5 storylines/segments you may not know WWE Superstars didn't want to do
Several WWE Superstars have participated in storylines that have made them feel uncomfortable. Bobby Lashley, for example, was not comfortable during his on-screen romance with Lana a few years ago. Nevertheless, he tried to have fun with it.
Other WWE Superstars also revealed that they participated in storylines and segments that they initially did not like. However, they went through with them for different reasons.
Here are five storylines/segments you may not know WWE Superstars didn't want to do.
#5. Kurt Angle's segment with Vince McMahon
In the early 2000s, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had a habit of forcing some superstars to kiss his rear end in the middle of the ring. In 2001, Kurt Angle had to participate in one of these segments. The Olympic Gold Medalist held Jim Ross to get him to kiss McMahon's behind before The Undertaker interfered to help him finish the job.
Speaking recently on his podcast, Angle disclosed that he did not want to participate in the segment and felt uncomfortable while doing it. Nevertheless, the WWE Hall of Famer did it because he had to listen to his boss.
"I could never get used to it. Vince was like a big kid. He always wanted to do immature sh**, and this is one of them... Vince loved the 'Kiss my A**' club. He did it all too frequently, probably way too much at this particular time(...) The whole time, I don't want to do this. I have way too much respect for JR; he doesn't deserve this. This is crap (...) I was divided about it, and I did let Vince McMahon know that. Vince McMahon wanted to do this. This is what you have to do when you are a wrestler; you have to listen to your boss," Kurt Angle said.
Angle retired from in-ring action in 2019. In his final match, The Olympic Gold Medalist lost to Happy Corbin at WrestleMania 35.
#4. Bryan Danielson was unsure whether he wanted to main-event WrestleMania 37
After winning the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match, Edge challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37. Although WrestleMania's main event should have been a one-on-one match, the company decided to add Bryan Danielson (FKA Daniel Bryan) to the storyline and make it a Triple Threat match.
In an interview with BT Sport in April 2021, Danielson revealed that he did not want to participate in that storyline nor be in the Universal Title Triple Threat match.
"I kept trying to get out of it too. I was like, 'This is a heck of a story. 10 years to the day that he [Edge] was forced to retire.' Gosh, it was shortly after Elimination Chamber and in the build-up to the singles match I had with Roman at Fastlane. I was like, this is going to be a 'stick Daniel Bryan in here' thing (...) This one didn't feel like it needed me, but it's all water under the bridge now. Maybe that's part of the thing is this constant thing in the back of my mind being like, 'Hey, I'm not sure I should be in this match' is one of the reasons why I had that weird reaction to actually being out there on WrestleMania,'" he said.
The former WWE Champion then left Vince McMahon's company for AEW after his contract expired.
#3. Lita didn't want to participate in Edge's controversial WWE Championship celebration
One night after defeating John Cena for the WWE Championship, Edge celebrated with a raunchy show in the middle of the ring with Lita. Car crash TV at its best / worst. https://t.co/t0OfHxREla
In January 2006, Edge celebrated winning his first WWE Championship in a controversial segment on RAW that involved him getting intimate with Lita inside the ring.
In one of her Twitch streams, the former Women's Champion revealed that she did not want to do it. She added that John Cena and Edge also tried to convince Vince McMahon not to go through with the segment. Nevertheless, The Chairman did not relent. Lita even claimed that he threatened to fire her if she did not go through with it.
The WWE Hall of Famer ended up participating in the segment, but it ultimately led to her leaving WWE the same year.
Since leaving WWE in 2006, Lita has competed in a few matches. She recently challenged Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's Championship at Hell in a Cell. Nonetheless, she lost the bout.
#2. The Miz didn't want to imitate John Cena
One of the funniest segment in #WWE .
When are we next getting stuff like that?
@JohnCena
@mikethemiz
@MaryseMizanin
@BellaTwins
#WWEOnFOX
#Wrestlemania36
#TotalBellas https://t.co/12odYXP3Hw
The Miz and Maryse were involved in a storyline with John Cena and Nikki Bella in 2017. In a few segments, The Awesome One and his wife dressed up as Cena and Bella and imitated them on SmackDown.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2018, The Miz disclosed that he initially did not want to do these comedy segments.
"I didn't want to do it at first. I just didn't know if it would be good. When I go out there, I set out to do something memorable. Something great. And when I first heard the pitch of 'Hey, do you want to imitate them?,' I was like, 'I don't know. I don't know if it'll be great. I don't know if it'll be good.' I kinda turned it down. Then I was driving with my wife and I was thinking about it and I was like, 'Maybe this could be good.' And I started doing how I would do John Cena and I just escalated it and Maryse just started dying laughing. If Maryse laughs at something, then it's funny because she doesn't laugh at anything. So I was like, 'Hmm, this is something. And then I started thinking of ideas on what it would be and I was like, 'alright we got something here,'" The Miz said.
The Miz and Maryse ended up doing the segments. They then went head-to-head with Cena and Bella at WrestleMania 33. Nevertheless, they lost the bout.
After the match, the 16-time world champion proposed to Nikki inside the ring. They remained engaged for nearly a year before splitting in 2018.
#1. Stephanie McMahon didn't want to kiss Eric Bischoff
In 2002, Stephanie McMahon and Eric Bischoff were involved in a feud. McMahon was the SmackDown General Manager while Bischoff was leading RAW. In one of the segments on the Blue Brand, the two kissed on television.
Speaking about working with Stephanie McMahon on his podcast, Bischoff revealed that The Billion Dollar Princess did not want to participate in the segment. Nevertheless, she did it anyway because she was a professional.
"I was really excited. Having [Vince] standing there directing the scene while I was making out with his daughter – I knew she didn't want to do it. It was like me and how I felt when I had to take a Stink Face from Rikishi. I am sure she wasn't feeling that, but she was a pro and as weird as it was, again, as a character you are doing it," Eric Bischoff said.
Shortly after that segment, WWE dropped the storyline. Three years later, Bischoff left Vince McMahon's company.