10 Wrestlers Who Were Notoriously Difficult To Work With

WWE's monopoly over professional wrestling has altered it drastically.

In a bygone age, pro wrestlers in North America possessed an inherent value not dictated by one dominant company. Were they unhappy working for the WWF, another mainstream entity, WCW, was there to offer more money for fewer dates. Were they unhappy with the Hulk Hogan-shaped glass ceiling in WCW, the WWF was there to offer a genuine opportunity to excel inan environment with an actual ladder. Several, in fact. Steve Austin took it. Triple H took it. Both became stars, and used this star power as a protective cloak. Accordingly, the stars of the 1990s were not happy to trade wins and losses arbitrarily.

It's unheard of now.

Imagine Finn Bálor wading into Vince McMahon's office on August 27, 2018 and questioning why, after receiving such an incredible reaction at SummerSlam, he was scheduled to do a job to Baron Corbin eight days later. Knowing he'll never earn this much money anywhere else, he simply wouldn't dare. The b*llocking might even remove that smile from his face. Thus, there are minimal millennials on this list - though two stand out.

Are they proud, or utter pricks...?

Across TNA and WWE, Low Ki wrestled under the names 'Senshi' and 'Kaval' respectively. The pseudonyms, both derived from the word 'warrior', paint an ironic portrait of the real man within: Ki, considering anecdotal and disturbing in-ring evidence, fancies himself a real warrior of the simulated pro wrestling arena.

This explains Ki's very, very stiff in-ring style and his battering of Athu on his EVOLVE debut. Ki launched into his green opponent with a full-force kick. Athu went down like a beer bottle. Watching it back, you get the distinct impression that Ki was too high on himself and his tough guy act to consider the safety of his opponent.

In a very funny and revelatory shoot interview, Kevin Owens shed further light on Ki's inflated sense of self-worth. He refused to do a job for the much larger Cesaro (a "human horse", in Owens' words) in PWG, and dressed down Owens for being polite. Arranging to book Ki on behalf of a French-speaking promoter, Owens returned his call. "It's Kevin," he said. "I know," came Ki's response. "I can see it on my phone." Low Ki was annoyed that Owens didn't know he had caller ID. Ki no-sells manners, for Christ's sake.

Hilariously, Ki - who also grew miffed when New Japan asked him to drop his Hitman cosplay act - pulled out of Matt Riddle's Bloodsport earlier this year under mysterious (read: suspicious) circumstances. He refused to job for a guy with 100% more real fight experience than himself because...people wouldn't buy it?

Ki, when disciplined, is a great pro wrestler. Pro wrestler. Not a real fighter.