There was a time when it was somewhat common for professional wrestlers to have a say in their booking as well as the outcome of matches. But since the death of WCW, Vince McMahon has had a strong hold on the industry - while doing his best to control every aspect of the WWE. Following the backstage drama in the 90s and early 2000s, it's no surprise that WWE had changed its approach when it came to talents. Not many Superstars have been granted creative control since then, as most tend to follow orders regardless of how ridiculous the suggestions may be.

And while there will always be Superstars who are unhappy with the result of a match, not many are willing to stand up to Vince these days. But as you will learn from this list, there have been many instances where some Superstars weren't so keen to cooperate for one reason or another.

Refusing to lose a match in WWE is highly looked down upon since it is guaranteed to give the Superstar a bad reputation as someone with a huge ego. Meanwhile, refusing a storyline is probably just as bad, if not worse, since they would be rejecting an opportunity that was likely planned by Vince or one of his most trusted members from management. With today's list, we will go through 8 WWE stars who refused a storyline and 8 who refused to lose a match:

16 Storyline: Daivari Didn't Want To Become George W. Bush

When a Superstar is approached by Stephanie McMahon regarding a storyline, it's usually a no brainer as most will not reject their boss. Once the WWE was forced by UPN to get rid of the Muhammad Hassan and Daivari characters, they came up with different ideas for both Superstars. And both of them were very questionable ideas. Daivari revealed in an interview that he was approached by Stephanie about taking on a new identity by calling himself George Bush, and acting like a patriotic American while also wearing the traditional red, white and blue colors.

Thankfully, Daivari was smart enough to reject the ridiculous angle as WWE had some segments in mind for the character - and we can only imagine the cringeworthy moments that would have been produced from that program.

Stephanie understood Daivari's decision to decline the angle, as he felt that it wouldn't do his career any good in the long run, especially since the angle was likely to get stale within weeks. There are some plans that are better off left in draft, and this one certainly fell under that category. Daivari would instead go on to become Kurt Angle's manager, which only happened to get John Cena cheered during their feud.

15 Match: Neville Against Enzo Amore

Before 205 Live turned around a new page, Neville was one of the few Superstars carrying the division with impressive performances on weekly basis. That is why so many fans felt that it was absolutely absurd for him to lose the WWE Cruiserweight Championship to Enzo Amore at No Mercy in 2017. Enzo had only recently joined the division following his split with Big Cass, as WWE hoped to give a little more personality to the division. But considering his backstage attitude, as well as limited talent, Neville took great offense in being booked to lose to Enzo - especially since he was already upset at having his ceiling limited by being classified as a Cruiserweight.

And when Neville was informed that he was set to lose against Enzo once again on Raw, it appears that he finally had enough of the WWE creative team as he decided to pack his bags and leave. Although he did request a release from the company, that wasn't granted by management. The situation remains unresolved as of today, as Neville continues to sit out. Meanwhile, Enzo wouldn't last much longer in the WWE following his release three months after he had won the title.

14 Storyline: AJ Lee Rejects Mentally Ill Storyline

Prior to the women's revolution in the WWE, AJ Lee was the face of the division for many years. But she was nearly stuck with a gimmick that would have surely been a career killer, as she was approached in 2012 to play the character of a mentally ill person. Lee had previously been diagnosed as bipolar, so she wasn't keen to poke fun at the subject, especially given how WWE planned the storyline. In her autobiography, she revealed that some segments would have her hallucinating about making out with leprechauns and dancing with dinosaurs.

Lee wanted absolutely no part of it, and let the WWE know her feelings about the proposed angle.

It seems like management didn't exactly appreciate her honesty as she was taken off television for two months. And while Lee claims that WWE never gave a reason for her absence, she believed that declining the storyline was the sole reason behind it. It was certainly for the best that she rejected the idea, as it would have certainly affected her career. Not to mention the bad PR WWE would have deservedly received for turning a serious topic into a disgraceful joke. It's not like WWE has a great history of tackling delicate subjects in a tasteful manner.

