Why Paul London Was Fired By WWE, Explained

//

Hamish Woodward

Why Paul London Was Fired By WWE, Explained

Having not appeared for a decade and a half in the WWE, fans have started to forget about Paul London.

A multiple-time tag team champion and a legend of the Cruiserweight Division, London was an innovative force in the mid-2000s, and one who is largely forgotten nowadays.

What happened to Paul London? In this article, we’ll explore why he was fired by the WWE, and the crazy demands he has asked for to return to the WWE.

What Happened To Paul London?

Paul London was fired by the WWE in late 2008, after a successful run as a tag team champion in the WWE.

Alongside Brian Kendrick, the creatively named “London & Kendrick” were one of the best tag teams in the WWE in the mid 2000s.

The duo won both the World and WWE Tag Team Championships in the WWE, holding the belts on Smackdown in a legendary, year long reign.

However, the team were split up with the 2008 WWE draft, with the company wanting Brian Kendrick to have a solo run in the WWE (He did briefly become the WWE Champion, but only for mere minutes).

This left London out in the cold, and he left the WWE in 2008. He wrestled for a number of independent promotions over the years, but never wrestled full-time for a major company again.

Why Was Paul London Fired By WWE?

Paul London was fired by the WWE in 2008 after an incident on Monday Night Raw.

During the episode of Raw when Vince McMahon (died) when his limousine exploded, McMahon walked down the corridor in the arena, with a solemn crowd of wrestlers standing silently.

That was, except for Paul London, who had a huge smile plastered on his face. This was hilarious, although not to the WWE, who used this as an excuse to fire him months later.

https://twitter.com/Justin_SofOK/status/979930912799514624

However, this was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. London has admitted in the past that he was burnt out working in the WWE, sick of the travel and backstage culture in the company.

Paul London was released from the WWE on the 7th of November, 2008, alongside fellow WWE star Chuck Palumbo.

WWE Return?

While fans have been clamouring for a Paul London return to the WWE for years, it seems very unlikely to happen.

London has not been seen in a WWE ring since 2008, and with Brian Kendrick’s recent controversies, their team is unlikely to be seen again in wrestling.

Paul London himself has spoken about his outrageous demands he would need WWE to meet for him to make a return to the company

Speaking to former WWE superstar Renee Dupree on his podcast, Cafe De Rene, and revealed that it would take $1 million to get Paul London to appear in the Royal Rumble match.

He also noted that he wanted it “upfront, in cash” and called Vince McMahon a very derogatory name during the tirade.

“A million dollars and I want it upfront in cash. All of it Vince, you piece of sh*t. Unmarked bill in a briefcase handcuffed to my wrist. All of it. Yeah, that’s the only way I’d do it.”

Leave a Comment