10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Rhyno

7. Burned Bridges

Rhyno WWE
WWE.com

The second part of Rhyno's original WWE run was entirely unproductive. Returning from a serious neck injury in February 2003, he briefly teamed with Chris Benoit, before drifting into the midcard ether. He was rarely a featured performer from that point onward, and with his push greatly diminished from his early days, it soon became a matter of when, not if, the former ECW Champion would be released from the company.

The moment finally came in April 2005, but not through misuse. Instead, Rhyno had his contract cancelled following a very public argument with his wife at the company's WrestleMania 21 afterparty. He made a one-night-only return for ECW's One Night Stand pay-per-view the following month, but 'The Man-Beast' was gone, and wouldn't ink another full-time WWE contract until 2016.

While specific details on said argument have never been made public, Rhyno has publicly admitted to losing his cool that night, adding that if he was Vince, he'd have fired him too. An honest appraisal of what must have been a difficult situation, but it's easy to see why WWE would want to keep such a spat under wraps.

In this post: 
Rhyno
 
Posted On: 
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.