Top 10 Most Difficult Wrestlers to Work With

Top 10 Most Difficult Wrestlers to Work With

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Difficult Wrestlers to Work With.

For this list, we’ll be ranking the professional wrestlers that cultivated controversial reputations in the ring or behind the scenes, reputations of being, well, “difficult.”

Did we leave any out? Let us know in the comments!

#10: Ryback

We all know there are two sides to every story (three if we’re talking the truth), and there are definitely two very different sides to the rivalry between CM Punk and Ryback. The latter received a reputation as an unsafe worker from Punk, when The Chick Magnet appeared on Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast, back in 2014. Punk shared details about a 2012 program he had with Ryback for the WWE, specifically how “The Big Guy” was responsible for a number of botches that caused Punk some injuries. These included a too-stiff kick that allegedly broke Punk’s ribs, to a table spot that was reportedly botched again and again. Ryback, to his end, denied the allegations, referring to Punk’s comments as “slander.”

#9: Low Ki

Low Ki has been around the block, performing with promotions as varied as the WWE, Impact Wrestling, and Ring of Honor, to PWG and New Japan Pro Wrestling. However, Low Ki has also earned a reputation as being difficult from both promoters and fellow wrestlers alike. The former has historically been at odds with the man over booking decision, while the latter have to consistently content with Low Ki’s unrepentantly stiff style. In a nutshell: Low Ki wants to hit hard, and to GET hit hard. He wants it to look legitimate, and some opponents have complained in the past of receiving physical “receipts” from Low Ki, when the man felt that a match wasn’t going to his liking.

#8: Hulk Hogan

The character of Hulk Hogan, for better or worse, defines the over-the-top and cartoonish aura of professional wrestling in the 1980s. What’s perhaps less well-known to those who grew up as Hulkamaniacs is the fact that the man behind the Hogan persona, Terry Bollea, is infamous when it comes to backstage politics. Bollea was very protective of his character’s perceived infallibility and image, often refusing to “put over” another wrestler who was perhaps on the way up. The laundry list of those contemporaries that took umbrage with Bollea’s behavior is long, including Shawn Michaels and Bret “Hit Man” Hart. Hulkamania may live forever, but the good will for Hulk Hogan certainly has not.

#7: Shawn Michaels

Make no mistake, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels isn’t without blame when it comes to the world of backstage politics. In fact, Michaels’ penchant for leveraging his influence backstage may even exceed that of The Hulkster’s, so infamous was Shawn’s bad boy behavior during the height of his success. Shawn Michaels, by all accounts, was out of control on an ego trip throughout much of the 1990s and beyond. His was another story of a man very protective of his character, to the point where Shawn used every trick in the book to avoid losing cleanly to another competitor. Although today Michaels is older and wiser, the history of the “Heartbreak Kid” and his younger days will always be controversial.

#6: Goldberg

We’ve already mentioned the act of “working stiff” during a professional wrestling match, risking legitimate injury to the person with whom you’re supposed to be collaborating in between the ropes. Goldberg was somewhat notorious for this behavior, owing largely to the fact that the former NFL player didn’t come up in the pro wrestling business. As a result, Goldberg’s limitations clearly shone through whenever his matches, which were usually quick squashes, took any normal amount of time to reach their conclusion. Additionally, a mistimed kick from Goldberg at “WCW Starrcade” 1999 ended up concussing Bret Hart so hard, that it tied into the latter hanging up his boots for good.

#5: Austin Aries

The phrase “no selling” in professional wrestling refers to when a performer, who is supposed to be “selling” the physical impact of an opponent’s offense, instead reveals that the impact had no effect. Sometimes, this is done on purpose, such as when Hulk Hogan would “Hulk up” back in the eighties. Other times, such as with the case of Austin Aries, it serves as a source of controversy. Accusations that Aries was difficult to work with came to a head during Impact Wrestling’s “Bound for Glory” event in 2018, thanks to a ballsy bit of no selling. Aries leapt up to his feet after losing his World Championship match to Johnny Impact, effectively negating the entire match, although some reports claimed that Aries did this on account of suffering a concussion mid-match.

#4: Hardcore Holly

Personal grudges should never enter a professional wrestling ring, but sometimes these things happen, and performers go into business for themselves. Hardcore Holly, by all accounts, was as tough as they come, and didn’t suffer fools. If he didn’t like you, he’d certainly let you know it, perhaps by dishing out what pro wrestlers refer to as a “potato,” i.e., a real punch. Rene Dupree found this out during his rookie days in the WWE, when he allegedly received an in-ring beating from Holly during an untelevised event. Former “WWE Tough Enough” contestant Daniel Puder also accused Holly of being needlessly aggressive and stiff with him while the former was training with the company.

#3: The Ultimate Warrior

The ‘80s wrestling landscape was full of larger-than-life personalities, with very few reaching the stratospheric heights of The Ultimate Warrior. And no one seemed to know this more than Warrior himself, whose behavior backstage at the WWF has consistently been signaled out for its megalomaniacal status. For starters, there was Warrior’s reputation for working too stiff, with former adversary “Ravishing” Rick Rude allegedly calling out The Ultimate One for his unsafe behavior. Then, there’s the time that the man born Jim Hellwig had some demands for Vince McMahon. The Ultimate Warrior was so intent on receiving the same amount of money as Hulk Hogan, that he threatened to no-show “SummerSlam” 1991, should the company’s owner not pay him $550,000. Vince complied…then promptly fired Warrior after the show.

#2: Nia Jax

The art of professional wrestling is a delicate dance, requiring trust in the person standing at the other corner of the ring. Perhaps this is why Nia Jax’s time with the WWE was so controversial, since the list of her mistakes could easily fit a list of their own. This isn’t to say that anyone is perfect, but Jax’s reputation as an unsafe worker dogged her throughout her WWE career, thanks to Nia injuring multiple opponents. She infamously busted open the nose of Becky Lynch during an episode of “Raw,” and it didn’t stop there, with wrestlers like Charlotte Flair, Kairi Sane and Alexa Bliss all falling afoul of Jax’s errors.

#1: New Jack

Opponents knew what they were getting into when they squared off against New Jack in a wrestling ring: they were taking their health in their hands. That’s because New Jack was the real deal, a tough performer who truly took no prisoners, should you get on his bad side. Jack’s list of victims reads like a graveyard, from a near-seventy-year-old wrestler Gilberto Meléndez, to former ECW foil Vic Grimes and the Mass Transit Incident. The latter saw Jack sued by a wrestler’s family, thanks to the injuries Erich “Mass Transit” Kulas suffered at Jack’s hands. New Jack may be gone, but his legacy as the hardest of the hardcore remains secure.