10 WWE Angles Wrestlers Wish They’d Turned Down
Becky Lynch, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle and more who wish they'd knocked back WWE plans.
Most fans growing up in the 1990s would've heard about wrestlers "playing their creative control card". In the WWF, that meant megastars like Steve Austin could look Vince McMahon in the eye and knock things back. Over in WCW, Hulk Hogan and his nWo pals would stroke their chins and say, 'That doesn't work for me, brother'.
Everyone on this list, including Austin himself, wishes they'd done their best Hulk impression.
WWE stars arguably have more sway now than at any other point over the past 20 years. AEW's rise is a major factor in that, because workers have a viable alternative should they decide that McMahon's whims aren't for them anymore. That means (in theory) that the boss is willing to listen when they say no.
Granted, that's not always the case. The Vin-man is known as a shrewd operator, and he's fully capable of making his employees think his own plans are best for business; then, they leave the meeting room and realise they've been duped and should've stuck to their guns.
In retrospect, they wish they'd turned down WWE's ideas in favour of something else. Or, nothing at all...
10. Bret Hart Has Natalya’s Back
Bret would fall into the "nothing at all" camp.
The 'Hitman' admitted on his old podcast that he didn't really want to appear on WWE's Payback 2016 pay-per-view. Hart was booked to stand around at ringside and keep a beady eye on Ric Flair - both were effectively managers for Natalya and Charlotte respectively.
That gig apparently bored the arse off Bret. He'd also just gone under the knife for wrist surgery, and only agreed to show up because it meant so much to Nattie. Hart described the Payback payoff as "lame, flat and unoriginal" on his pod - he wasn't really a fan of WWE's booking then.
Surprisingly, it was Bret's idea to work a double Sharpshooter spot at the end of the match. That was his chief request during negotiations with the company beforehand, and he probably wouldn't have bothered flying in without that moment. It's not like he was up for it in the first place.