2005)
Chris Jericho was one of the top stars in WWE in 2005. Jericho made many attempts to capture the WWE Championship from John Cena, but he was unsuccessful. Upon receiving multiple title opportunities just to fail in those, the former General Manager of Raw, Eric Bischoff, was frustrated with him.
Bischoff put Chris Jericho in a last match against John Cena for the title with the stipulation of having Jericho’s job on the line. The former WWE superstar failed to capitalize even on that opportunity, which led to him getting fired from WWE. According to reports, the actual reason for Jericho’s firing was the expiration of his contract.
6. Shawn Michaels on Monday Night Raw (1998)
The Attitude Era saw Vince McMahon feuding and bonding with several superstars. One such superstar is Shawn Michaels. In 1998, HBK was appointed as the WWF Commissioner. He made regular appearances to schedule matches for the roster. The WWE Hall of Famer had quite a memorable tenure as an authoritarian figure.
During his tenure as commissioner, he saw Mick Foley attack Shane McMahon. Shawn Michaels watched the incident, disallowing other stars to interfere in the brawl. Despite being the commissioner, Michaels did nothing to prevent the incident. The next week, Vince McMahon called HBK and fired him from his commissioner’s role, stating that it was his worst act.
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5. John Laurinaitis at No Way Out 2012
Back in 2012, the WWE Universe saw the General Manager of Raw, John Laurinaitis, feud with John Cena. With Laurinaitis playing a heel character, he attacked Cena on an episode of Raw to set up their match at Over the Limit. Vince McMahon upheld the former General Manager’s actions. In addition to that, McMahon booked his match with a no-disqualification stipulation, putting his job on the line.
John Laurinaitis, with the help of Big Show, attacked John Cena, securing his victory and job. Vince McMahon saw the former General Manager as a threat. Hence, he tried to fire him from his post but was unsuccessful in doing so. John Cena and Big Show squared off at No Way Out in a “Steel Cage” match. With Cena receiving the win, the former WWE Chairman appeared and fired John Laurinaitis. Following the announcement, Cena delivered an Attitude Adjustment on him over the announce table.
4. John Cena at Survivor Series 2010
The Nexus was one of the most dominant factions in WWE. With its debut, things started heating up between the heel faction and John Cena. The Nexus leader, Wade Barrett, along with his team members, forced Cena to join them and laid attacks on him. The Cenation Leader unwillingly had to join the faction due to his loss against Barrett at Hell in a Cell.
However, that year at Survivor Series, John Cena was given the task of being a guest referee. Wade Barrett and Randy Orton battled for the WWE Championship. It had a peculiar stipulation that John would be fired if Barrett lost the match. However, Cena prioritized the title’s well-being instead of his job and was fired from WWE following Barrett’s loss.
3. Miz and R-Truth on Monday Night Raw (2011)
R Truth and Miz formed a faction“The Awesome Truth” which gained immense popularity in 2011. They were one of the most dominant heel factions on the roster. Miz and Truth intercepted during the match between Triple H and CM Punk at Night of Champions 2011. As a result, on the following episode of Raw, Triple H booked their match with CM Punk and John Cena.
Unlike other “job on the line” matches, the scenario was clear this time, with no such stipulations added. The match went pretty well with several hot tags and close moments resulting in Awesome Truth’s loss. After the match, Triple H came out to fire the losing team, explaining about their conspiracy.
2. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at Judgment Day (1998)
Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the greatest anti-authority characters in WWE. It was normal for him to face consequences for his actions. One such memorable moment came during the WWF Judgment Day pay-per-view in 1998. A match between Kane and The Undertaker was booked with Steve Austin as the special guest referee.
A unique stipulation was added to that match, which stated that Stone Cold would be fired if no competitor emerged victorious. The match resulted in a count-out after both men were laid down on the ground, taking Steve’s beating. Vince was petrified of Austin and didn’t come out in the ring. However, from far away, he yelled, “You’re Fired!” and actually fired the Texas Rattlesnake.
1. Eric Bischoff on Raw (2005)
Eric Bischoff was considered one of the best General Managers of Raw. But his downfall began when he started going against Vince McMahon while favoring other superstars. He made some biased decisions, angering McMahon, which led to him getting into dangerous situations. In Eric’s defense, he went through a trial on Monday Night Raw in 2005.
The trial had him go through his own unethical acts, with Vince reciting those in a 30-minute-long segment. Eric Bischoff was eventually fired followed by John Cena tossing him in a garbage truck. The WWE Veteran was driven out of the arena in the truck. It was one of the shocking moments for the WWE Universe.
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Parth Agnihotri
(597 Articles Published)