Released WWE star says he apologized to Vince McMahon after getting a haircut without permission
It is well known that Vince McMahon dislikes it when WWE Superstars change their appearance without asking for permission. The unwritten rule has been broken by several wrestlers over the years, including former WWE Tag Team Champion Heath Slater.
Slater worked for WWE between 2006 and 2020. The 39-year-old burst onto the main roster scene in 2010 as a long-haired member of The Nexus. In 2015, he appeared on television with short hair after separating from his former tag team partner Titus O'Neil.
In a recent WSI interview, Slater recalled how he was told to explain his sudden hairstyle change to Vince McMahon:
"I just straight up told him. I said, 'Vince, I was done with the long hair. I had it for years. It ran its course. I just want something different.' I guess he understood. He was like, 'You ever do anything drastic like that again, you gotta let me know first.' I said, 'Yeah, totally, sorry, my bad.'" [3:05 – 3:23]
Due to merchandising reasons, Vince McMahon wants WWE Superstars to seek permission before drastically changing their appearance. If someone's hairstyle unexpectedly changes, their latest action figure or video game character might immediately become outdated.
Why Heath Slater changed his hairstyle without asking Vince McMahon
The former 3MB member had many ups and downs during his ten years on the main roster. Although he was widely viewed as an entertaining act on the show, Slater sometimes went several months without receiving a meaningful storyline.
The Biggest Jerks of 2013 - January: Heath Slater #JOTM http://t.co/V1nkgarPWd
The current IMPACT star felt he needed to make a change during a quiet time in his career in early 2015:
"Man, they weren't doing nothing with me anyway at the time," Slater said. "My career is legit a rollercoaster ride. I'm on the highest of highs and I was on the lowest of lows. That was a time when I was at the lowest of lows. No one's doing much with me. I'm just doing BS matches that don't matter, and I said, 'You know what, scr*w this, man, I'm just gonna change it up.'" [2:06 – 2:27]
Slater added that he decided to change his hairstyle after watching a war movie starring Brad Pitt. He liked the Hollywood star's appearance and asked a barber to give him the same hairdo.
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Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.