WWE has always seen Vince McMahon running the show since taking over from his dad and making it a mainstream promotion. Even though promotions like WCW, ECW, New Japan, and now AEW have been the alternatives, WWE has served as the top promotion for most years. That made it harder for wrestlers to avoid ideas they may not have liked.
However, a few noteworthy names have been bold enough to turn down McMahon’s request in WWE. The stories range from talented wrestlers having enough star power to shut down an idea or refuse to agree to something asked of them. Find out just what caused the superstars to make their voice heard. The following wrestlers were among the few to say no to Vince in WWE.
10 Bret Hart
The biggest instance of a wrestler saying no to Vince McMahon was Bret Hart refusing to lose the WWE Championship to Shawn Michaels. Hart’s contract clause for control over his departure and personal issues with Michaels saw him telling Vince he would not lose.
Vince reacted with the infamous Montreal Screwjob plan to force Bret into losing the title. It set a precedent that McMahon is not above pulling off an elaborate manipulation to get his way when a wrestler says no.
9 Neville
WWE pushed Neville as the top heel in the cruiserweight division when moving him to 205 Live. The new character of Neville was outstanding until WWE pulled a drastic change. Vince McMahon moved Enzo Amore to 205 Live and had him end Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship reign.
Neville put him over, but he refused to lose a rematch to Enzo on Raw. The growing frustration of Neville saw him requesting his release after saying no to Vince. WWE tried to freeze him out at home until finally letting him out of his contract.
8 Kevin Owens
The controversy surrounding the WWE Saudi Arabia shows saw Kevin Owens stepping up as one of the wrestlers to turn down appearing on the events. Any wrestler telling Vince McMahon they would not work a huge event with financial ramifications on the line seemed impossible a decade ago.
Owens was one of the names who felt it was wrong to appear on the shows that featured multiple red flags and saw them refusing to book Sami Zayn and Aleister Black. There was another recent report of Owens deciding to not wrestle at WWE’s empty arena shows unless talents wore masks.
7 Frankie Kazarian
One forgotten instance of a wrestler refusing to go along with a WWE plan was Frankie Kazarian. WWE signed Kazarian in the mid-2000s with plans for a huge cruiserweight division push. Vince McMahon wanted Kazarian to cut off his long hair for a new look.
Kazarian refused to cut the hair and it led to him eventually getting released. The strange twist was that Kazarian ended up cutting his hair in TNA a few years later. WWE felt Kazarian was too low on the totem pole to turn down such an idea.
6 Carlito
The end of Carlito’s WWE career did not see Vince McMahon wanting to fire him. Carlito was trending downhill when violating the wellness policy and getting suspended. WWE wanted Carlito to attend rehab and he turned down Vince McMahon’s idea.
Carlito agreed to his release when getting the ultimatum of going to rehab or getting fired. The decision saw Carlito’s time in WWE ending and never returning aside from appearing at his father’s Hall of Fame induction.
5 Triple H
Some of the craziest ideas from Vince McMahon featured the relationship of his daughter Stephanie McMahon and Triple H being the inspiration. Vince wanted to air their wedding live on PPV with fans paying to watch it. Triple H was the one to shut down the idea.
Stephanie revealed the couple once again had to step in and say no when Vince wanted her real-life pregnancy to become an incest angle. Triple H was forced to turn down his father in law’s ideas proving that family doesn’t always prevail.
4 Sami Zayn
The recent pandemic saw wrestlers having to make the right decision for their personal situations. Sami Zayn was one of the few wrestlers who told Vince McMahon he would not be attending shows in the foreseeable future.
The Intercontinental Championship reign of Zayn somewhat ended when WWE vacated it with him not showing up to defend it. Zayn reportedly received heat from WWE management since he lives close to the Performance Center in Orlando, but he stayed true to his belief of wanting to avoid getting the virus.
3 CM Punk
CM Punk developed a reputation for voicing his opinion backstage whenever something upset him. This played a huge role towards the end of his run when Vince McMahon tried to talk him into staying. Punk was frustrated with how WWE used him and wanted out.
The last meeting between Punk, Vince, and Triple H saw him holding nothing back. Punk admitted to flat out telling Vince that he was leaving and there was nothing that could change his mind. The hostile ending created tension leading to Punk having issues with WWE for years.
2 Steve Austin
The star power of Steve Austin made him a more valuable asset than any of his peers in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. WWE tried to use Austin a smaller role in 2002 that led to his frustrations building up ahead of an infamous moment.
Austin responded with an empathic no when Vince McMahon wanted him to lose to Brock Lesnar on Raw without any build. The refusal to show up to the event saw Austin unofficially quitting. WWE and Austin agreed to a return about eight months later to make up after the ugly ending.
1 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was the biggest name to avoid working during the pandemic era of empty venue shows. WWE expected Roman to appear at WrestleMania 36 for the advertised match against Goldberg with the Universal Championship on the line.
Reigns reportedly showed up to the tapings and requested to sit out following The Miz showing virus symptoms. The scenario of having a pregnant wife at home saw Roman still sitting out. Vince McMahon was likely crushed when realizing his top star would be gone for most of the year, but he did convince Reigns to return at SummerSlam 2020.