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The last decade is finally gone and become a part of history. A lot has happened during these ten years in WWE - a shift in the company culture, new poster boys and girls, memorable feuds and matches, and whatnot.
As the decade came to an end, we saw the pro-wrestling giant ease into a new era. But even after all the massive global outreach and success, these weren't the best years in the company's history as many moments left the entire WWE Universe with a sour taste in the mouth.
The emergence of a new competitor, combined with low attendance on the shows and declining TV ratings were a few of the major concerns among the higher-ups. WWE has often been criticized for poor booking and lazy writing, and throughout the decade, we got numerous examples of the same - which, if possible, WWE would want to erase from everyone's memory.
So without further adieu, let's take a look at ten things which WWE wants you to forget about this past decade. Make sure to comment and let us know your thoughts and views on the same.
#10 The 18 Second embarrassment
The 2010s saw many Superstars win over the hearts of the fans, but none was a bigger babyface than the 5-time World Champion, Daniel Bryan. The rise of the YES movement and the WrestleMania 30 moment of Bryan was one of the best moments of this decade.
But a couple of years before all this, he faced an embarrassing moment at WrestleMania 28, when Sheamus defeated him to win the World Heavyweight Championship in merely 18 seconds.
For a Superstar of the caliber of Bryan, he would surely like to erase this match from the history. Daniel Bryan is one of the best wrestlers in the business and giving him a that sort of treatment was never a good idea. Thankfully, his fan support made sure WWE realized his true potential. The path to the top of the mountain is never easy - very well said!
#9 Jason Jordan as Kurt Angle's son
WWE has been well-known to successfully create many kayfabe relationships between the Superstars. I'm sure many people still believe The Undertaker and Kane are real-life brothers. But there is always a limit up to which you can challenge your audience's common sense, especially in today's era where kayfabe is almost dead.
During July of 2017, the then RAW General Manager and Hall of Famer, Kurt Angle revealed Jason Jordan was his son, and his mother was a woman he dated in college. Even though this storyline did lead to Jordan become a prominent Superstar on RAW for the next few months, the relationship between the two seemed to be too unrealistic and foolish. The fans turned on him real fast!
#8 Bobby's Sisters
It's easy to forget how Bobby Lashley was a triple champion on Impact Wrestling and returned to WWE with so much hype around him. While fans were expecting WWE to pit him against the then Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, the company had other ideas.
During one of his earlier feuds with Sami Zayn, WWE gave us one of the worst and cringeworthy segments of that year, and probably the decade - Bobby's sisters. The segment consisted of Sami Zayn bringing out Bobby Lashley's three sisters - Cathy, Frances, and Jessica - to the ring, who were all Indy wrestlers dressed up as women. This was nothing more than a failed attempt at terrible humor and was even considered by many as one of the worst professional wrestling segments of all time.
#7 Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton - WrestleMania 33
The feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt had so much potential that if executed properly, it could have been one of the best rivalries of this decade. Unfortunately, this was not the case as WWE somehow again dropped the ball on a rising Bray Wyatt.
The feud that saw many interesting twists and turns with Orton first becoming Wyatt's follower, then refusing to face him at WrestleMania but ending up betraying him and burning the Wyatt family compound. But then came the match at WrestleMania 33, which was criticized by many. There were worms projected on the screen in between, which weren't scary but disgusting. If this wasn't enough, WWE decided to give us another weird match between the two inside the House of Horrors.
#6 Undertaker vs Goldberg - Super ShowDown
One of the biggest mistakes made by WWE this decade has been the over-reliance on the Superstars and part-timers of the past, rather than focusing on their future wrestlers. Numerous matches have been booked just for the sake of nostalgia, and more often than not, the in-ring action has been disappointing.
But nothing compares to the (not so) iconic first-time-ever clash between The Undertaker and Goldberg at this year's Super ShowDown PPV in Saudi Arabia. The match, that would have been epic 15 years ago, was full of botches and nothing more than two veterans struggling to even move properly inside the squared circle. The extensively high temperature inside the stadium made the conditions worse, and the end result was, sadly, an embarrassment for two legends.
#5 Batista's 2014 run
WWE's resident Animal and soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Batista returned to the company in 2014, after quitting around four years ago. While WWE expected the fans to give him a heroic response on his way back, fans weren't buying the idea of him returning only to win the Royal Rumble and main-event WrestleMania 30.
