10 Times WWE Seriously Disrespected Hall Of Famers

7. Steve Austin Is Told To Job To Brock Lesnar With No Build And The Confidential Burial

Steve Austin's in-ring career was winding down in 2002, following years on top as the company's biggest star and most heavily-pusher performer. Couple that fact with the debilitating neck injury he suffered and it's not surprising that Austin may not have been somebody that the WWE were looking at to headline for years to come. WWE in 2002 were looking to the future, specifically Brock Lesnar.

The Next Big Thing was on the war path, beating the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Rock and The Undertaker in his first year with the company. Brock would have also added Stone Cold to that list, had he not decided to walk out of the company the night of the scheduled Lesnar versus Austin match. Austin famously decided to 'take his ball and go home' after being told that he would cleanly lose to the young Lesnar with no build-up or rematch in a King Of The Ring qualifying match.

Austin, who was used to being protected and almost never lost cleanly, was irate. He had been upset with the creative direction of the WWE and his character for months but this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. The Texas Rattlesnake was right to be upset. Regardless of how WWE valued him, he was still one of the company's best assets and deserved more than to be jobbed out like that out of the blue.

Following his untimely exit, WWE aired a lengthy segment on Confidential where they discussed the walkout and pretty much buried his character and attitude. Austin inevitably returned the next year and has since admitted he was in the wrong to leave the way he did but, saying that, WWE were in the wrong as well to treat Austin the way they did without any explanation as to why.