5 times WWE Superstars rejected a storyline
Over the years, there have been many storylines written by WWE creative or Vince McMahon himself that had WWE Superstars scratching their heads or outright saying “No!”.
This may be due to a particular match, a storyline angle, or a change in character. Some of the rejections listed below may have worked out for the best while others may leave us wondering: “What if?”
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at five times WWE Superstars have rejected a storyline.
#5 – Love triangle Involving Jeff Jarrett, Debra, and Owen Hart
I’m really glad Jeff Jarrett brought up Owen Hart in his speech. Owen will likely never be inducted, so I’ll consider his speech and Bret’s 2006 speech to be his induction. Owen was taken away from us too early. #RIPOwenHart https://t.co/7fMNu5JuRp
Prior to the unfortunate incident that took the life of the legendary Owen Hart in 1999, he and Jeff Jarrett formed a tag team and became one of the better duos during the peak of the Attitude Era. Alongside the lovely Debra, the two seemed unstoppable.
The original angle that was proposed to Hart and Jarrett depicted Owen having an affair with Debra behind Jarrett’s back. This would result in the team splitting up. Hart refused to do the storyline because he was a family man and didn’t want his children watching their father have a make-believe affair on WWE television.
The angle never came to light and Owen would eventually revive his Blue Blazer gimmick, which unfortunately ended in tragedy. Owen fell to his death during the 1999 Over the Edge pay-per-view while attempting a superhero-like entrance.
#4 – Batista was originally set to debut as an angry foster child
It's a 20th to his debut, Dave Batista was an enigma, he was underappreciated, but good time is paying up it's dues.
#batistaweek https://t.co/MdgcGpIJFw
Dave Batista became the powerhouse behind Evolution following his brief stint as a deacon for Reverend D’Von. Batista’s popularity was growing rapidly during his run in Evolution alongside Triple H, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair. However, Batista had issues with his temper in those days, and Vince McMahon had an absurd idea to explain this.
Vince wanted to have Batista’s temper issues explained as a manifestation of the superstar being abused as a foster child and having a rough upbringing. Batista rejected the storyline, hating the way the entire angle sounded on paper and believing that it would derail his rising momentum.
#3 – Edge as the original “Big Valbowski”
Prior to becoming “Edge”, the real-life Adam Copeland’s wrestling name was Sexton Hardcastle. The name is embarrassing as it is, and WWE wanted to take advantage of this.
There were, in fact, two storyline ideas proposed to Copeland during this timeframe. The first one had Copeland keep the name of Sexton Hardcastle and basically become the raunchy and crude “Big Valbowski” porn star character that Val Venis would ultimately end up portraying. This was immediately rejected.
The second idea was to have Copeland debut under the name Adorable Adam and form a tag team with Val Venis, who was originally going to be called Sensual Sean. Copeland said thanks, but no thanks to the idea and would eventually go on to portray the character of Edge.
The rest, as they say, is history!
#2 – WrestleMania dream match: Sting vs. The Undertaker
This storyline needs no real introduction or background. The showdown between WCW’s franchise star (Sting) and WWE’s icon (The Undertaker) seemed like an easy go-to match after Sting officially signed a contract with WWE in late 2014. Unfortunately, the bout never materialized.
The obvious platform for the match would have been WrestleMania 31 in 2015, and the WWE Universe seemingly laid the blame on Vince McMahon and the creative team for not going forward with it. However, it was The Undertaker who rejected the idea.
The Phenom, with all due respect to The Stinger, had no desire or ambition to face Sting at WrestleMania. While Sting pushed hard to try and make this dream match happen, Undertaker just wasn't feeling it for reasons that are still unclear.
This is a match that unfortunately will have to be played out in WWE 2K games and will always be an infamous “What if?” scenario.
#1 – CM Punk rejects Triple H showdown, leaves WWE
At the beginning of 2014, CM Punk was on his way out of the company due to dissatisfaction with the organization on top of being hurt and sick. Punk walked out of WWE following the Royal Rumble event, but had he not left, the original storyline idea was for Punk to be involved in a feud with Triple H heading into WrestleMania XXX.
The angle was going to have Punk initially feud with Kane (who was a big part of The Authority) after the two eliminated each other during the Royal Rumble match. Afterwards, Punk was going to switch his focus from Kane directly to Triple H and have a showdown at The Showcase of the Immortals.
For obvious reasons, this didn’t happen. Punk left the company and plans were altered drastically as a result. Daniel Bryan would ride the wave of the Yes! Movement to take Punk's role, defeat Triple H and move on to challenge Batista and Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania XXX to become the new WWE Champion.