The 2010s provided one of the most fascinating times in wrestling history with many drastic changes coming in the age of social media. WWE completely adapted to the PG model, tried to replace John Cena as the face of the company, and became reliant on the WWE Network. TNA had many ups and downs trying to remain relevant competition. AEW emerged at the end to add the biggest change to the industry.
One constant from 2010 through 2019 was that wrestlers developed backstage heat for various reasons. The talents to get on the bad side of the locker room or management found themselves in hot water. Many would endure punishments in the booking while others didn’t have any worries about it. The following wrestlers all had noteworthy heat for various actions in the 2010s decade.
10 Brock Lesnar
The return of Brock Lesnar to WWE in 2012 saw him instantly getting heat for his presence on the show. WWE paid Lesnar the most money to work the least amount of shows on a part-time schedule and getting booked to dominate the rest of the roster.
Brock’s refusal to work certain talents and the desire to squash his opponents created backstage heat. Various issues backstage saw Lesnar almost coming to blows with Chris Jericho and Shane McMahon who each confronted him at different times.
9 Melina
WWE saw Melina become one of the top female stars in the company, but she also had a reputation for having heat backstage. There were many stories to surface about Melina in the 2000s with WWE reaching a boiling point in the 2010s.
Melina received heat for reportedly having issues with Trish Stratus coming back for a WrestleMania match teaming with John Morrison and reality star Snooki. Morrison refusing to hug Trish after a match led to Melina getting more heat before her surprising release.
8 Sin Cara
The signing of top Mexican star Mistico to play the new Sin Cara character saw WWE trying to expand as a global brand. WWE aired vignettes for weeks teasing the huge debut of Sin Cara. Reported plans were for him to replace Rey Mysterio as the top masked luchador attraction.
Sin Cara flopped within his first few months on the roster due to botches and injuries. Other wrestlers felt he was a pain to work with in the ring. Alberto Del Rio even tried to shoot on him in the ring according to media outlets. The run was a huge flop and WWE eventually had Hunico replace him under the mask for good.
7 Nia Jax
WWE had big plans for Nia Jax since her signing with the Performance Center to start her wrestling training. The relationship to The Rock as his cousin helped her get signed as the latest member of the Anoa’i Samoan Dynasty in WWE.
Jax was fast-tracked to the main roster following a short and lackluster run in NXT. The in-ring work of Nia has been sloppy with various injuries endured by wrestlers facing her. Jax developed heat and still has a negative reputation for being unsafe in the ring.
6 Lio Rush
The entire WWE run of Lio Rush saw him having heat from his start in NXT to his main roster run. Rush instantly became a hated talent in the locker room for making a joke when Emma was fired by WWE. Many wrestlers took exception to him trying to have a laugh at a peer losing their job.
The talent of Lio allowed him to bounce back in NXT before getting called up to the main roster as Bobby Lashley’s manager. Reports indicated that Rush received heat for having his wife travel to shows with him and hanging out with the wrestlers like a contracted employee. Lio was sent down to NXT and eventually released.
5 Carlito
The potential of Carlito could have seen him becoming a far bigger star in WWE, but it just never worked out for him. Carlito had heat for years due to being outspoken and often having fun at the expense of his peers.
The heat grew towards the end of his run when various important people backstage viewed him as lazy and unmotivated. Carlito’s final strike came when violating the wellness policy. WWE gave him the choice to attend rehab, but Carlito’s refusal along with his backstage heat influenced the release.
4 Big Cass
Vince McMahon viewed Big Cass as a future main eventer when splitting up the tag team run with Enzo Amore to start a heel singles push. Cass suffered an injury after working with Big Show, but he was still high on WWE’s radar when returning.
Daniel Bryan’s first singles feud after coming out of retirement saw him working with Cass in a disappointing rivalry. The backstage heat for Cass started to grow between him reportedly sharing controversial political beliefs and breaking the script. WWE released Cass upon believing his troubles outweighed his potential.
3 Enzo Amore
The tag team run of Enzo Amore and Big Cass could have been so much more, but the duo both got in their own way. Enzo specifically rubbed his peers the wrong way when becoming the most hated man in the locker room.
One infamous story saw Roman Reigns kicking Enzo off a tour bus in the United Kingdom for having a loud phone conversation mocking others in the wrestling business. Enzo was moved to 205 Live and was kicked out of the locker room before his eventual release.
2 Ronda Rousey
WWE signing Ronda Rousey was a huge move for the company since she was a massive star following her UFC retirement. Rousey did as good of a job as possible in her one year on the roster having entertaining matches with minimal experience.
However, the working style of Ronda caused her to get backstage heat with many of the other women. Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax accused Rousey of being unsafe with other ladies agreeing with them during a Twitch stream. Ronda clearly didn’t get along with most and may have more heat if she does return.
1 CM Punk
CM Punk’s issues with WWE management started to extend with the rest of the talent in the locker room. The reputation of Punk was that he got along with a few people and showed little desire to have friendships with the rest.
Roman Reigns recently revealed in an interview that he and most of the other stars today have no love for Punk based on his final years in WWE. Names like Ryback, Corey Graves, and quite a few others expressed developing heat with Punk in the 2010s.