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00:00Perhaps it's not the most noble way to earn a living, but who would honestly say no to
00:04getting paid for doing absolutely nothing, especially given the ludicrous demands on
00:09a wrestler's body, mind and time?
00:11Could any of us honestly say we'd turn down an offer to earn our salary sitting home counting
00:16clouds?
00:17Don't lie now.
00:18With all that in mind, I am Gareth here from WhatCulture Wrestling and here are 10 Wrestlers
00:23WWE Paid To Do Nothing.
00:2510.
00:26Shawn Michaels The body of Shawn Michaels' work is virtually
00:29unparalleled on the North American wrestling scene, with his magnificent second run miraculously
00:35managing to eclipse his phenomenal first.
00:38But perhaps the greatest work he ever did was the spell spent on the sidelines between
00:421998 and 2002.
00:44Chronic back injuries threatened to derail Michaels' career just as he was hitting
00:48his prime.
00:49After WrestleMania XV, the torch was passed to Steve Austin, though more accurately prized
00:54from a reluctant Shawn's hands, as the showstopper entered early retirement.
00:59Inactivity didn't stop Vince McMahon keeping his buddy on the payroll, who for the next
01:03four years would infrequently turn up on Raw in a hat.
01:07In 2002, though, despite living the life of Riley, Michaels peculiarly decided to step
01:12back between the ropes, but we're all glad that he did.
01:15Wouldn't have had the sight of him performing a superkick in a chef's hat otherwise.
01:199.
01:20Neville Neville had had more than enough when he finally
01:23stormed out of the October 9th, 2017 Monday Night Raw, with all the fire he'd been
01:28storming into matches with since turning heel the prior December.
01:31The man that gravity forgot had had a transcendent year as 205 Live's end-of-level boss, routinely
01:38stealing pay-per-views and pre-shows with powerful encounters against a variety of opponents
01:43clearly glad to be sharing some of his bright spotlight.
01:47Typical of any WWE lightweight division, the Cruiserweight League was underserved regardless.
01:52Neville's feuds and defenses went largely unpromoted before and after the fact, most
01:57notably when his WrestleMania 33 kickoff clash with Austin Aries was booted from several
02:02versions of the DVD.
02:03He'd shown his value long before bailing on grounds of enormous creative frustration,
02:08and it was this reason Vince McMahon refused to let him back out into wrestling's wild.
02:13His contract was frozen within months of the dispute, before he was permitted to seek employment
02:18elsewhere in August 2018, and he hasn't done too badly in the years since deciding
02:22to give that elite alternative a try, has he?
02:27After evading WWE's tentacles for the better part of three decades, Sting, WCW's icon
02:33and the last holdout from the Monday Night Wars, was finally caught in the company's
02:37dragnet in 2014.
02:39All it took was a deal which asked him to do a whole lot of nothing for a whole lot
02:43of something.
02:44With his aura firmly neutered following the obligatory introductory loss to Triple H on
02:49his long-awaited debut at WrestleMania 31, the Stinger didn't make another WWE appearance
02:54until the following August, 175 days later, when he pretended to be a statue.
03:01In other words, he literally stood completely still for 10 minutes until he was unsheathed
03:05by a stupid surprise Seth Rollins.
03:08Three weeks later in retaliation for being humiliated by a Covent Garden attraction,
03:13Rollins seriously injured Sting, seemingly ending his career.
03:17In just over a year and a half, WWE had managed to eke out four matches from the one legendary
03:22figure fans still wanted to see.
03:25Sting had been de-stung.
03:26He always was a fan of water sports, so it was entirely fitting the company had metaphorically
03:31peed on him before he eventually joined up with Tony Khan's company in 2020.
03:367.
03:37Hulk Hogan
03:38After WrestleMania 8, the Hulk Hogan balloon was set to burst.
03:42The Hulkster had been walking tall in WWE for the better part of a decade, but his inflated
03:47physique simply could not be let down quick enough to mask the burgeoning steroid scandal
03:52which threatened to sink Titan.
03:54A disastrous appearance on the Arsenio Hall show only screwed up the scrutiny, and it
03:59was decided that for the good of the company, Hogan would take a leave of absence.
04:03Effectively, WWE were shoving Hogan in a metaphorical cupboard, in the hope he'd more closely resemble
04:09a literal skeleton when he emerged.
04:11It wasn't an ideal solution.
04:13They were paying him for his hermitude, and when he made a return in 1993 ahead of WrestleMania,
04:18fans had already turned against him.
04:20Even with his punier physique, Hogan still managed to muscle his way into the main event.
04:25Another sabbatical followed after a defeat to Yokozuna, before Hogan eventually wriggled
04:30out of his contract to earn even more in Atlanta, albeit with considerably more work.
04:356.
04:36Brock Lesnar
04:37After 504 days Brock Lesnar clung onto the Universal title like a baby loris to its mother's
04:43back, he defended the belt on just 11 occasions.
04:46That's fewer than one per month, making a total mockery of WWE's 30-day stipulation,
04:52which is obviously entirely arbitrary anyway.
04:54It's not as though Brock was being paid to do literally nothing.
04:57Besides his sporadic title defences, he did occasionally show up on Raw to do what could
05:02easily be achieved by a cardboard cutout.
