10 Times WWE Wrestlers Were Punished For Speaking Out

Running a wrestling promotion is not a job for the faint-hearted, as having a locker room full of larger-than-life personalities with different and unique traits requires those in charge to have constant vigilance and a rigidness blended with some flexibility. WWE has been running a tight ship over the years, and the superstars are bound by their contracts to adhere to the company's rules and policies and not act in any way that might be detrimental to business.

However, enforcing the rules meant the company had to take extreme measures to keep the wrestlers in line and deal with anyone who overstepped their boundaries by acting out. However, the company was not in the right in all instances, as the wrestlers got punished for speaking out to defend their rights, voicing their opinions, refusing to go ahead with terrible and disrespectful ideas, and opposing company policies.

While some wrestlers deserved the punishment they had to endure, some got reprimanded just so the company officials could assert their position of having the last say. These ten instances describe how WWE wrestlers landed in trouble for opening their mouths for the right and wrong reasons at the worst possible time.

The fans were already puzzled by WWE's decision to put the WWE Championship on Jinder Mahal in 2017, and the company made things more complicated by booking Baron Corbin to lose his Money in the Bank cash-in against Mahal.

Fans believed Baron Corbin was on a clear path to becoming WWE champion when he won the 2017 men's MITB ladder match, and the backstage environment echoed the same sentiment - until Corbin decided to run his mouth at the wrong time.

Amidst the rumors that Corbin's failed cash-in was due to alleged heat with John Cena and his behavior on social media, PWInsider shed more light on the real reason behind Corbin's downfall. The whole situation stemmed from a talent meeting, where Dr. Joseph Maroon, head of WWE's Wellness Policy, talked to the superstars about the seriousness of concussions and why they should report to management as soon as they start feeling symptoms.

Dr. Maroon reportedly discussed a study that showed deceased NFL players diagnosed with CTE post-mortem in a way that downplayed the study being concrete proof that all football players might develop CTE.

Corbin, a former NFL player, cut off Maroon and expressed opinions that challenged the latter. The exchange lasted for several minutes, with Corbin disagreeing with Maroon's stance about CTE. The sources stated that while Corbin wasn't yelling or being belligerent, he chose the wrong time and place to have that discussion, as many believed he should have had a private conversation with Maroon rather than calling him out in front of the assembled locker room.

The belief among the sources was that this conversation was what led to WWE pulling the plug on Baron Corbin's push. Corbin did recover after the setback and got himself back in the spotlight with the Constable Corbin gimmick, but his act gradually fell apart over the years, which eventually led to his release last year.