13 Match: Batista Against Daniel Bryan

After having been absent from the WWE for years, Batista returned in 2014 to pick up a huge victory at the 2014 Royal Rumble match - and he was scheduled to go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX. But fans were fully behind Daniel Bryan, and absolutely rejected Batista every time he was on television. That's why plans had to be changed as Batista ended up turning heel since fans refused to embrace him this time around. And while Batista did agree to tap out to Bryan at WrestleMania, he wasn't so keen to be apart of the rematch at Payback.

He was once again supposed to lose to Bryan, but Batista felt that he had already done the job and it would only damage his career as well as reputation to lose once again - especially since Bryan was considerably smaller in size. Original plans had Batista remaining in the WWE for the summer, including an eventual title reign, but he wasn't having fun at all with his stint as he blamed the creative team for the negative reaction that he received from the WWE Universe during his latest run. He felt from the beginning that being the conquering babyface wouldn't work and he was right.

12 Storyline: RVD Rejects Heel Turn And Joining Forces With Paul Heyman In 2014

Rob Van Dam's latest WWE run was underwhelming to say the least as poor booking left him lost in the shuffle. But WWE did have a plan to turn his run around by associating him with longtime friend Paul Heyman, and thus turning him heel in process. RVD revealed that he rejected the offer since he wasn't going to be around for much longer, and felt that it wouldn't have served him any good. He is certainly right in a sense since it's unlikely that fans were going to turn on RVD as he has been a face for the majority of his WWE run, and was constantly cheered even when he wasn't booked right.

If RVD had been a heel since his return, or had committed for a lengthy period, then it would have probably worked out for the best. There is no doubt that RVD missed out on a great opportunity to have another impressive run late in his career, as he was surely to get a push with Heyman by his side. But he claims that he had already one foot out of the door, so it is probably for the best that he didn't turn heel.

11 Match: John Cena Against The Nexus

The careers of members of The Nexus changed following the outcome of SummerSlam in 2010. The group was initially booked to defeat Team WWE, which consisted of John Cena, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Edge, Daniel Bryan, John Morrison and R-Truth. That would have been a major victory for the stable and a much needed one, but Cena wasn't on board with WWE's plans. While the storyline was a major hit with the fans, Cena didn't share those very same feelings - believing that it wasn't the right decision for them to go over.

Edge and Jericho both revealed in an interview that they attempted to convince him otherwise, as they saw great potential in The Nexus, but Cena was adamant about his point of view.

The Nexus never truly recovered from the loss since they lost most of their credibility. Cena picked up the victory for Team WWE after eliminating the two surviving members of The Nexus, which should tell you that he had a say in the outcome of the match. Cena then admitted to Edge and Jericho that he made the wrong decision. Fans have remained curious as to how the careers of The Nexus' members would have played out if they had picked up such a huge win.

10 Storyline: Stephanie McMahon Thankfully Declines Vince's Angle

Vince McMahon has been the mastermind of so many brilliant storylines over the years, but he has also produced some twisted angles that should have never made it to television. And perhaps one of the most disturbing storylines was thankfully rejected early on before it made it to WWE programming. When Stephanie McMahon was pregnant, Vince wanted to make a storyline out of it. And that's when he suggested an angle in which it would be revealed that he was the father of the baby. Stephanie was understandably disgusted by the proposition and immediately declines being apart of it.

But Vince wasn't quite ready to give up on his plans just yet, as he went back to the drawing board, before suggesting that Shane would be the father. Both members of the family would reject the idea, and the angle thankfully never came to fruition. Some fans find it hard to believe that Vince would have went that far, but they may have overlooked some of the other angles he produced around the same time - including the time when he teamed up with Shane to take on Shawn Michaels and God in a tag team match. Thankfully some people in his family are sane.

9 Match: Triple H Against Booker T

It is no secret that the original plans for WrestleMania XIX had Booker T coming out victorious against Triple H to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. After having been stuck in the tag team division for some time, Booker was finally receiving another major opportunity after winning a Battle Royal on Raw to become the number one contender. And for the next few weeks, WWE ran some controversial segments with Triple H claiming that "people like you" don't become champions.

