10 Ways Wrestlers Got Out Of WWE Contracts
6. Becoming A Full-Time Minister
Kenneth Johnson, aka Slick, had a fair wodge of WWE success during the late 80s, and in kayfabe terms, did so by being a greasy con-artist heel, with a monstrously funky entrance theme.
This endlessly charismatic bad guy drew all the right heat during his tenure, but took a half-year long leave of absence in 1991 after a particularly brutal powerslam from Davey Boy Smith. His return saw him fully repackaged as the 'Reverend' Smith, a wholly babyface superstar, who'd turned his back on his previous mischievous deeds, in order to find the better part of himself and others.
This was in fact a mirror match of the events taking place in Johnson's personal life, where he'd become a born-again Christian. Slick projected this real-life trait to the world of wrestling for a short time, before giving up the business completely to eventually follow his true calling, which was to become a full-time minister.
Having retired from WWE back in 1993, 'Minister' is a title that the once 'Jive Soul Bro' still carries to this day.