Top 20 Insane Rules WWE Superstars Must Follow

Wrestlers are defined by their finishers. Cena with the “AA”, Orton with the “RKO”, the list goes on. As you could imagine, common courtesy is a big deal here. For example, Damien Priest ditched “the Reckoning” since it looked similar to Cody Rhodes’ finisher the “Cross Rhodes”. To keep finishers iconic, not every wrestler can try whatever one they want. It’s a good way to respect the wrestlers who those finishers are most associated with, but there’s still a gray area. Some believe that wrestlers basically owning a finisher can be a sign of gatekeeping. Honestly there’s some valid points from both sides. Either way though, you’re not going to see a rookie whip out the “Tombstone Piledriver” on “NXT” unless they’ve got the ok.

This rule is more of a two-way street since some of the responsibility also falls upon the interviewer. Regardless, it’s still a pretty odd order. The reasoning behind wrestlers needing to be taller than their interviewers is so the superstars appear as larger-than-life as possible. Former WWE personality Kevin Patrick was once caught having to squat down to interview a wrestler. It’s funny but also a little alarming. It’s not necessarily bad to want superstars to look like a big deal, but physicality isn’t the only component to being a success in this industry anymore. So this obsession with height feels a little unnecessary today. Since Triple H is in charge now, it’s possible this mandate will be buried if it hasn’t already.

WWE have often been responsible for coining a superstar’s name. Remember “Shorty G”? Yikes. But it’s still possible for a name used to be the one the wrestler came up with themself. There’s still more caveats though. While WWE won’t own your legal birth name, the one that you’ve carefully crafted to fit your gimmick and brand will be property of the fed. That’s why when wrestlers leave WWE and go somewhere like AEW they have a different name. Since these are intricate legal matters that can vary from wrestler to wrestler there are exceptions here and there. But the vast majority basically sign a part of themselves away to the promotion. Point is: don’t get too attached to your name.

Whether WWE likes to admit it or not, the internet has had a huge impact on the wrestling business. The web is littered with dirt sheet websites detailing the goings on backstage within the company, but perhaps the biggest impact it’s had is the rise of social media. Whether it’s Twitter or Instagram, the WWE Superstars are even more connected with the fans than ever, and because of this WWE has had to implement a plethora of rules throughout the years. Not only are their posts closely monitored but there are certain subjects they’re not allowed to talk about, such as anything relating to third-party brands. A bigger, more recent rule is that they’re not allowed to take any pictures of the injuries they’ve received while in the ring and then post them for the world to see.

We know that the mat is sacred, but the tag rope is also highly coveted, at least in Dallas, Texas. In the past, one half of a tag team was expected to hold onto a special rope tied to the turnbuckle to be able to legally tag into a match. Using the rope isn’t as big of a deal today, except when you’re down in this city. Then it’s incredibly important for tag teams to utilize the rope. In fact, it’s so important that a special inspector has to go to the arena and manually inspect the rope to make sure it’s exactly 18 inches. So yeah, never underestimate the importance of the rope!

On the one hand it makes sense to have certain weapons be pre-approved for planned spots, but on the other, it’s interesting to see how extensive the list of weapons that need approval goes. Stuff like chairs, kendo sticks, tables, basically any kind of object needs the greenlight from upper management to be used. Kendo sticks and tables, sure that’s fair, but it’s interesting that chairs need approval too. Given how commonly they’re used, you’d think they’d at least give the more seasoned veteran wrestlers a little more leeway and trust there.

Heels are super important in professional wrestling, they’re the perfect bad guys to rile up the crowd and get the world to eat out of the palm of their hands. But wrestling has more than one type of heel. More specifically, high heels are important in wrestling too. But did you know that they’re banned in Carmel-by-the-Sea California? The reason they’re banned is to stop people from getting into accidents due to the town’s uneven sidewalks. This won’t necessarily prevent women from working in the ring. However, it’s definitely a potential obstacle for other areas of the job like cutting promos or participating in backstage segments. Technically you could get a permit to wear them, but we doubt that’s a fun process. Choose footwear responsibly!

Whether this is an official order or an unspoken norm, wrestlers are expected to stay for the entirety of a show. There’s actually some good reasons for this, such as being available in case of any last-minute changes. But if the show’s going off without a hitch and you’re not a wrestler on the card you’re likely just banished to the shadow realm that is catering for the next three hours. It’s understandable to have to stick around when there’s a need to, but if WWE doesn’t have anything for some wrestlers, forcing them to travel and stay in the arena might be unnecessary.

Talk about oddly specific! We didn’t even know a color could have go-away heat but apparently it does. For some incredibly weird reason WWE doesn’t allow wrestlers to wear blue trunks when they’re in North Carolina. More specifically, when they’re in North Carolina on a Wednesday. Nobody really knows why this rule exists. Some speculate it may have something to do with North Carolina native Ric Flair, who was known for wearing eccentric shades of blue. Others think maybe it’s got something to do with the University of North Carolina, whose basketball team is also associated with this specific color. Your guesses are as good as ours though. The only logical conclusion is that WWE obviously hates baby blue. And Wednesdays. And maybe North Carolina.

Obviously WWE is a professional wrestling company, but for the longest time they kind of shied away from the ‘wrestling’ aspect of it. They marketed themselves as sports entertainment, and that business philosophy dripped down into everything they’ve done. So much so that wrestlers basically had to adapt to this new landscape. They had to be called superstars and avoid saying certain wrestling-related terms. WWE wanted to make movies, and wrestling just happened to be the vehicle for that. While WWE has since embraced its wrestling roots more post-Vince McMahon, wrestlers still have to work within the “WWE style”. Stuff like promos, character gimmicks, and match structure all still emphasize sports entertainment. Basically, you’ll still get wrestling, but you’ll also get some theatrical flair too.

