5 WWE stars who threatened to quit but stayed
While WWE Superstars and employees usually leave the company when they are released or when their contracts come to an end, some people have taken the bold approach of walking out of their job while they are still under contract.
For example, one night after the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, CM Punk was involved in a heated argument with Triple H and Vince McMahon backstage, leading him to walk out and never compete in a WWE match again.
Similarly, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin refused to show up for work in 2002 after being told that he was being booked to lose a King of the Ring qualifier against Brock Lesnar on RAW. Although he went on to return in 2003, the WWE legend received a $650,000 fine that was later decreased to $250,000.
Now, while those Superstars went through with their decision to quit on the spot, did you know that plenty of others have threatened to leave but ultimately decided to remain in WWE?
In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars/employees who opted to stay with the company after considering their futures.
#5 Mark Henry threatened to leave WWE
Mark Henry has spoken very positively about his relationship with Vince McMahon over the years, but one particular moment involving the WWE Chairman infuriated “The World’s Strongest Man” so much that he threatened to leave his job.
In June 2011, Henry thought he was going to face Sin Cara in a dark match before a SmackDown taping. However, McMahon actually played a prank on the two-time Olympian by sending him out to the ring in front of a live crowd, even though a match was not scheduled to take place.
Speaking on WWE Network show Broken Skull Sessions, Henry told Steve Austin that he tore down part of the set backstage and immediately tried to find McMahon.
“I go down the hallways and I kick Vince's door open and he's gone. Started calling Vince, 'Man, I quit, this is the last time. Nobody ribs me, I'm a grown man.' ... Vince calls, 'Man, why did you get so bent out of shape about that? We just playing around.'” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Henry accepted an apology from McMahon, who replayed footage of the incident and said he wanted his Superstar to show that much anger when he appears on WWE television.
This prompted the creation of the “Hall of Pain” persona, which led to Henry winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton at Night of Champions 2011.
Henry remained an in-ring competitor in WWE until 2017, while he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.