10 Times Wrestlers Quit Before Major PPVs

7. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WWE Taboo Tuesday 2005)

Steve Austin appears again on this list for abandoning/quitting WWE right before a PPV. The Rattlesnake seemingly has a habit of doing this. This time around, Austin left WWE right before their Taboo Tuesday PPV in 2005 that WWE were trying to get over as a new and major innovative cutting-edge concept for a PPV. Given the growth the internet was having on the business at the time, fans were given the chance to vote on stipulations for all the matches on the event.

There was an angle in the lead-up to Taboo Tuesday where Jim Ross was fired and Jonathan Coachman took over as lead commentator for Raw. Austin, seeking revenge, was granted a match where if he won Jim Ross would be reinstated. WWE rigorously promoted the match on TV and its website. It was surprising at the time for fans, given Austin had retired at WrestleMania XIX following his match with The Rock.

Behind closed doors Austin learnt he was booked to lose to The Coach, causing him to walk away from the PPV and all of WWE. SmackDown’s World Champion Batista replaced Austin in the match, squashing Coach in less than 5 minutes in a street fight.