Ok, so winning a WWE title can be a big deal, bringing with it an increased visibility on the roster, and potentially a bigger pay increase. But, do superstars have to wear those big, gaudy belts everywhere they go. Well, not exactly, but winners of the Money in the Bank briefcase are expected to travel with their prize-which enables them to "cash in" for a WWE title opportunity-and that can prove to be one giant pain in the ass. Getting from town to town is a challenge in itself, never mind having to remember to pack an extra prop along the way, and losing the briefcase simply is NOT an option.

We just mentioned the potential pay increases that come with being a WWE champion. However, there are other aspects to being a money player in the company that don't exactly...well, bring in extra money. Although contracts do vary from wrestler to wrestler, promotional appearances, such as those on late night talk shows, are sometimes written into the performers' contracts as part of their job in promoting the brand. As such, these appearances aren't paid extras for them, other than having their hotel and accommodations comped, and is instead just another "part of the job" for Vince McMahon's sweaty traveling circus.

Today, most professional wrestlers aren't considered "employees" under the law, but rather "independent contractors," and as such aren't covered for basic employee rights, such as health care. Transportation is also not usually provided for the wrestlers to get from town to town, with all but the biggest main eventers like John Cena being required to rent their own cars, and paying for these services out of pocket. It's tough getting from town to town on an overnight drive, and the fact that all of the expenses are still coming out of the performers' pockets is just crazy to us.

Ok, so the impact of this unwritten rule has certainly been lessened over the years since the death of kayfabe, the code of silence that protected the hidden truths and inner workings of professional wrestling. Still, one need only take a glance at the WWE Network series "Ride Along" to see that heels and babyfaces still don't tend to travel together all that often. In the older days, this rule was meant to protect the "good guy" versus "bad guy" aesthetic of the business, but even today we see many of the same heel and face factions traveling together on the road, keeping at least a little bit of that old school kayfabe memory intact.

The art of the pro wrestling promo is no longer the wide open wild west country it used to be, back in the day. Performers were largely trusted with coming up with their own spiel to say on the mic before a match, with little, if any, editing done to the process. Superstars such as The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made careers out of ad libbed promos, but this is a huge no-no in the modern era. Instead, most wrestlers have their promos written ahead of time by WWE's creative team, and are expected to deliver them, line by line, in front of the camera. Some superstars are allowed to offer their own input, but this sadly isn't used nearly as much as it was with their predecessors.

This next rule just sort of goes without saying. Today's wrestling climate is beginning to get more competitive than it has in years, with promotions such as AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling offering intriguing alternatives to the monopoly McMahon had previously enjoyed. As a result, WWE employees are expected not to visit events held by direct competition, although co-branding with collaborative companies, such as Evolve Pro Wrestling, seems to be O.K. Essentially, it just wouldn't look good for a high profile superstar to give their stamp of approval to another promotion. In the world of WWE, it's best to pretend these other companies don't exist, rather than to validate them via any attendance, even if it's just for "surveillance" purposes.

There has always been a sort of hierarchy when it comes to the WWE rosters, with many "jobbers" never rising above the lowest ranks of the totem pole, while other superstars just seemed destined to rocket up the card to main event status. The backstage locker room is a reflection of this hierarchy, with many of the lower level superstars sharing changing space in separate quarters, away from the private areas for big money superstars such as John Cena or The Undertaker. Furthermore, there have been stories of superstars such as that of The Miz, who was forced to find somewhere else to change early in his career, after reportedly annoying Chris Benoit by eating chicken near Chris' gym bag. You can't make this stuff up.

This next rule is another that has been slightly softened in recent years, as the public's appreciation of "professional wrestling" versus "sports entertainment" seems to shift further towards the former. Still, even a cursory glance at WWE's major network programming offers a clear glimpse into the world Vince McMahon is determined to promote...with very specific word choices. For starters, pronouns are a no-go, with WWE commentators going out of their way to use performers' proper names at all times. Talent are referred to as "superstars" far more often than "wrestlers," "championships" are substituted for "title" while generally any sort of insider terminology gets nixed right from the get-go. Less said about that whole ‘performance fighter’ thing, the better.

The age of Ric Flair's "stylin' and profilin'" fancy dress may seem like a gimmick unique to the Nature Boy, but WWE superstars are actually expected to follow a "business casual" dress code, even on the road. Male performers are expected to wear suits during public appearances, but are allowed to wear athletic gear when traveling to the next town, or at the airport. The company's sponsorship deal with Tap Out makes this latter detail a bit easier for talent who may want to feel at least a little comfortable while on the road, but the WWE dress code is definitely designed to retain the company's prestigious brand reputation at all costs.

We could've filled our list with all of the reported quirks and idiosyncrasies of one Vincent Kennedy McMahon, but we've narrowed it down to just one head-scratching peculiarity: sneezing. Yes, sneezing. That involuntary act that we all do, sometimes uncontrollably, at any given moment. Therein lies the key word, however: control. McMahon is a notoriously hands-on creator, who demands total control at all times. Therefore, rumors have surfaced that the industry icon simply hates sneezing, to the point where employees have decided to hold them in, if at all possible. Vince reportedly sees it as a sign of weakness, especially if its himself who happens to be caught in a sneezing fit.

Is there a crazy rule we missed? Spread the lunacy in the comments!