Wrestling is the entertainment business, therefore, it’s going to have its share of prima donnas, or talents who have a difficult personality to deal with. In many cases, these individuals can become quite successful, in spite of having a rather rotten attitude.

Whether they are hard to manage/ produce, rub their peers the wrong way, are rude to fans, or all of they above, the wrestlers on this list, established a less than flattering reputation for themselves at times. However, things were often complicated when said wrestlers were popular, and/or drawing money for the company – be that in WWE or anywhere else. Keep reading to see if any of your picks for wrestlers who were successful, but had bad attitudes, made the list.

Austin Aries Was Quite Successful In ROH And TNA/Impact

Austin Was Not Liked By Many Of His Peers

Mention the name Austin Aries and you are likely to receive a groan of sorts in response. While his talent has never been denied, Austin is often described as a bit of a jerk by his peers. He had two seperate incidents in TNA/Impact, including a high controversial and decidedly inappropriate one with Christy Hemme, after she announced him under the wrong name on-air. The other was a situation in which he “no-sold” Johnny Impact’s (John Morrison’s) finisher at the Bound For Glory main event in 2018. Then of course, there was his controversial take on masks during the pandemic, encouraging fans not to wear one when they approached him. It’s a fact that Austin has been successful at what he does, but he doesn’t excatly have a sterling reputation.

Goldberg Didn’t Really Understand The Wrestling Business

Goldberg Was Often Accused Of Being A “Mark” For Himself

Bill Goldberg is a classic case of “too much too soon”. He was skyrockted to the top in WCW, without having a solid concept of his craft, and as a result, he was considered reckless and dangerous. Bill also developed a reputation for having a bad attitude at times, as he seemed to sort of look down on the business. Many of his peers, most famously, Bret Hart, don’t feel that Goldberg deserves the success he has had in wrestling. Nevertheless, despite all of his perceived shortcomings, Goldberg has become one of the most successful pro wrestlers of all time.

Sable Was One Of The Biggest Stars Of The Attitude Era, Male Or Female

Sable Got Her Start In The Business Thanks To Her Then-Husband, Marc Mero

By and large, Sable was viewed as an outsider by most of her peers in the wrestling business. She had little to no knowledge of pro wrestling prior to getting involved in it, aside from her being married to a wrestler. This rubbed many the wrong way, as they didn’t feel that she deserved her push, especially at the expense of more talented female wrestlers. For her part, Sable did little to improve her perception by coming across as ungrateful and condascending to some. She’s now out of the business, with her only connection to it being her marriage to Brock Lesnar, but no one can deny that she was tremendously successful in her day.

Lex Luger Was Successful In Both WCW And WWE

Like Goldberg, Lex Luger Was A Football Player Who Became A Pro Wrestler

Lex Luger is another example of a former football player, who sort of accidentally found his way into professional wrestling. In fact, Lex’s first time at a wrestling event, was his debut match! While he would go onto have tremendous success, Lex was often considered to be aloof and egotistical. He didn’t seem to grasp certain aspects of the business according to some, though he would go on to have tremendous success in it. His life has completely changed over the years, due to serious health issues, and in the process, many say that the man himself has changed as well.

Brock Lesnar Likes His Privacy

Brock Is Often Viewed As Being Unapproachable

When it comes to Brock Lesnar, what you see is what you get. His on-screen persona has always been that of a fearsome monster, and his attitude oustide of the ring often mirrors that. Brock has gone on record as saying that he doesn’t enjoy socializing and even left the WWE in 2004, citing how he didn’t like the lifestyle of a WWE wrestler.

Despite his introversion, Brock has been tremendously successful in pro wrestling. He was also highly successful in the UFC, which he took up during his 8-year hiatus from WWE.

Sunny Essentially Coined The Term “Diva” In Pro Wrestling

Sunny Was Planning To Get A Degree In Law Before Getting Involved In The Business

In the mid-90s, Sunny was the most downloaded celebrity in the country before the internet was really a thing. She was also considered a difficult person to deal with at the height of her success. She has been accused of many things throughout her career, but none as serious as what happened in March 2022. While driving under the influence, Sunny would hit a parked car, and ultimately kill the driver of the vehicle. Sunny was one of the most successful women of her time in wrestling, but her actions in the last few years have sadly overshadowed that.

Vader Was Generally Considered To Be Something Of A Bully

Vader Was One Of Wrestling’s Most Athletic Big Men Of All Time

Like Lex Luger and Bill Goldberg, Vader was a football player prior to becoming a pro wrestler, and according to Harley Race, who managed him, he had a terrible attitude towards the business. He was known for working incredibly stiff, and this did not sit well with some of his opponents. He had backstage run-ins with a few of his peers, including a fight with Paul Orndorff that got incredibly out of hand. One can’t deny that Vader was one of WCW’s biggest names in the early 90s. He did have some success in WWE as well, but his tendencies seemed to limit his ability to get to the top there.

Randy Orton Seemed To Have A Sense Of Entitlement

Randy Is Considered By Many To Be One Of The Absolute Best Of His Generation

Randy Orton is as complex as he is talented, and many say that talent is what has kept him from losing his position in WWE on many occasions. Randy has had many incidents, both in and out of the ring, that would be considred unprofessional at best. He has destroyed property, and failed many drug tests throughout his career. Some say the company sees Randy as too valuable and has overlooked his many transgressions. It seems that being a family man has changed Randy for the better, as he is now one of WWE’s elder statesmen.

The Ultimate Warrior Has Been Criticized For His Poor Attitude

In 2005, An Entire DVD Was Devoted To The “Self-Destruction” Of The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior was an inspiration and a hero to many young fans during his time in WWE. Outside of the ring though, he was seen as having a horrible attitude and an unpleasant personality. Many who have worked with Warrior, have said they did not enjoy it, and basically see him as not being a particulary good person.

Wrestlers ranging from Andre The Giant to Triple H were not fans of working with The Ultimate Warrior, as well as non-wrestling personalities, such as Jim Ross and Jim Cornette. What can’t be argued is that The Warrior was tremendously successful despite his attitude, and has left a lasting legacy behind.

Shawn Michaels Was Considered A “Magnet” For Controversy

Few Wrestlers Are As Polarizing As Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels is precisly the type of wrestler who embodies what this list is all about. It seems almost everyone has a Shawn Michaels story, and many of them are negative. Wrestlers have openly questioned how Shawn stayed employed throughout his almost countless incidents, that would have seen most wrestlers terminated. Many feel that his close relationship with former WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon, made Shawn somewhat “untouchable.” While he certainly had a rotten attitude, Shawn was not only tremendously successful, but is generally considered one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots by both fans and his fellow wrestlers.