10 Times Wrestlers Quit Before Major PPVs

5. Mike Awesome (ECW Hardcore Heaven 2000)

Mike Awesome got over hugely in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late ‘90s with his raw power and the way he could move so gracefully in the ring for a big guy.

Awesome quit ECW when he was their reigning World Heavyweight Champion, surprising fans and ECW alike when he made a shock appearance on WCW Monday Nitro in April 2000, helping The New Blood faction attack Kevin Nash. He was actually supposed to show up at the show with the ECW Championship in tow but this idea was quickly nixed when WCW realized the legal ramifications this would cost them.

Awesome had quit ECW and sought work elsewhere in protest of not getting paid a costly amount of money owed to him from ECW owner Paul Heyman (which Justin Credible has stated was in the region of $50,000).

Awesome was justified in quitting, just the way he went ahead with it garnered huge heat in the ECW locker room. Awesome quit on top right before their hyped Wrestlepalooza and CyberSlam live events and Hardcore Heaven PPV, on which he was scheduled to wrestle and defend his ECW World Title, likely against Tommy Dreamer.

ECW and WCW would eventually come to an agreement where Awesome would make one final appearance for ECW where he dropped the ECW belt to Taz.