7 former WWE stars who went to prison

The rich history of WWE has been accompanied by several controversies over the years. Numerous stars were involved while in the company, and many of them got involved in one after being released by the Stamford-based promotion.

A number of stars in the industry have been arrested for some reason or another. From DUI lawsuits to hefty punishments, a plethora of incidents have surfaced from the wrestling world that have taken the fans by surprise.

Let's check out the list of former WWE stars who have spent time in prison.

#7 Buff Bagwell

Buff Bagwell, one of the most legendary tag team superstars in the history of the sports industry, has also spent a short time in prison. The 55-year-old is well known for his time in WCW and TNA, and he appeared in WWE back in 2001.

Bagwell was arrested in 2021 in Cobb County after he provided false information to the law. The legendary wrestler was also charged with speeding and hit-and-run. Bagwell recently announced that he was again sent to jail for 72 hours.

#6 Former WWE United States Champion MVP

MVP is now signed with AEW [Image Credits: WWE.com]

Former United States Champion MVP was sent to prison quite early in his life. Before he entered the wrestling industry, MVP was a part of a street gang, which he joined when he was 12.

At the age of 16, the AEW star was sent to a juvenile detention center for six months after he was found involved in a robbery. Further, he was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping, for which he was sentenced to prison for nearly 19 years. MVP served almost a decade in prison for the charges before stepping foot in the wrestling industry.

#5 Velveteen Dream

Velveteen Dream is a former NXT North American Champion [Image Credits: WWE.com]

Velveteen Dream was considered to be one of the most athletic stars during his time in NXT. The star was released by WWE in 2021. A year later, Dream was arrested multiple times. The first one was in Florida for first-degree battery and trespassing charges, even after being warned once.

A few days later, he was again arrested for possessing dr*gs, which eventually led to his initial charges being dropped.

#4 Matt Hardy

Another former WWE name who has spent time in prison is Matt Hardy. The latter has also been arrested multiple times in the past, with alcohol being the major reason.

Matt's first arrest came in 2011 for a DUI, followed by another arrest a couple of days later after the police found steroids in his home. He then received a court-ordered rehab, which he violated by drinking alcohol, and was sent back behind bars for the same. In 2014, the former WWE Tag Team Champion was arrested with his wife after fighting in a hotel.

#3 Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy is one-half of the TNA Tag Team Champions. [Image Credits: WWE.com]

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy has been arrested multiple times over the years. The first one came back in 2009 on charges of dr*g trafficking. He was sent to jail for 10 days for the same in 2011. In 2018, the wrestling legend was arrested for driving while being impaired, which happened again in October 2019 as well.

In July 2019, Hardy was arrested in South Carolina for public intoxication, followed by another arrest in 2022 for driving with a suspended license, further violating restrictions, and felony DUI. He was a part of AEW at that time and was suspended without pay by the company until he went through alcohol rehabilitation treatment.

#2 Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez alongside Rey Mysterio [Image Credits: WWE.com]

Cain Velasquez has not spent a lot of time in the Stamford-based promotion. The former UFC Champion faced Brock Lesnar in his only match in the company in 2019 and has not been seen on WWE TV since.

Back in 2022, Velasquez allegedly shot a man, who was initially arrested for child se*ual abuse on the former UFC Champion's son and was later released. This led to Velasquez being charged with attempted first-degree murder, among multiple other charges, that led to the star being arrested. After eight months in the prison, the star was granted bail.

#1 Sunny

Women's wrestling legend Sunny has also been arrested multiple times. In 2012, the former WWE star was arrested five times in a month for multiple charges, including third-degree burglary and violating a protective order.

In 2013, she was again arrested for violating a protective order, which led to the star spending 114 days behind bars. In 2015, Sunny was detained again multiple times. The first one came after she was found driving erratically after consuming alcohol. A couple of days later, she was arrested on similar charges and could not provide a driver's license. A similar incident occurred a few weeks later, for which she pleaded guilty in 2016 and was sent behind bars for another 90 days. She was charged again after violating her parole during her sentence and was in prison until February 2017.

In 2018, Sunny was charged with DUI citations multiple times and was on a zero-tolerance policy ultimatum for future violations, which she didn't adhere to. In 2019, Sunny was arrested for DUI and multiple other driving charges and also had multiple outstanding warrants. She was released from prison in 2020.

In 2020, Sunny was again arrested on multiple charges, including eluding a police officer, and was released in 2021 due to a court order. Sunny was again arrested in 2022 after possessing a weapon and making murder threats to an 'intimate partner' for which she was not convicted and so released. She was then charged with 11 driving offenses, including DUI.

In the same year, Sunny was involved in a massive car accident, which led to the death of a 75-year-old man. It was later found that the former WWE star was driving after drinking alcohol and that too at a high speed during the crash. Though she was released after posting a bond, a judge revoked her bond for being a 'threat to the community.' In 2023, Sunny didn't contest any charges, leading to a punishment of 17 and a half years in prison, with eight years of probation. The star is currently in the Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County, and her tentative release date is in December 2039.

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