10 Wrestlers Who Were Fired And Rehired Instantly!

The WWE fired many wrestlers in the past. Some of them went to the indies, but a small percentage of them was rehired immediately!

10 Wrestlers Who Were Fired And Rehired Instantly!

Which of the WWE wrestlers were rehired shortly after being fired by Vince McMahon? Let’s find out!

Emma

Emma does not have the best track record with the WWE and eventually got her permanent release in 2017. Before that, she walked a rocky path in the company.

In July 2014, allegations came that Emma stole a cheap iPad case from a local Walmart. Shortly afterwards, the WWE fired her and distanced themselves from the wrestler.

While the WWE fired Emma, the company received quite a bit of backlash due to the firing, especially since it came out Emma simply forgot to pay for the case. The company promptly rehired her, but would eventually release her again in 2017 after a failed repackage.

The Iron Sheik

Hard to believe, but the Iron Sheik lost his job in the WWF at one point. While he may be one of the most iconic heels, his job wasn’t safe after he was arrested for drug possession in 1987.

Interestingly, the WWF rehired Iron Sheik a mere year after the drug possession arrest. However, he never returned as the successful heel he was before. 

Papa Shango

Papa Shango was definitely a wrestler who fell victim to the WWE’s indecisiveness. In 1993, the company decided to drop his character and simply let the gimmick die.

As a result of the gimmick drop, Papa Shango disappeared from our television screens in 1994. Interestingly, Papa Shango returned a mere few months later.

When Papa Shango returned, he did not return with his old character. Instead Papa Shango transformed into the “Supreme Fighting Machine” Kama.

Years later, Papa Shango transformed once again into The Godfather. As he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, things worked out for him in the end.

Jim Ross

Wrestlers are not the only ones who encounter Vince McMahon’s firing bouts, commentators do too. Unfortunately, legendary commentator Jim Ross was one of them.

When Jim Ross was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy in 1994, the WWE fired him a few weeks later. Fortunately, fate intervened as Vince McMahon was busy defending himself against an indictment from the United States government.

The WWE rehired Jim Ross quickly while Vince McMahon went on to battle the US Federal Government. Over the years, the WWE hired and fired Jim Ross multiple times. 

Things worked out for Ross eventually. He cut his ties with the WWE in 2019 and started working for AEW, where he obtained quite a prominent position as a commentator and advisor.

Marty Jannetty

Marty Jannetty is one wrestler with more firings and rehirings to his name than we can count! He received his first release in 1992, only to return in October of that year.

Vince McMahon changed his mind on Jannetty constantly, leading to the wrestler to be fired again in January of 1993. Once again, Marty returned to the company in May and even won the IC championship!

Syxx

The name Syxx might not mean much to you right now, but we are talking about none other than X-Pac. While most of you won’t remember, X-Pac was fired after a rather unfortunate incident.

During his podcast, Sean Waltman revealed he lost his job after pulling down the trunks of Ric Flair by accident on live TV. Waltman got his job back in WCW to put over Diamond Dallas Page, only to lose his job again a few months later.

X-Pac eventually joined D-Generation X, a timeless faction known to every wrestling fan. So, even after losing his job several times, things turned out brilliantly for him.

The Ultimate Warrior

Yes, even a man as iconic as The Ultimate Warrior lost his job at the hands of Vince McMahon. After Summerslam 1991, Warrior demanded a better contract, but Vince changed his mind and Warrior left the company later that year.

After returning to the company during WrestleMania VIII, things turned sour for The Ultimate Warrior again. In 1996, he encountered a bunch of legal problems, prompting McMahon to fire him again.

The Ultimate Warrior returned to the WWE once more in 2013 and 2014. Unfortunately, the iconic wrestler died of a heart attack on April 8th, 2014.

Eddie Guerrero

Considering the big success of Eddie Guerrero, his release from the WWF is difficult to imagine. Nevertheless, Guerrero left the company in 2001.

Guerrero struggled with substance abuse tremendously at the time of his release. Fortunately, he went sober and wrestled in the indies before returning to the WWE.

The story does not have a happy ending though. Guerrero died in 2005 from atherosclerosis. 

Daniel Bryan

Another big superstar fired and rehired by the WWE is none other than Daniel Bryan. During a television taping, Bryan used his tie in a segment to choke ring announcer Justin Roberts, which led to his release as management thought it was too violent.

Daniel Bryan was extremely popular though, leaving the WWE no choice but to rehire the wrestler for Summerslam of the same year. Good thing they did, considering how much money the man brought in for the company.

Matt Hardy

Oh, the saga of Matt Hardy. Despite being extremely talented, Hardy left the company numerous times starting April 11th of 2005.

Hardy was released from the WWE after “unprofessional conduct” in April, 2005. This came shortly after he discovered his long-time girlfriend Lita had an affair with Edge. 

Due to a huge fallout among fans, the WWE was somewhat forced to hire Matt again three months later. It turned into a real-life feud between Edge and Matt that played out on television screens. 

The story does not end there though, because there were many signature Hardy moments in between. Matt recently left the WWE again to seek greener pastures at AEW and the indie circuit.

It remains to be seen if Matt Hardy will ever return to the company. His brother Jeff is still employed by the WWE, but who knows, Jeff may follow in Matt’s footsteps in the nearby future and join a rival promotion.