5 Instances when crowd reaction altered major WWE storylines

Patience is not something that the WWE fans have in their DNA. If they see something they don’t like, they are sure to pounce on it without waiting any time thinking about what the future would hold.And since there is a concept of fans being ‘Gods’ in the wrestling business, there were instances in which the fan reaction influenced WWE’s booking decisions. Some of these instances turned out pretty good in the long run but the others, were not lucky enough.This year’s WrestleMania looks all set to be added to this list and before we reach there, here is a look at some of the occasions from the past where fans influenced WWE’s decision.

#6 Honorable mention: Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania 31

The match between Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler is yet to be made official and that is the reason why it is relegated to only a honorable mention. With Bryan taken away from the Championship scene, the next best thing that both superstars could have is a show stealing wrestling match at Mania. So let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that WWE listens to their fans on this one.

#5 Fast Lane plans for Roman Reings

This is the latest entry into the list of ‘fan influenced WWE decisions’. The inaugural edition of WWE Fast Lane just passed by and the bout between Roman Reings and Daniel Bryan was the highlight of the show. The actual plan, however, was something else.

After his Royal Rumble win, Reigns was supposed to face Big Show in a last man standing match at Fast Lane. But since the fans were in no mood to cheer Reigns after the Rumble win, WWE had to restructure their plans.

In the end, it became a great decision. Bryan made Reigns look like gold during the match and did it in just one night when the WWE creative couldn’t do for the past one year.

#4 Rehiring Daniel Bryan

Before being one of the most celebrated baby faces in the WWE roster, Daniel Bryan had a nightmare start in the company. He started off as part of the Nexus stable but was soon fired from the company for strangling announcer Justin Roberts during a segment.

On book, it added a real touch to the segment but when WWE analyzed it, they saw Bryan’s actions as something which would drive away the sponsors. They offloaded Bryan soon and he went right back into the independent circuit.

He shone there as usual and the fans were giving him a wild reaction. Seeing the popularity rise of Bryan outside WWE, Vince McMahon decided to take Bryan back into the roster and the rest is history.

#3 Rey Mysterio getting a title shot

Rey Mysterio will always go down in history as WWE’s ultimate underdog. In reality, it was the fans that made him reach such a tag. After the death of Eddie Guerrero, Rey was attracting a lot of positive reaction from the fans.

They loved the way in which Rey showed love to his friend and it soon made him the most over baby face in WWE. The company wanted to bank in on the situation and decided to let Rey win the Royal Rumble in 2006.

And it didn’t stop there, to make the fans happy; WWE carried Rey all the way and made him the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania, where he defeated Randy Orton and Kurt Angle on the same night.

#2 Matt Hardys return

WWE witnessed a forgettable chapter in 2005 when the real life love triangle of Matt Hardy, Edge and Lita, exploded into the public. Hardy made public comments about Lita after she cheated on him with Edge.

This led to the release of Hardy on basis of unprofessional conduct but it was only the start. Hardy made his return to Ring of Honor after the release and in the meantime, his fans were busy making a petition.

The petition wanted WWE to rehire Matt and it gathered nearly fifteen thousand signatures There were chants for Hardy on WWE shows as well and the movement soon became hard to ignore. In the end, WWE brought back Hardy and gave him a feud with Edge which was driven by their personal angle.

#1 WrestleMania 30 Main Event

As we are heading to another WrestleMania, it is only fitting to let this one top the list. The original plans for the WrestleMania 30 main event was to let Randy Orton and Batista fight it out for the WWE Championship (imagine that).

It looked good on paper until Batista actually made his return to in ring action. He was everything that the fans didn’t want in between the ropes, and letting him headline Mania alongside an already stale Orton sounded ridiculous. On the other hand, there was Daniel Bryan.

He was the most over baby face on the roster back then and all it took was some good old jeering from the fans. Bryan was introduced into the main event scene and instead of seeing a probable Batista win; we got to see a fairy tale moment of Daniel Bryan.