WWE might be a powerful company that has dominated the wrestling industry for decades, but that doesn't mean it stays away from controversy. With the company constantly being scrutinized and looked at, people are quick to pick the faults.
Sometimes, there are controversies that are certainly out of Vince McMahon's hands, but then other times they are directly his fault.
With dirt sheets constantly keeping the company in check and disgruntled ex-wrestlers calling them out, it's hard for WWE to keep its secrets out of the news. This decade has seen plenty of controversies take place as well, and within this list, we will rank 10 of the biggest.
10 Jordan Myles Quits
We will kickstart the list with one of the most recent controversies that have surrounded WWE, which involves Jordan Myles. The man who WWE pushed quickly in NXT, winning the breakout tournament, only for him to quit the company just months later.
The reason Myles decided he had to leave WWE is because of a t-shirt that the company released for him. The shirt depicted a smile that Myles and many wrestling fans deemed racist as it was reminiscent of blackface.
This led to Myles openly calling out WWE as a racist company as private emails were shared online and the wrestling world saw every detail.
9 Total Divas
While this was a much less serious issue, the launch of Total Divas did bring plenty of controversies. Even though the show is a lot of fun to watch, that didn't mean that people were on board straight away.
Because of the nature of Total Divas being a reality-based show, many people were worried it would pull back the curtain too much. While kayfabe isn't exactly alive and well, fans didn't want every detail being shared.
Thankfully, it has turned out just fine as the show does a good job of sharing details but not killing the business.
8 JBL's Bullying
The fact that #FireJBL was trending nearly every time he appeared on commentary showed how serious this controversy ended up being taken. When Mauro Ranallo ended up leaving WWE, fans knew something was wrong.
It quickly transpired that JBL had been bullying Mauro and due to his mental health disorder, it wasn't a situation he could work in. From there, other stories about JBL began to be revealed, such as the tales Justin Roberts told in his book.
This led to wrestling fans been outraged and WWE being forced to make a decision. In the end, JBL was removed from his commentary role and he now appears just on PPVs as an analyst.
7 Raw Goes Three Hours
When it was first announced that Monday Night Raw was going to be a three-hour show, people were initially excited. More time to showcase more wrestlers, longer matches, more detailed storylines, it seemed like a win-win.
However, after several episodes, this quickly became a controversial decision. It was clear WWE had only made the decision to gain extra money. Instead of pushing more talent it just meant the overexposure of the same wrestlers and fans being exhausted by the end of the night.
6 Firing Daniel Bryan
This took place right at the start of the decade and because so much has happened in Daniel Bryan's career since then, many have forgotten. However, after debuting in the Nexus angle, Bryan was promptly fired by the company.
Despite the fact he was the big name that wrestling fans had actually wanted to see. Because he choked Justin Roberts with his own tie, in a moment that wasn't PG, WWE made an example out of him and fired Bryan.
This led to an uproar amongst fans who would throw ties into the ring at Bryan during independent shows to support him. Fans were furious and eventually, the anger led to him returning.
5 CM Punk
While Daniel Bryan's firing was controversial, the situation regarding CM Punk was far messier. Simply deciding to walk out on the company due to how he was booked, WWE then fired him on his wedding day.
However, that wasn't even the crazy part. Things got controversial when Punk decided to do a podcast and tell all about why he walked out. While he trashed many things about WWE, the big situation involved WWE's medical team.
The infection that Punk had and continued to wrestle with is something that should have been treated. This led to a huge lawsuit and really did get dragged out, all in the public eye.
4 The Streak
While a lot of the examples on this list involve incidents outside of the ring, this one was all about what happened inside. As the decision to end The Undertaker's WrestleMania undefeated streak was a big one.
While fans knew that at some point there was a chance this would happen when it actually did nobody wanted to see it. Taking place at WrestleMania 30 against Brock Lesnar, the live crowd was in stunned silence when the referee counted three.
It led to huge conspiracy theories that it wasn't meant to happen or that Brock had gone into business for himself. Of course, the reality is that WWE just felt Lesnar was the right man, but it was a huge deal.
3 Working In Saudi Arabia
One of the biggest controversies of this decade has been from WWE's decision to start a working relationship with Saudi Arabia. Putting on several WrestleMania sized events a year, it led to boycotts and complaints as fans couldn't believe the news.
Many wrestlers such as Daniel Bryan have flat out refused to travel to the country to perform due to political issues. While WWE has done some good such as pushing women's wrestling onto the card in the country, it is always clouded with issues.
The outcry over the Saudi-sanctioned murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is the big reason fans were horrified. With people labeling it as 'blood money,' it is an issue that is set to rage on, due to the length of the agreement.
2 The Plane Incident
Speaking of Saudi Arabia...that decision sparked this controversy. During the most recent trip over, the WWE Superstars actually ended up being stranded in the country as their plane wouldn't take off.
The wrestlers were there for an incredible amount of time and actually missed the SmackDown taping because of it. This led to a huge controversy as people speculated on the reasoning behind it.
Some claimed it was just a mechanical issue with the plane. While others believed it was due to Vince McMahon cutting the feed for the show in Saudi due to a lack of payment.
1 Hulk Hogan's Racism
The biggest name in the history of professional wrestling really did everything to kill his own career during this decade. After a tape was leaked that featured Hulk Hogan being racist, a massive controversy began.
Firstly, fans and peers were shocked, disgusted, and disappointed over Hogan's thoughts and what he said. But then came WWE's decisions. Vince McMahon did do the right thing by pulling him out of the WWE Hall Of Fame, and he then went on to blacklist the Hulkster.
Of course, this situation also involved a major lawsuit on Hogan's behalf and eventually, he was brought back into the WWE family. This led to even more controversy, with many wrestling fans not wanting to see Hogan back ever again.