11 Wrestlers Who Would Rather Do Nothing Than Work For WWE

8. Bruno Sammartino

Sasha Banks
WWE.com

Bruno Sammartino's long vendetta with Vince McMahon wasn't the relationship the Chairman envisaged with his father's biggest star back when the two parted ways in 1988.

The ultra-dignified Sammartino hated Vince's vision, and made no secret of his disdain during various public appearances following the explosion of controversy around WWE in the early-1990s. 'The Living Legend' could have been a valuable link to the organisation's past during those tumultuous times, but instead shunned McMahon and his crumbling empire as the worst variation of what pro wrestling had become by then.

When Hulk Hogan blazed a new trail as a heel for WCW in 1996, McMahon was without both his mammoth stars from bygone eras, inadvertently forcing him to make new history with his now-lionised Attitude Era. He made chicken salad from the chicken sh*t he'd been left, but one of the era's most gripping pieces remains a then-to-now video featuring the likes of Freddie Blassie and Gorilla Monsoon expressing their awe at the fire and athleticism of the likes of Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Bruno's own presence on such a spot would have elevated it - and by default, WWE - amongst the elite when a shove was still required.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett