Batista’s second outing was forgettable to say the leastIn professional wrestling, the superstars and the powers that be operate not for themselves, but for the wrestling fans. In any business, customer satisfaction dictates the longevity of the organization.The wrestling business is not that different; the fans become the measuring stick in the industry, and much like any other business, it all depends on how well the fans receive the product.There have been many instances when the storylines and angles changed depending upon the reaction of the fans, and the ability of a company or its performers to adapt to the fan reaction has been pivotal for their sustainability in the industry.However, like Vince McMahon once said, the fans aren’t always right. Sometimes the fan base wants a particular superstar to perform better than the others, and if the management decides to go against the tide, it becomes difficult to pacify the fans.There is a fine line between listening to the fan base, and giving them everything they want. It is famously said that Paul Heyman, who has one of the best minds in the business, made one grave mistake during his days in ECW – he gave the fans everything they wanted, and ECW soon went bankrupt.With the fans having a voice and being more powerful now than ever, there have been instances when they were responsible for a superstar’s downfall. In this article, we take a look at five such instances when the superstars’ careers were hindered because of the fans.
#5 Batista
Batista is a former multiple time WWE World champion, so a few people might be wondering how he would make the cut. However, during his initial run in the WWE, when he became one of the top faces, he received a lot of flak from the fans, who complained that Batista was injury prone and that he wasn’t a good performer.
Batista then took time off and focused on his Hollywood career, but he then returned to the WWE, similar to The Rock. However, his return wasn’t anything like Dwayne’s, as the fans turned on the superstar as soon as he won the Royal Rumble.
Batista was brought back with the aim of boosting the ratings, and according to reports, he was scheduled to headline and win the main event at WrestleMania. However, the fans turned on ‘The Animal’, and WWE had to change the entire angle and added Daniel Bryan to the main event.
Bryan then defeated Randy Orton and Batista to win the WWE World Heavyweight championship. After his catastrophic return to the WWE, Batista decided to move on, and gave notice to the company that he wanted to leave.
A couple of months after leaving the WWE for a second time, Batista gave an interview, and stated that the original plan was for him to stick around till his next movie, but the fan reaction and WWE not keeping their word led to Batista quitting the organization.
#4 Zack Ryder
One of the most inspiring stories in professional wrestling has to be the Zack Ryder saga. After WWE initially deemed Zack a surplus, Zack Ryder took to social media and became one of the hottest superstars in the world.
Ryder showed more charisma and grit than most of the top talents in the company, leading to the fans getting vocal about Zack Ryder. WWE received a ton of backlash for not pushing Ryder, and at every arena that the organization went to, the fans began chanting, “We want Ryder” – even during the main events.
This forced the WWE to acknowledge the attention, as they started pushing Ryder. However, WWE took control over Zack’s show, and what seemed like a fairytale ending soon turned into a disaster. Ryder won the WWE United States title, but in a cruel twist of fate, the powers that be destroyed Zack Ryder’s character before kicking Ryder to the back of the line.
Ryder’s momentum was used to further John Cena’s storyline, as Ryder was once again left in the dark.
Although it isn’t a clear case of the fans destroying Ryder’s character, the powers that be in the company didn’t take Ryder’s decision to make himself a star too kindly. With the fans rallying behind Ryder, he was given his 15 seconds of fame, before the company threw him back into the abyss, and the fans forgot all about the Ryder Revolution.
#3 Daniel Bryan
Similar to Zack Ryder’s story, the Daniel Bryan saga has been an intriguing one. Starting from the bottom, Bryan performed on the independent circuit for over a decade, becoming one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Before WWE decided to sign him up, he was easily the best wrestler on the planet, and everyone knew who Bryan Danielson was. Fast forward to 2013, and Daniel Bryan was one of the very few entertaining superstars in the company.
The fans slowly started to care about Daniel Bryan, and during the summer of 2013, it was all about D – Bry. The fans wanted to see more of Bryan, and much like Ryder, Bryan won over the fans with his charisma.
The fans became more vocal about Bryan’s rise to the top, and the WWE management was once again forced to acknowledge Bryan’s popularity. Bryan arguably became the only superstar after “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to have an organic chemistry with the audience, and during the 2014 Royal Rumble, the fans absolutely went insane about Bryan’s exclusion from the battle royal.
WWE was out of options, and they had to put Bryan in the main event of WrestleMania. However, soon after, Bryan got injured and was told there was a good chance he might never wrestle again.
However, with the fans pushing for Bryan’s return to the top, the WWE was once again forced to bring Bryan back a little too early, and in the end, that proved to be his downfall. Bryan once again got injured in the early part of 2015, resulting in the WWE putting him on the sidelines, as Bryan waits for the company to clear him to compete.
However, with Bryan getting injured again after being forced to return early, there is a good chance that the organization might never clear him for competition, thus effectively ending his wrestling career.
#2 Lita
When we talk about the greatest women’s wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling, Lita’s name will be right at the top.
At a time when eye candies were taking over the then WWF, Lita, who took pride in being an incredible athlete, became the first woman in North America to bring the luchador style to the WWE.
After becoming a multiple-time women’s champion, Lita became one of the most popular athletes in the world, and her feud with Trish Stratus is considered to be the greatest women’s feud in professional wrestling.
However, Lita’s popularity took a hit when it was revealed that she cheated on Matt Hardy with Edge, and the WWE decided to ride along with the negativity. Lita soon turned heel, and WWE did everything possible to tarnish her image in the eyes of the fans. Soon, the fans started calling her names, and a few of them intruded in her personal affairs.
Lita soon decided to retire from professional wrestling, with the negative image being one of the reasons. However, after her final match, the fans booed her out of the building as a teary eyed Lita bid adieu to professional wrestling.
#1 Roman Reigns
Our number one pick wouldn’t surprise the fans, as Roman Reigns was on his way to becoming the biggest star in the WWE today, but those plans were nixed after the fans turned on the superstar, and did everything within their power to make sure that the WWE didn’t give the WWE World Heavyweight title to Roman Reigns.
Reigns, who was chosen to be the next breakout star in the company, was steadily built as the new babyface, and towards the end of 2014, the WWE management decided to make Reigns their new top star.
However, after Colt Cabana’s podcast interview with CM Punk, the fans realized that the WWE were force feeding Roman Reigns, and booed him out of the arena after he won the 2015 Royal Rumble. The fans started an anti-Roman movement, as Roman received a negative response from the fans everywhere the WWE went.
At WrestleMania, the fans once again booed Roman, as Brock Lesnar physically dismantled Roman Reigns. With the WWE once again forced to take a step back, the plans were changed at the last minute, and Roman lost the opportunity to win the WWE World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania.
Although Roman’s career hasn’t taken a considerable hit, he now has to wait for a while before winning the title, and that delay can be attributed to the backlash from the WWE fans.
