8 Wrestlers Who Turned Down Big Money WWE Deals

Money isn't everything, so say people with lots of money, but those of us in so-called "normal" jobs can only stand there scratching our heads when we hear about global mega-stars turning their backs on a small fortune.

This doesn't seem to happen as often in wrestling as it does in music and film, which is probably explained by the comparatively shorter shelf-life of a wrestler compared to a musician or actor. They've got about 15 or 20 years of their body being in peak physical condition, and it's incumbent on them to milk it for all they're worth.

Every now and again, though, a story surfaces about one of the industry's top stars rejecting a big money offer (typically from WWE, given the never-ending financial problems that seem to plague Impact Wrestling). Sometimes it's out of principle or loyalty to their current employers; other times, they just decide they're done with the business, having realised all their career ambitions already.

For Vince McMahon and co, it's a chastening reminder that there really are some things in life money can't buy.

As well as being one of the world's foremost professional wrestlers, AJ Styles is a man who knows his own worth. That's why he (allegedly) turned down a bumper contract from WWE on leaving the Impact Zone at the tail end of 2013.

It took an improved offer some two years later to finally convince The Phenomenal One to come on board, by which time he had grown into the single most sought-after booking outside of Vince McMahon's empire after a slew of high-profile matches in Japan.

And the very second they convinced him to put pen to paper, WWE officials couldn't wait to show their new acquisition off, throwing him in for one of the all-time great surprise debuts at the 2016 Royal Rumble, where he lasted an impressive half an hour.

AJ's example is pointed one for any of today's crop of independent stars currently flirting with the idea of trading in the nomadic lifestyle for a guaranteed annual salary on NXT. By first establishing themselves in the minor leagues, they give themselves a much better hand at the negotiation table.