There were certainly some other racial undertones to the storyline, and while the majority of fans were uncomfortable with Triple H degrading Booker T, they believed that the payoff would at least make up for it. Little did they know that Triple H had different plans, as he pulled some strings to change the company's decision to have Booker T go over him.

Needless to say, fans were shocked when Triple H picked up the win - and it took Booker T some time to recover from the loss.

To this day, it's still one of the worst decisions made by the WWE that was changed at the least minute thanks to Triple H's backstage politics. No wonder Triple H's title run was called the reign of terror.

8 Storyline: Kristal Marshall Declines Romantic Angle With Edge

It's never a wise move to turn down management especially if you aren't a top Superstar on the roster. Kristal Marshall had to learn the hard way when she declined a major opportunity that could have launched her career to great heights. At the time, they had the angle involving Edge, Vickie Guerrero and Teddy Long on SmackDown - and management wanted Kristal to be revealed as the woman who had an affair with Edge. That would lead her to become his manager as they envisioned Kristal playing a very similar role to that of Lita.

Since she was in a relationship with Bobby Lashley at the time, Kristal declined to be a part of the angle - especially since she was expected to be involved in some raunchy segments. WWE didn't take too kindly to her response, especially once she requested to be moved to Raw so she could be closer to her partner Lashley. And within weeks, Kristal was released from the WWE as she faded into irrelevancy afterwards. Lashley soon followed her out the door. She certainly was entitled to reject the storyline since she was uncomfortable with it, but it turned out to be a career killer in the end.

7 Refused To Lose A Match: Hulk Hogan Against Randy Orton

It isn't surprising to see The Hulkster on this list since he has an extensive history of refusing to lose matches. But his most recent one happened to be his final WWE match when he took on Randy Orton at the 2006 SummerSlam. At the time, the company wanted Orton to solidify himself as The Legend Killer by defeating Hulk Hogan at the event. But as we all know, that didn't end up being the final outcome since Hogan refused to lose the bout. A year earlier, he was also present at SummerSlam where he had refused to lose against Shawn Michaels.

Hogan had become increasingly difficult to work with - even more so than the past - as his ego had gotten out of hand. It was the final straw for Vince McMahon who had enough of Hogan's antics, and refused to give in to his contract demands after SummerSlam. And since he was always going to demand to win, WWE realized that it was time to move on from Hogan as he had been a headache to say the least. There is no doubt that the match would have been more memorable if Orton had picked up the victory.

6 Storyline: Sting Rejects Angle Against The Undertaker

The dream match between The Undertaker and Sting has been rumored for a decade now with plans reportedly intensifying since 2010. Sting was approached by the WWE to join the company and engage in a feud with The Undertaker that would conclude at WrestleMania XXVII. At the time, he was working for TNA and was still very wary about joining the WWE - although he was also offered the chance to headline the class of the 2011 Hall of Fame class. But Sting rejected the offer to what would have been the best time to have the dream match in recent times.

Triple H would end up replacing him as Sting held on for several more years before he finally made the jump.

And based on how underwhelming his WWE run turned out to be - including a loss against Triple H at WrestleMania - then it's safe to say that Sting may have played his cards wrong. Not only would a match against Taker have been much bigger, but a loss wouldn't have damaged his legacy either. Once Sting joined the WWE, he approached Taker about finally having the long awaited match although he wasn't on board that time around.

5 Match: Nia Jax Against Sasha Banks

According to David Meltzer, Jax also refused to lose in a match against Sasha Banks - although he didn't provide much more details. The two Superstars had already faced each a number of times with each picking up two victories, so it is unknown as to why Jax would decline to lose that match to Banks. Perhaps her frustrations had reached a boiling point, which is why she decided to not cooperate with the creative team. There are some Superstars who may have been punished for standing up to the creative team, but Jax's career has turned around since then.

At some point, fans were expecting her to continue dropping through the ranks as she hadn't accomplished anything worthy in a while. But when 2018 came around, her fortune turned for the better with her massive win at WrestleMania 34 against Alexa Bliss. Jax has kept the title since then and is now set to face Ronda Rousey in a match, so it's clear that the WWE has major plans for her. That goes to show that standing up for yourself goes a long way from time to time, especially if you happen to be related to The Rock.

