10 WWE Superstars Who Recovered From Disgrace
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin's worst week in 2002 was intense enough that it threatened to earmark 'The Rattlesnake' as a fallen idol less than a year after he was still atop the industry.
In truth, an epic explosion had been bubbling under the surface for months before Austin detonated himself at the expense of everybody shortly before a controversial June edition of Monday Night Raw.
Heading straight home in lieu of attending the annual post-WrestleMania shindig after his tepid 'Show Of Shows' victory over Scott Hall, Austin didn't bother with Raw the next night either, making an ego-stroking return as the centrepiece of the original draft between Ric Flair and Vince McMahon when the dust had settled on the original brand split. Relations remained strained though, and by June 10, Austin was again incensed with his limp creative direction. Definitively deciding not to stick around on Raw when informed he'd be putting over Brock Lesnar in a King Of The Ring qualifying match, Stone Cold made this latest walkout his last.
He's since admitted to his physical and mental health hitting the wall at the time, but it wouldn't excuse his out-of-the-ring behaviour following the final tempestuous breakdown with the company. It was just five days after his exit that then-wife Debra called the San Antonio police to report him for assault and battery. Austin was arrested in August and charged with domestic abuse, fined and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service.
The incident went without mention during his 2003 WWE return, but the conspicuous lack of beer-drinking early in the stint was allegedly due to the lingering probation he remained under.