5 Times Vince McMahon refused to rehire WWE Superstars

WWE have created numerous legends who will be forever remembered for their prowess in the ring. Some of these legends have had tumultuous relationships with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, which has probably resulted in them not being offered a return to the company.

Some of them may not have been rehired because they are no longer of value to the company or can't be fit into any storylines in WWE. However, there have also been instances where McMahon has refused to sign Superstars just because of who represents the Superstar as their manager.

Here, we take a look at five instances Vince McMahon refused to rehire WWE Superstars:

#5 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle has had an up and down relationship with WWE and Vince McMahon. Angle became one of the most popular and important Superstars in WWE during the Attitude Era and after. He was regarded for his incredible work in the ring and also his comedy segments.

But, behind the scenes, Angle had issues with his health which resulted in him eventually leaving the company in 2006. He had a good run with TNA, where he put on good matches but he wanted to return to WWE.

He contacted WWE and Vince McMahon in 2014 but they weren't even willing to have talks with him. This is what Angle had to tell Sports Illustrated in 2015 about the conversation he had with WWE and Vince McMahon:

“Paul [Levesque] is in charge. I found that out when I contacted Vince. I’ve always had a good relationship with Paul, so I didn’t consider that a problem. But he decided they had enough talent. For the Vince McMahon who I knew, enough was never enough. He always wanted more. I don’t know what was going on over there, but they even canceled our meeting. I never went to see them. They didn’t even sit me down and talk to me.”

Angle eventually did return to WWE in 2017, where he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and later became the RAW GM. He was released by WWE in 2020.