05:04But as the top title holder, his absenteeism was conspicuous to such an extent, WWE made
05:10it into his gimmick, with the once impossible aim of making Roman Reigns popular.
05:15It did not work.
05:16Brock was simply made into a pariah for his parasitism.
05:195.
05:20The Ultimate Warrior
05:22In the weeks prior to Summerslam 91, The Ultimate Warrior, who was advertised for the MSG show's
05:27headline main event, retreated to his hideaway in parts unknown.
05:32Frustrated with the lack of parity between his own remuneration and that of company megastar
05:36Hulk Hogan, Warrior demanded his salary be topped up to match his rival, and wouldn't
05:41work until he received satisfaction.
05:44Vince McMahon wasn't about to waste months of build for the pay-per-view, but nor was
05:48he going to let Warrior have him over a barrel.
05:50He acquiesced to the disgruntled grunter's demands in principle, just long enough so
05:55he could compete in Summerslam's denouement, and then promptly slapped him with a suspension,
05:59but not without doling out a huge $75,000 payoff, effectively bogarting him until early
06:0592.
06:064.
06:07Scott Steiner
06:08The most memorable thing about Scott Steiner's second WWE run was the peculiar pink thong
06:13he thought appropriate for one of his lead-and-footed lummox fests opposite Triple H. Look at that
06:19bad boy.
06:20That physique was certainly impressive, if not a little concerning, but it alone wasn't
06:25enough to prop up a successful main event run for the slow-as-snails Steiner.
06:30Perhaps it was just too impressive for his equally muscled opponent.
06:33Steiner was surprisingly asked to undergo a pre-wellness steroid test, but refused unless
06:38his gym rival did the same.
06:41Hunter refused, and coincidentally Big Poppa Pump soon found himself tumbling down the
06:45card.
06:46He made his final appearance at Royal Rumble 2004, but was bizarrely kept on the payroll
06:51until that August, spitefully fired just as an injury limited his options elsewhere.
06:563.
06:57The Undertaker
06:582018 was a busy old year for The Undertaker.
07:01Other than his customary WrestleMania cameo, The Deadman also sprung back to life to bury
07:06Rusev in the desert, and faced off with Triple H down under in a match promised to be their
07:11last ever.
07:12Like their other last ever.
07:14Then there was that infamous Crown Jewel tag team car crash.
07:18Frankly, it was about time he pulled his finger out.
07:20After falling to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, Taker did a very dainty bit of in-ring
07:26folding, hinting at his retirement but not confirming it.
07:29The ambiguity allowed him to sit on the sidelines on a retainer for a whole year, a nonsensical
07:35Manhattan promo notwithstanding, before he was again exhumed for duty in New Orleans
07:40against John Cena.
07:42Undertaker's age and failing physical prowess stipulated a scarcity of appearances, but
07:47it was his longevity and loyalty rather than value that kept him on such a lucrative deal,
07:52before he ultimately called it a day in 2020 and started earning that legend's dollar.
07:58Rest in pennies, baby.
08:002.
08:01CM Punk
08:02Charles Montgomery Punk's acrimonious WWE exit became a very public affair.
08:06In January 2014, Punk was being vetted for a WrestleMania victory over Triple H in what
08:12he saw as a doggy prize, whilst Batista sauntered back into the company to take all the headlines.
08:18Absolutely sick of his lot, he took the proverbial ball home, with Vince McMahon later confirming
08:23he was on a sabbatical.
08:25The eventual AEW World Champion's gap year was funded by his disapproving WWE parents.
08:31Though he was slapped with an initial two-month suspension for deserting the company, he continued
08:36to sit out of action until July, a month after announcing his retirement.
08:41Presumably spending the time taking in UFC shows.
08:44For all the good that did him, now bring the boy home, Paul.
08:471.
08:48JTG
08:49JTG's last televised WWE match, an unedifying defeat at the hands or gloved hand of Santino
08:56Morella on a Superstars taping, came on the 16th September 2013.
09:01He wasn't released from his WWE contract until the following June.
09:05By that point, the one-time partner in Crime Time's continued tenure had become something
09:10of a running joke.
09:11His WWE spell became an online meme, with message board types ironically questioning
09:17which would go on longer.
09:18JTG's employment or The Undertaker's streak.
09:21There was even a countdown clock tracking his days in work.
09:25In the end, the neighbour hoodie outlasted the Phenom's vaunted record by 67 days.
09:30Even JTG was in on the gag though.
09:32On the day of his release, he posted a satirical tweet asking, damn, why I pick up my phone.
09:37What a guy.
09:38He'd then eventually return to the company in 2022, appearing alongside the late, great
09:43Shad Gaspard's wife and son, as his heroic one-time tag partner was awarded that year's
09:48Warrior Award at the Hall of Fame.
09:50And that's our list!
09:51Know of any other wrestlers WWE paid to do nothing?
09:54Well let us know all about them in the comments section right down below and don't forget
09:57to like, share and click on that subscribe button while you're down there.
10:00Also if you like this sort of stuff then please head on over to whatculture.com and find some
10:04more fantastic articles just like the one this video you're watching right now is based
10:08on.
10:09I've been Gareth from What Culture Wrestling, thank you as always for sitting back and enjoying
10:12a bit of wrestling stuff with us today.
10:14Hopefully we'll see you again soon but in the meantime, be good to yourself, bye bye!