• Braun Strowman Was Hated By WWE Stars, Reason Revealed
Braun Strowman signed with WWE in 2013 and first rose to prominence when he debuted as part of The Wyatt Family in 2015. Unlike many newcomers, Strowman did not spend significant time in NXT, briefly appearing as part of Adam Rose’s Exotic Express before being fast-tracked to the main roster.
Appearing on Something’s Burning with Bert Kreischer, The Monster Among Men opened up about how his rapid rise led to resentment from other WWE stars, particularly because he skipped the traditional developmental path.
“I did one dark match in NXT, and then I did three house shows with NXT. I like to joke around—we always said, because it was the Bullet Club, but also The Club—Gallows, Anderson, and AJ Styles—when they came in, we were the only four that skipped NXT.
So we skipped NXT and kind of went straight to the main roster, which is really wild for me because, like I said, coming in, not born into the business and I didn’t come through the indies. So I was an outsider. I was hated. Everyone was like, ‘F**k this big guy,’ and all this sh*t.”
Strowman explained that much of the backlash stemmed from the perception that he hadn’t “paid his dues,” even though he was grinding behind the scenes long before his WWE success.
“There’s always that ‘he didn’t pay his dues’ thing. But what people didn’t realize was that I was sleeping in my car. I was traveling around the world. I was North America’s Strongest Man in 2011. I wore the Arnold [Amateur].”
The former Universal Champion was released by WWE in 2025, bringing an end to his second run with the company.
• John Cena’s Father Reveals What He Told Mercedes Moné When She Was About To Quit Wrestling
Mercedes Moné (fka Sasha Banks) walked out of WWE in 2022 after creative disagreements. Throughout most of her main roster run, she was booked inconsistently, which played a major role in her decision to leave the company.
The CEO joined AEW in 2024 and has been enjoying a very successful run there, as well as on the independent circuit since departing WWE.
While speaking on Best For Business, John Cena Sr. detailed an interaction with Moné at an indy event and revealed what he told her when she was on the verge of retiring from pro wrestling.
“I remember doing a show with her for Chris Setaro in Powerhouse Wrestling. She said, ‘I don’t know, I might give it up.’
I said ‘No, don’t! You don’t realize what you have.’ She had so much ability, but it’s awful hard on the indies. It’s not an easy fight out there.
It’s very easy to be defeated. I used to tell everybody, and I still do, don’t do that, only one person is going to defeat you in this business – it’s you.”
Moné currently holds the AEW TBS Championship as well as multiple other titles from promotions all over the world.
