10 Times A WWE Wrestler Was "Fired" On Screen, Explained

Although WWE have had a tendency to do mass releases and firings in real life, it is actually very much the same within storylines too. Vince McMahon is renowned for his classic “You’re Fired!” phrase, and it is due to the fact that he ‘fired’ multiple wrestlers over the years within feuds and stories.

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Over the years, countless wrestlers have been given their bags and told to leave for a variety of reasons, whether that be due to defying authority or losing a match. It isn’t just Vince McMahon who has done this either, as many other authority figures have done just the same to wrestlers on the roster too.

10 Cody Rhodes & Goldust

Back in 2013, Cody Rhodes was trying to get some momentum as a babyface. After The Authority were growing in power, Rhodes spoke out against the likes of Triple H and he was made an example of, getting fired along with his brother, Goldust.

This didn’t stop the pair from invading Monday Night Raw each week, and eventually they were given a chance to win back their jobs and also save their father, Dusty Rhodes, from getting fired. At Battleground 2013, the pair defeated The Shield to get rehired by WWE.

9 Drew McIntyre

Fans will be aware that Drew McIntyre was legitimately released by WWE, with him going to work on the independent scene before coming back better than ever. A few years prior to that though, McIntyre was also fired in storyline.

McIntyre and SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long were embroiled in a feud in which Long decided to fire McIntyre. Fortunately for McIntyre, the heel authority figure over on Raw, John Laurinaitis, rehired him to a deal.

8 The Undertaker

The Undertaker was fired from WWE after losing a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match to Edge at One Night Stand 2008, with the General Manager Vickie Guerrero putting the stipulation in place. Due to interference from La Familia, Undertaker had to walk away.

A few months later, Guerrero announced that she had reinstated The Undertaker to face Edge at SummerSlam, after her newly wedded husband had been outed for cheating.

7 Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan & Ryback

It seems a little random on paper seeing these three men together within one entry, but it is due to the fact that they were all fired at the same time. At Survivor Series 2014, these three were part of Team Cena who joined forces to oust The Authority from power.

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Some weeks later, when The Authority were back in command, they abused their position of power to fire the trio of Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan. This random trio would invade WWE programming before finally being reinstated thanks to John Cena winning a handicap match (with the help of Sting).

6 Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon reignited their feud in 2019, with McMahon abusing his power under his ‘best in the world’ gimmick. McMahon tormented Owens during this period, and he would fine Owens too. To get his fine revoked, McMahon made Owens the special guest referee in his King of the Ring semi final bout against Chad Gable.

Owens did in fact call it down the middle, but McMahon lost to Gable. McMahon decided to blame Owens and fire him instead. Owens managed to file a wrongful termination lawsuit, and would also win a ladder match which saw him get his job back, with McMahon getting fired instead.

5 Big Show

Big Show has been humiliated, been used, and has also teamed up with authority figures over the years. In 2012, he was fired from WWE by John Laurinaitis, being humiliated in the ring after even begging to keep his job.

This was a turning point for Big Show who instead turned heel and aligned with Laurinaitis, interfering in the 2012 Over The Limit PPV and being signed to an ‘iron-clad’ deal, cutting his unemployment short.

4 John Cena

In 2010, John Cena feuded with The Nexus, and due to the debuting pair of Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, he was beaten by Wade Barrett and forced to join the ranks of the group. Fast-forward to Survivor Series, and Cena was special guest referee in a WWE Title match between Barrett and Randy Orton, and if Barrett failed to win, Cena would be fired.

Cena valued his morals more than his job in this case, and he played a big part in helping Orton retain the belt. Cena was then fired, though this didn’t keep him away from WWE programming as he became a thorn in the side of The Nexus, showing up every week despite being jobless.

3 The Miz & R-Truth

Due to the havoc the tag team of The Awesome Truth were causing due to their belief of a corrupt conspiracy targeting them, Triple H decided to fire the pair from WWE after they interfered in the Night of Champions 2011 main event, only helping to confirm their suspicions (in their own heads at least).

This didn’t keep the two men away for long though, as they would go on to invade and interfere in the Hell in a Cell main event too. They were soon reinstated to the company thanks to John Laurinaitis.

2 The Miz (Again)

The Miz has been storyline fired on more than one occasion in WWE, the first of which came all the way back in 2009 when he feuded with John Cena. After his career was put on the line, he lost a match to Cena, which saw him being forced out.

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However, The Miz would disguise himself as “The Calgary Kid” the following week, winning a match to earn a Raw contract, returning almost immediately after getting fired.

1 Steve Austin

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is the biggest anti-authority wrestler of all time, so it is no surprise that he was fired by his archrival Vince McMahon. It came in 1998 when Steve Austin was the special guest referee for the WWE Title match between Kane and The Undertaker.

The stipulation stated that Austin would be fired if neither man was crowned champion. Despite this, he proceeded to beat both men down and count them out, costing them the belt and costing himself his job. Austin’s firing lasted just one night though, as Shane McMahon signed him straight back under a new deal.