FORMER WWE star Dave Bautista once disagreed with CEO Vince McMahon — and it was a costly decision.
Bautista went against the rules McMahon set, costing him a lot more than just the $100,000 fine given.
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The WWE shifted its approach to content in 2008 to reach more sponsors and clean up the image for younger viewers.
The company elected to switch to PG from TV-14.
Many fans, as did the wrestlers, had strong opinions on this shift, but the move was made.
Bautista led that charge and expressed he felt the effects of the PG rule changes.
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The WWE removed intentional blood in matches, bra and panties fights and had an overall shift from sexually explicit programming.
However, despite the new rules, Bautista ignored them in his steel cage match against Chris Jericho.
Bautista approached Jericho before the battle and told him he wanted to use blood for this match, and both agreed.
Years ago, he appeared on Jericho's podcast, revealing the consequences and McMahon's reaction.
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"I knew we weren't supposed to do it. I knew I would get consequences, but I didn't think they'd be as harsh as they were." Bautista said.
"Vince is pacing back and forth like the detective, and we're being interrogated."
"They start playing the playbacks in slow motion with the highlights like it's a space investigation! We know what we did, but what are the consequences?"
He explains that when McMahon handed out fines, his "heart dropped" after seeing his was for $100,000.
"My heart dropped. I thought it would be like $25,000. When he said $100,000, I was just heartbroken."
"Just literally sucked the life out of me by punishing me for doing that. It broke my heart."
Jericho shared that his fine was only for $5,000, but Bautista felt terrible for Dean Malenko, who knew nothing about the plan in advance and received a penalty.
Bautista decided to pay everyone's fine, and that moment stood out to Jericho.
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"I will say this man to man. I gained so much respect for you that day because you paid everybody's fines."
Bautista left the WWE in 2010 and for good in 2014 and transitioned into acting in several big Hollywood movies.
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