10 Wrestlers WWE Fired For Stupid Reasons

6. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan Justin Roberts
WWE

"Talk about an over-reaction".

That could sum up WWE's response to the Nexus angle on a historic 7 June 2010 episode of Raw. There, live on air, NXT invader Daniel Bryan tried to up the ante by choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his tie. The memorable (unplanned) spot really sold the barbarity of this upstart group.

WWE released Bryan four days later for being "too violent". Think about how stupid that is in the context of a fired-up heel faction who are looking to destroy Monday Night Raw, reshape the company landscape and make a bold statement. Post-release, Dan himself reasoned that WWE had sponsors who they needed to appease.

Still, it was senseless outrage. Bryan's choking gesture had perhaps made WWE worried that the media would make comparisons to the Chris Benoit tragedy of years before, but that would've been ridiculous. Daniel's actions were no more violent than any other weapon-related spot on WWE TV.

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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.