'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A WWE Superstar is on the road for the better part of the year, traveling between events and wrestling on a weekly basis. A hectic schedule such as this is bound to cause issues for many wrestlers and affect their personal lives on several occasions.
In some instances, events that take place on TV are responsible for a Superstar getting hot-headed, leading to backstage tantrums and meltdowns. A tantrum usually sees a Superstar throwing things around, destroying everything in their path, and acting crazy in a fit of rage. These tantrums aren't publicized by the company and only become public knowledge when the dirt sheets report on the same.
On the other hand, some tantrums thrown by WWE Superstars are purely a part of the script and aren't real in the least. These tantrums are shown on WWE TV and promoted on all the social media handles by the company in order to help the storyline move forward and boost the audience's interest.
In this slideshow, we will take a look at 3 backstage WWE tantrums that were real and 3 that were a part of the script.
#6 Brock Lesnar (real-life tantrum)
At Extreme Rules 2012, Brock Lesnar wrestled his first WWE match in eight long years. He had made his long-anticipated return to WWE on the night after WrestleMania 28 and delivered a thunderous F5 on John Cena.
A match was scheduled for Extreme Rules and Lesnar dominated Cena for the majority of the bout. Somehow, Cena managed to beat Lesnar in the end but wasn't looking in a good shape when all was said and done.
Following the match, Cena delivered a heartfelt speech to the crowd and left the spot, hinting that he was going to take a break from wrestling. Brock Lesnar was furious on seeing Cena no-sell his beatdown and rise immediately after the match. He tore things up and yelled at backstage officials after the PPV. Cena was originally supposed to leave the ring on a stretcher and Lesnar wasn't happy at all when he saw that Cena had broken the script.
#5 Zack Ryder (storyline tantrum)
At WWE WrestleMania 32, Zack Ryder surprisingly won a Ladder match which was contested for the Intercontinental title. Ryder defeated the likes of Stardust, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, and Sin Cara to capture the belt in what was without a doubt the biggest moment of his pro-wrestling career.
Ryder had received a short-lived push back in 2011-12 after his Youtube series Z! True Long Island Story became popular overnight. The push was quickly halted and he went back to being a mid-card star. Ryder finally got his moment at WWE WrestleMania 32 and he couldn't be happier.
Zack Ryder throws a fit:
On the next night on WWE RAW, Ryder took on The Miz with the Intercontinental title on the line. In the end, Ryder lost the match and his dream run ended before it had properly begun. He lost a rematch to The Miz on SmackDown as well and this was the final straw for him. He was seen throwing a fit in a backstage area, yelling and throwing things around while reacting to his second consecutive loss to The A-lister. Ryder never won the title again and was released by WWE in April 2020.
#4 Randy Orton (real-life tantrum)
The RAW after WWE WrestleMania is always a memorable affair, as fans from all across the world attend the show and make it a point to engage with the wrestlers as much as they can. The WWE RAW after WrestleMania 29 in 2013 was one such event.
Fans were going bananas from the very beginning and they took it up a notch during the Randy Orton vs Sheamus match. Fans seemed disinterested in the action taking place in the ring and chanted for numerous big names, including former WWE Superstars and wrestling personalities. Some of the names chanted were that of JBL, CM Punk, Mike Chioda, and RVD.
In the end, Big Show came out and attacked both Superstars, which resulted in a "Thank You Big Show" chant. When Orton went backstage, he was out of control and couldn't believe what had just happened. Orton reportedly threw a major tantrum over the crowd's complete disinterest and disrespect during his match. A babyface at the time, Orton certainly didn't act like one in real life on this particular night.
#3 Daniel Bryan (storyline tantrum)
On the March 26, 2019, edition of WWE SmackDown, The New Day took on a string of tag teams in order to secure a WWE title shot for Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35. After going through The Good Brothers, Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura, and The Bar, The New Day faced The Usos.
The latter had other plans though. The Usos took the mic and declared that they were forfeiting the match after explaining how they were with Kofi in his quest to win the WWE title and wouldn't let Vince McMahon's plan come to fruition.
Bryan loses his mind backstage:
The Usos left the ring, leaving The New Day dumbstruck, as the fans cheered in unison for the twins. Tensions immediately soared in Daniel Bryan's locker room, as he couldn't believe that The Usos simply gave away the match to The New Day. An irate Bryan had a major meltdown and demolished everything in his path, with Rowan doing the same.
The duo destroyed the TV, a bunch of chairs, and other stuff, before they left for the ring to face The New Day. They would eventually lose the match, hence making sure that Bryan would face Kofi at The Show of Shows.
#2 Goldberg (real-life tantrum)
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg won the World title from Triple H at Unforgiven 2003, and successfully defended it at Survivor Series soon after. By the time Armageddon came around, Kane had helped Vince McMahon in burying The Undertaker alive and was thrown into the title picture.
At the PPV, Kane took on Goldberg and Triple H in a Triple Threat Match in the main event. Courtesy interference from Evolution, Triple H managed to win the match and the World title.
After the match, Goldberg went backstage, caused a huge tantrum, and was reportedly seen throwing stuff around and hurling abuses. Goldberg was confronted by Triple H, who asked him if there was an issue. Goldberg proceeded to thank The Game for the match and left.
He was suspended for a short period for his actions and came back on the road to WWE Royal Rumble 2004. Goldberg was eliminated by Kurt Angle from the free-for-all following a distraction by Brock Lesnar. This led to a dream match at WWE WrestleMania between the two behemoths, which Goldberg ultimately won.
#1 Brock Lesnar (storyline tantrum)
Brock Lesnar bags another spot in this list, with this one being a tantrum that came out of the script. Also, as you might have expected, Lesnar's tantrum involved not only throwing things around but actual people as well. On the November 4, 2019, edition of WWE RAW, Brock Lesnar began causing havoc everywhere he went, as he continued his hunt for Rey Mysterio.
Lesnar went to a backstage area and kept asking everyone if they had seen the former WWE Champion, Rey Mysterio. The Beast threw around a guy who failed to answer his question and a table shared the same fate soon after.
Lesnar then destroyed a limousine's door and almost attacked the guy sitting inside. He kept yelling Rey's name as the cameras stopped filming. Lesnar was out of control on the night and he didn't spare WWE RAW announcer Dio Maddin either. When Maddin stopped Lesnar from attacking Jerry Lawler, Lesnar gave him an F5 on the table. He was soon put down by Mysterio, who came out of nowhere and attacked him with a bat.
