15 Wrestlers That Got BANNED From WWE

WWE is big business. Big corporate business. Previously, Vince McMahon was the boss and he had final say over who was hired and who was fired. If Vince didn't want a wrestler showing up on Raw or SmackDown, then they wouldn't. It really was as simple as that. McMahon didn't really have to justify it to anybody, because everyone else was far too busy looking over their own shoulders or trying to get a meeting with him so they didn't end up with some of the worst creative ever.

Things operate slightly differently under Triple H. He has a lot of sway, sure, but TKO are also involved and they call some shots too. WWE isn't just Hunter's sandbox. Not exclusively, at least. There are shareholders to appease, corporate sponsors to keep sweet, and Trips has to answer to those higher up the food chain. In short, whilst he clearly has input and a ton of influence, 'The Game' doesn't have free rein to just ban wrestlers from the promotion without thinking twice.

That's why some have returned. They could whether he liked it or not.

Being fair, Vince didn't hold many permanent grudges if there was money to make. Business (largely) came first, which is why wrestlers once forbidden from appearing onscreen or even being mentioned behind the curtain returned like they'd never been banned at all. That's happened way more than some might think.

All of the names included here were told to beat it and to 'never darken WWE's door again'. Some stayed away because they weren't welcome, whilst others eventually found a way back in.

It's fascinating to pore over the political in-fighting and legalities of it all.

Sometimes, it's fun to slap a deep filter on your voice, stare straight in the bathroom mirror, pretend you've got a mouth full of porridge and yell: "BOOOOOOOOSS MAAAAAAAAN". What? Nobody else does Nailz circa 1992 impressions when they're home alone? Delete this part of the article and let's move along, then.

Seriously though, the Nailz gimmick was terrifying if you were a kid in the early-90s. A deranged, murderous psychopath who'd escaped prison solely to hunt down Big Boss Man for being mean to him in jail? Yeah, scary stuff. Nobody was quite as scared as Vince McMahon when the real-life Kevin Wacholz got mad about his payoffs though. 

Bret Hart wrote in his autobiography that he heard Nailz choking and rag-dolling McMahon around his office before he exited the promotion for good. Vince was obviously shaken up, but things would only get worse. Later, Wacholz filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against his old boss, and he even alleged that McMahon had sexually assaulted him. 

Nailz also testified against Vince and the WWF during the steroid trials, so his name was mud in McMahon circles from that point on. There wasn't a hope in hell that Kev, his murderous inmate character or any other offshoot he might want to play would be welcome in the federation ever again.

Triple H has never had to worry about weighing up a WWE Hall Of Fame induction. Nailz was only around in the WWF for a cup of coffee, then his vicious attack on Vince ensured he'd never be back.

What a story.