Some WWE talents truly enjoy their time with the company, as well as the lifestyle that comes with it. But there are also many wrestlers who end up questioning their decision after finding themselves unhappy in their new home.
It may be the demanding schedule, backstage environment, or booking decisions that affect the experience of a Superstar. On the other hand, not every signing lives up to WWE's expectations as they may have only joined the company for a big paycheck, while others turn into troublemakers.
10 WWE Regrets Signing: Scott Hall
When WWE re-signed Scott Hall in 2002, they were aiming to add as much star power as possible to the roster. The arrival of nWo in WWE was guaranteed to generate plenty of money and interest, but it turned out to not be worth the hassle for the company. Hall faced off against Steve Austin at WrestleMania X8 in a losing effort shortly before he was released from the WWE.
He was also struggling with substance abuse issues during his brief stint in the WWE. His run with the company lasted just three months as the infamous "Plane Ride from Hell" was the final nail in the coffin for Hall.
9 Regrets Signing With WWE: Shane Douglas
In 1990, Shane Douglas had a one-year run with the WWE that was forgettable, to say the least. He didn't find his groove until joining ECW to become known as The Franchise, where he was crowned as one of the top stars of the promotion. Thanks to a prosperous stint in ECW, Douglas made it back on the WWE's radar where he inked a deal in 1995.
However, he was doomed to fail from the beginning after being given the gimmick of a college dean. As disappointed as Douglas had been with the booking team, he had even bigger issues with The Kliq behind-the-scenes which ultimately drove him out of the company. In 1996, Douglas made his return to ECW where he constantly put the WWE on blast during his promos.
8 WWE Regrets Signing: Buff Bagwell
With the WWE purchasing WCW in 2001, a number of stars made the jump to their new home. Buff Bagwell was among the WCW talents recruited to join WWE for a planned invasion angle. Bagwell got an opportunity to make an early impression on management and fans by competing against Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Raw.
Unfortunately for Bagwell, the contest turned out to be disastrous as he received a lot of flak for his performance. During his WWE tenure, Bagwell had also gotten on the nerves of multiple WWE officials after complaining about the travel schedule and then getting involved in a fight with Shane Helms. Just a week after his debut, Bagwell was released from the WWE.
7 Regrets Signing With WWE: Austin Aries
Austin Aries was dubbed as the modern-day Chris Jericho by some fans who were highly anticipating his arrival into the WWE. Following successful runs with TNA and ROH, it seemed like Aries was destined to leave his mark on the WWE as well. Things didn't go as planned with Aries requesting his release less than a year into his debut.
After being placed on 205 Live, Aries believed that he was wasting his prime years away competing in the cruiserweight division. Not only did he fail to capture the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on numerous occasions, but Aries was also kept off the main shows. By the end of his stint, he didn't want anything to do with the WWE, making his return to Impact Wrestling.
6 WWE Regrets Signing: Kharma
WWE expected Kharma to make the same contributions to the women's division as she did in TNA. As the backbone of the Impact Knockouts, it was easy to see why WWE was keen on signing her. The company made sure to hype up her arrival through intriguing vignettes before she started attacking random Divas on Raw.
It seemed like Kharma was guaranteed to be booked for a dominant run until she announced her pregnancy shortly after her debut. After taking a leave of absence, they wrote Kharma off television almost as quickly as her reign on top lasted. WWE's investment in Kharma didn't pay off as she would only compete in one more match at the Royal Rumble in 2012
5 Regrets Signing With WWE: Jeff Jarrett
In 1997, Jeff Jarrett made his return back to WWE, but it didn't take him long before questioning his decision to do so. Expecting to receive a major push during the Attitude Era, Jarrett found himself stuck between the mid-card and the tag team division with no end in sight. As his frustrations grew with the company, Jarrett saw a way out with his contract expiring in 1999.
The backstage heat intensified between the two sides as Jarrett had been scheduled to lose the title to Chyna, as he threatened to leave with the title. Vince McMahon was finally able to work out a deal with Jarrett, who was more than thrilled to move on to bigger things in WCW and later on TNA.
4 WWE Regrets Signing: Mistico/Sin Cara
Known as Mistico in CMLL prior to his WWE days, he arrived at the company adopting the new ring name Sin Cara. It was a short-lived stay as Mistico became one of the biggest busts in WWE history before having his Sin Cara role taken over. Mistico's run is now remembered for all the wrong reasons, including his many botches from ring entrances to wrestling moves.
He was booked to tag along with Rey Mysterio in hopes of saving the original character, but it didn't pan out. It's been confirmed by Mysterio and backstage officials that Mistico didn't learn English during his stay with the company, while also struggling to adapt to the WWE style of wrestling.
3 Regrets Signing With WWE: Gail Kim
Gail Kim had two stints with the WWE with the first one spanning from 2002 until 2004. She became the first female in the company's history to win a championship in her debut after emerging victorious in a seven-woman battle royal. In 2008, she re-signed with the company where she stayed for three years prior to her departure.
It was a bitter exit as Kim had grown fed up with management and the booking team. Additionally, she was unhappy regarding the way female wrestlers were being mistreated by the WWE. In recent years, Kim has been very critical of her time with the WWE with multiple rants on social media.
2 WWE Regrets Signing: Scott Steiner
Following the demise of WCW, Scott Steiner chose to not instantly jump ship to WWE. In late 2002, Steiner made his WWE return at Survivor Series to a huge ovation from the audience. Steiner had all the momentum on his side as fans wanted to see him build upon his final days in WCW to have a legitimate run at the top in WWE.
The company rewarded his popularity with a feud against Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which spelled doom for Steiner's short run as a main eventer. Their matches couldn't have gone worse as they failed to generate any in-ring chemistry, while Steiner appeared to have lost a few steps as a performer. Soon enough, Steiner fell through the ranks prior to his eventual release from the company.
1 Regrets Signing With WWE: Sting
Sting was always wary of signing with WWE as he feared a burial like some of his WCW peers. For over a decade, he rejected multiple offers to join Vince McMahon's empire. But in 2014, he finally caved in after inking a deal with the company. He was off to the races with a feud against Triple H, leading to a long-awaited match at WrestleMania 31 in which he lost.
Sting followed it up with another loss against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions, which effectively put an end to his career after sustaining a neck injury. While Sting has remained on decent terms with WWE since his retirement, his run was far from ideal.