10 WWE Stars Who Were Fired For Unprofessional Conduct

9. A Heel Daniel Bryan Acts Like A Heel... Gets Fired

Everyone remember this one? The normally utterly professional boy scout, renowned for his pleasant, cooperative attitude to all backstage, was fired by WWE on June 11th 2010.

The firing came complete with the standard message on WWE.com using his given name (€˜Bryan Danielson€™) and wishing him the best with his future endeavours. The reason for his unexpected termination? During the June 7th RAW main event, a group of disaffected NXT rookie performers came to ringside, convincingly beat down the two WWE superstars in the ring, CM Punk and John Cena, and then began viciously assaulting ringside personnel and crew, and actually dismantling the ring itself.

The angle was great television, and of course entirely scripted. So why such a drastic reaction from the office? Bryan would, during the course of the segment, spit on a fallen Cena, and while attacking ring announcer Justin Roberts, grab his tie and attempt to choke him with it.

In controversial brawls of this nature, created to incite and further storylines and sell pay-per-views, such incidents add spice and flavour to the angle, and are part of the job. Roberts would have been well aware of it, and wouldn€™'t have had any ill will towards Daniel Bryan as a consequence of it €“- it'€™s the lifestyle of someone working in professional wrestling. Nonetheless, the powers that be seemed to believe that Bryan€™'s actions were out of order, and didn'€™t sit well with their TV-PG rating or with their advertisers.

Two months later, however, Daniel Bryan would return at SummerSlam as a babyface, having been swiftly rehired by WWE. Was the whole thing a work, designed to maximise his babyface turn? Bryan'€™s onscreen reason for leaving was a beatdown from his fellow Nexus members for showing remorse for their attack at RAW.

That€™'s something that would set up a babyface turn perfectly. Whatever actually occurred, Bryan was genuinely fired -€“ he took independent bookings in the weeks that followed.