4 Storyline: Maria Blackmailed By Ziggler

In 2009, Dolph Ziggler and Maria were involved in a romantic angle and she served as his manager for some time. But WWE had bigger plans for her and wanted to give her an increased role, which is why one member of the SmackDown creative team suggested a storyline in which Ziggler would blackmail Maria with an intimate tape of them together. According to rumors, the initial plan was to have Ziggler tease Maria about it for many weeks while also threatening to send it to her family as well as her friends. We aren't sure what the final outcome would have been, but it's likely that another Superstar would have gotten involved to defend Maria.

And while the storyline was approved by management during its early phase, it never came to fruition since Maria wanted no part of it. She wasn't comfortable playing that role, especially since WWE were hoping to drag it for weeks to come. If the angle had went through, it would have certainly been one of the raunchiest storylines of the past decade - and could have produced either some quality television or cringeworthy moments - depending on who you ask. It certainly is curious as to why it was pitched in the PG Era.

3 Refused To Lose A Match: Rey Mysterio Against Dolph Ziggler

Rey Mysterio has always had a great reputation in the industry as one of the most popular wrestlers among his peers, as well as being an easy going person. He isn't exactly the type of star that fans would expect to be involved in backstage politics, although he was guilty of it back in 2009 when he refused to drop the WWE Intercontinental Championship to Dolph Ziggler at Night of Champions.

Ziggler had been booked to capture the title, but Mysterio believed that a longer reign would help bring credibility to the Intercontinental Championship - especially since Chris Jericho and himself had just worked so hard to make it a legitimate title again.

And while we certainly understand his point of view, Ziggler was certainly worthy of carrying the title at the time, especially since a lot of fans wanted him to pick up the win. Mysterio would go on to retain the championship once again at SummerSlam against Ziggler before he finally lost it against John Morrison the following month. At the time, WWE didn't want to upset one of their most popular Superstars so they gave in to Mysterio's demands. It is a little puzzling though, as to why WWE simply didn't just have Ziggler win the title off Rey at a later date.

2 Storyline: CM Punk Against Triple H At WrestleMania XXX

CM Punk had already been upset for quite some time prior to his departure, but when Batista returned to the WWE to win the 2014 Royal Rumble - he decided that it was time to pack up his bags. Punk had been hoping to feature in the main event of WrestleMania XXX in a title match, but he was informed that wouldn't be the case as he would take on Triple H. Punk wasn't pleased to say the least, believing that he had earned the spot through his hard work and popularity. The storyline was supposed to begin with Kane taking on CM Punk before involving Triple H in the mix.

CM Punk had absolutely no interest in the proposed angle, especially since he had been waiting for the opportunity to main event WrestleMania for a number of years. And with frustration building up, he finally decided to exit the company on a sour note. As we all know, WWE had to shuffle its plans around with Daniel Bryan rising to the top instead. In many ways, CM Punk affected the outcome of the event, but he would have surely loved to be in Bryan's position if he had been granted that opportunity.

1 Match: The Shield Against John Cena

At the 2013 Elimination Chamber, plans would have been different if it wasn't for The Shield refusing to go along with the script. They were informed that the group would lose to the team of Sheamus, Ryback and John Cena with the latter getting a pin over all three members of The Shield. But they weren't too pleased about the finish, believing that it would significantly hurt their credibility beyond recovery - especially since Cena had already defeated everyone else including another group with similar potential in The Nexus.

Thankfully, WWE management came to an agreement with The Shield by switching the result as they ended up picking up the victory. It would have certainly been intriguing to see how their careers would have played out afterwards, as we have seen The Nexus struggle to be legitimate once Cena defeated them. It is surprising that WWE listened to their suggestion considering that all three members were new in the WWE, but they all felt that a loss against Cena and his team would damage the group. The outcome was certainly the best possible scenario, allowing The Shield to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the WWE.