10 Most INSANE Promises Wrestling Promoters Made To Wrestlers

Keeping talent happy is one of the biggest challenges facing management in major groups like WWE and AEW. Iconic announcer Jim Ross has said via his podcast that most issues boil down to 2 things: "Cash and creative". The roster wants to feel valued financially, but they also want assurances that the writing team will handle them well and give them satisfying things to do on TV and pay-per-view.

Or else!

Well, maybe "or else" is a tad extreme and untrue across the board, but select workers have held promoters to ransom and forced their hands over the years. Even powerful figures like Vince McMahon, Triple H, Eric Bischoff and more have felt backed into a corner and left with no option but to start making wild promises. Looking back, it's hard to wrap your head around some of them.

Amongst other things, wrestlers have been promised exemption from otherwise-enforced drug testing, and one was even begged back into the building only to be fired around a year later. Elsewhere, top stars have been told they'll rule the video game realm as well as the real WWE one, and family members have been hired strictly as favours.

It's chaos, but then...pro wrestling is chaotic. At times, it's a lawless world that spins wildly out of control and seems to be one more decision away from breaking point. Somehow, despite that, things keep ticking along and millions of dollars are made.

Want to dance with legendary soul singers and bag a winning streak that'd make Goldberg blush? All you need is a tasty, tasty promise.

Are you ready? Ready to have your mind blown, that is.

In 2008, well-meaning journalists who worked for various video game publications and websites received an edict they couldn't believe. WWE sent out a simple command when they were running promotional stills and screenshots for the upcoming SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 game: Triple H couldn't look weak or vulnerable in them.

Yes, it's true. Hunter's ego was running so wild in '08 that he refused to do the J.O.B in promotional materials for a bloody video game. Speaking of blood, that was out of the question too. There was nothing surprise about that due to WWE's (very new) PG certification at the time, but journos couldn't even print pics of Trips taking someone else's move or selling.

This was a frankly ludicrous bit of favouritism for Vince McMahon's son in law. Literally everyone else included in the game, such as The Undertaker, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Edge and more, could be smashed with all manner of moves and weapons. 'The Game'? Forget about it. He had to look like the hardest dude on the planet, and that was that. Fail to meet this edict and there'd be consequences.

Teddy Long would've put writers one on one with 'Taker. OK, not really, but WWE's PR department wouldn't have been very chuffed with your company. It's genuinely wild that WWE told Triple H he could avoid selling in various PlayStation or Xbox magazines of the time. Who knows why?! Ego is the only explanation anyone could/can think of.