Batista's return sadly clashed with Daniel Bryan's YES Movement and there was no way fans were choosing him over Bryan, which led to WWE changing their plans and turning him heel. He later joined Triple H and Randy Orton to reform the Evolution and take on The Shield, only to "wave his hands" to the WWE Universe again shortly. The entire 5-6 months run was a big flop!
#4 "Bayley: This is your life"
WWE has delivered many outrageous segments throughout this decade, but hardly anyone compares to the "Bayley: This is your life" one. The segment was so terrible that WWE themselves understood their mistakes and took it off their official youtube channel.
It took place during Bayley's feud with the then RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss in May of 2017. Little Miss Bliss brought Bayley's teacher, former best friend, and ex-boyfriend and tried to prove how Bayley's life is miserable. All this ended with Bayley rushing out to the ring, only to get thrashed with a Kendo Stick from Bliss. Hopefully, we won't get a sequel of this segment ever!
#3 Hell in a Cell referee stoppage
After struggling to make a mark on the main roster most of his career, Bray Wyatt ended the decade on a high as he transformed himself into a demonic entity/alter-ego of The Fiend. The new gimmick became an instant hit among the WWE Universe and Wyatt's extraordinary portrayal of the sadistic creature turned the character into a gem.
Such was the popularity, that it only took him a few months to enter into the main event scene and challenge the then Universal Champion, Seth Rollins inside the deadly Hell in a Cell. What started as an intense battle inside the cell under red lights, ended in the most bizarre way possible as Rollins unleashed on The Fiend, leading to the referee calling off the match. The ending was criticized heavily by the entire pro-wrestling community, deeming it to be one of the worst endings in recent history. It also resulted in The Fiend losing some of his credibility.
Thankfully, WWE corrected this mistake and put the title on him at Crown Jewel. WWE has often been criticized for booking themselves into a corner, and this was a perfect example of the same!
#2 CM Punk's firing and departure
CM Punk is arguably one of the most controversial Superstars in WWE's modern history. Having made a special place in the heart of the fans for his straight-edge attitude, he was one of the biggest stars of the company right before he left it in 2014. What was assumed by many at the time to be an extended storyline turned into a huge situation for the company and its reputation!
On one hand, the WWE Universe was hijacking segments and shows with CM PUNK chants and on the other, the Superstar himself was starting to get vocal about the circumstances around his departure. Things took an uglier turn when Punk revealed that he was fired on the day of his wedding.
The day of my wedding I got a FedEx in the mail. It was my termination papers. I was fired.
With the entire situation between the two parties, the lawsuit, the staph infection, and whatnot, it seemed like we would never see him back with the company again. But that wasn't the case to be as the Best in the World (not you, Shane) made his return to the company in late 2019 as an analyst on WWE Backstage. Whether we'll see him inside the WWE ring again is a question yet to be answered, but the company would surely want to fix the broken bridges and work out a healthy working relationship with him again.
#1 Roman Reigns' forced push
Roman Reigns debuted on the main roster as part of The Shield in 2012 and was booked as the 'Powerhouse' of the trio. Even before the Hounds of Justice separated in 2014, Reigns was already being projected as the breakout star amongst three. Unfortunately, while the fans loved and cheered him during his days with the faction, his forced push as a singles star didn't go well with the WWE Universe.
The booking of the Big Dog made it very clear that Vince wanted him to be the next face of the company after John Cena, but fans didn't consider him ready to step in the shoes just yet. WWE's efforts to push Reigns as the big babyface failed miserably as he was booed by the fans, even after portraying a heroic character on-screen.
Things got out of control when he won the 2015 Royal Rumble as the entire arena was echoed with boos. WWE even tried bringing out The Rock to turn the crowd in Reigns' favor, but no mercy was shown to him. Despite all this, Vince and the company never really took a lesson and kept on pushing him as the face of the company.
From 2015-2018, Roman Reigns main-evented WrestleMania for four consecutive years, won multiple World titles, became a Grand Slam Champion, and ran wild through the entire roster. It was after an unfortunate announcement regarding Reigns battle against Leukemia and his heroic triumph that led to the fans finally giving him the babyface treatment. When will we get the 'heel' Roman Reigns back again?
