See your statement.
In an interview with Decibel magazine, Poison drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about the band's beginnings in 1985, when they were looking for a guitarist. According to Rockett, Slash came very close to joining the band:
“We knew Slash because he was in Hollywood Rose. So Bret [Michaels, vocalist] and I really liked him. We all liked him. He came, played some songs with us, and we continued to audition even though he was our first choice.”
We didn't want a flashy guy, like Yngwie Malmsteen. We didn't want that. We wanted a cool, laid-back rock guy. And then CC [DeVille, current Poison guitarist] auditioned and he made more sense than Slash. It was a tough decision because we all liked Slash. And he got really mad about it. He was pissed, like, 'What the hell, guys?'... So there was that rivalry between Guns N' Roses and Poison because of that, I think, for quite a while.
But that was a long time ago. I see Slash now and we're doing great, you know? I haven't seen Axl in about 15 years, but I see the other guys and we don't have any more problems.”