10 Wrestlers That Vince McMahon Hasn't Forgiven
5. Colt Cabana
Scott Colton’s history with the WWE was reasonably neutral up until around winter 2014. Between 2007 and 2009, he’d worked their developmental system in OVW and FCW and, for a cup of coffee, the undercard of their main roster. Even after he left, on pretty good terms, he had friends there: people who’d vouch for him.
But when CM Punk chose his erstwhile best buddy’s podcast to finally make an official statement about what had gone on between him and WWE over the last year and change, he dropped a pipebomb all over those ‘pretty good terms’.
It seems like it was a mutual decision to record the two podcasts - and in fairness, even if it had been entirely Punk’s idea, Cabana could have said no without anyone thinking any less of him. But when Cabana provided Punk the platform to air all his dirty laundry at once, he made an enemy of Vince McMahon.
WWE bankrolled that litigation against Punk and Cabana purely for petty revenge, which caused three years of stress and destroyed the friendship between the two. They also banned all WWE talent from appearing on Cabana’s podcast in the future, and supposedly banned Cabana himself from visiting friends backstage.
Cabana’s arguably one of the most influential independent wrestlers on the scene, but that means little to Vince McMahon - and since Punk and Cabana are no longer speaking, even if Punk mends fences with WWE there’s no guarantee of a knock-on effect for Cabana.