10 Wrestlers Who Were Released For Breaking Kayfabe

9. Kōji Kitao

Matt Hardy Fired
WWE

This is the first of many weird ones on this list.

Kōji Kitao had just teamed up with Tenryu to defeat Demolition at 1991's WrestleMania VII when he returned to his native Japan for a match with another WWF star: Earthquake. During that bout, Kitao visibly resisted 'Quake's attempts to do business and received a volley of abuse from the ticked-off American as a result.

Eventually, Kōji decided to kick the referee and get himself DQ'd. Post-match, he grabbed a mic and told the bemused live crowd that pro wrestling was fake. If it wasn't, then he'd easily beat someone like Earthquake. Shortly after this startling series of events, the Super World Of Sports promotion released Kitao from his deal.

Weirdly, SMS booker The Great Kabuki was also relieved of his duties when people found out that he'd told Kōji to shoot during the match. In effect, Kitao had conspired with Kabuki to shatter the illusion of wrestling, which was a strict no-no at the time.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.