15 Great Wrestlers Who Had Very Brief WWE Careers
10. Dan 'The Beast' Severn
Dan 'The Beast' Severn is possibly the most accomplished wrestler and MMA fighter that WWE have ever hired. Upon joining the federation in 1998 he had already won several high-profile wrestling and MMA championships from around the globe, including the NWA Championship and numerous UFC titles. In other words, he was legitimately tough.
He debuted in the WWE as part of the ill-fated NWA invasion storyline in 1998 and went on to feud with Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart. And he also competed in the awful Brawl For All, where he won his first round bout against The Godfather before ultimately choosing to withdraw.
His most infamous moment in a WWE ring was when he supposedly tore the pectoral muscles of D'Lo Brown, via a modified submission hold, during a King of the Ring match. This lead to Brown wearing a chest protector for months afterward, serving as a nice little nod to the angle.
Severn lasted just 12 months in the WWE and left due to creative differences. According to him, they wanted him to have '666' (the mark of the beast) tattooed on his forehead and have him join The Ministry of Darkness... Which you can totally understand him resisting, to be honest.