8. Palmer Cannon Quits WWE Mid-Tour Due To Backstage Hazing
Remember Palmer Cannon? You could be forgiven if you didn't. Cannon was introduced to WWE television in September 2005 a a representative of 'the network' who would make unpopular decisions and overrule Smackdown GM Teddy Long. Real name Brian Mailhot, Cannon never wrestled a televised match for WWE despite being a trained worker. Cannon quit the WWE in April 2006 during the first night of a European tour. Mailhot had been hazed by several of the veterans of the Smackdown locker room, including Chris Benoit and JBL. This was unfortunately standard practice for the time. The hazing got so bad that Cannon and JBL almost got into a physical confrontation. Cannon decided to hand in his notice and fly himself home rather than endure any more hazing. WWE management tried to convince him to stay, but his mind was made up. Explaining the situation further, Mailhot said in a 2007 interview with The O Show that:
I was a quiet, yet courteous guy in that locker room who never violated any protocol or unwritten rules. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when it was over, I decided that I wasnt going to tolerate seven more nights of the same (this was the first night of an eight night oversees tour). So I got in a cab, went to the airport, and flew myself home.
It was a pretty ballsy move from Cannon. Many wrestlers had to suffer the bullying of JBL, Benoit and others but few had the nerve to stand up for themselves. This wouldn't be the only time JBL was responsible for someone quitting the company in 2006: road agent/producer Tully Blanchard quit after JBL called him a drug addict, cheater and a liar during a public argument.