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Former WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon is often criticized for his tendency to deliver storylines with massive potential in underwhelming ways. On occasion, however, he finds a diamond in the rough and turns an unpopular idea into a highly entertaining program.
Over the years, we have seen WWE engage and surprise its audience on an almost weekly basis. Despite the entertainment, there have been instances where the WWE Universe was initially disappointed over certain storylines.
However, fans quickly got on board after seeing the company extract an appealing story from a program with seemingly limited potential. WWE often tends to perform better when it thinks outside the box to book its storylines.
In this article, let's look at 4 WWE ideas that fans initially didn't like but turned out to be good.
#4. Kevin Owens competes against Stone Cold Steve Austin in the main event of WrestleMania 38
When WWE first teased a match between Kevin Owens and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, many people deemed it a terrible idea.
While some called bringing back The Texas Rattlesnake a cheap method of selling tickets, others expressed concerns about the health of the beloved Hall of Famer. Very few people actually entertained the idea of Owens having a memorable match with his childhood hero.
And that's exactly what happened.
The Stunner vs. Stunner match surprisingly lived up to the hype, giving the WWE Universe one of the most entertaining WrestleMania contests in recent memory. Having a safe worker like The Prizefighter as his opponent allowed Austin to take a decent number of bumps and make the contest all the more engaging.
The Texas Rattlesnake not only took down his loud-mouthed opponent, he also redeemed himself from the loss he suffered in his previous final WrestleMania match against The Rock. Witnessing a 57-year-old Stone Cold main event a WrestleMania two decades after his retirement was quite a sight to see.
#3. Becky Lynch turns heel upon her WWE return
When Becky Lynch left WWE to give birth to her child, fans thought she would emerge as an even bigger babyface upon her return. However, The Man had other plans in mind.
Lynch made her return at SummerSlam 2021 as a heel. She squashed the then SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair in 26 seconds to start another reign as champion in controversial circumstances.
At the time, it was difficult to comprehend how a beloved figure like Lynch could pull off such a villainous character. Fans initially didn't know how to react to this shift in persona.
The company faced a lot of criticism for turning one of their biggest babyfaces into a heel just for the sake of putting the title on her. However, Becky Lynch proved over the course of her reign that embracing her dark side was a well-thought decision.
Big Time Becks proceeded to have a memorable title reign that included amazing rivalries with Charlotte Flair, Liv Morgan, and Bianca Belair.
Becky's character work was top-notch throughout the entire storyline. Her taking on the role of the main antagonist allowed other women to move up the card. The RAW Women's division rose to new heights during her reign, completely overshadowing the blue brand.
What initially looked like a rushed decision resulted in one of the greatest women's title reigns of all time.
#2. Sami Zayn turns heel in 2017
Like Becky Lynch, Sami Zayn was initially seen as an individual who was only suitable for the role of a babyface.
So, when WWE turned Zayn heel in mid-2017, there were a plethora of doubts in everyone's mind. Management didn't initially feature the 37-year-old in that many major storylines, which gave the impression that his heel run was a failure.
It took some time, but The Master Strategist began to gain momentum in the second half of 2019. He tweaked his persona a bit, becoming a delusional heel who believed the world was conspiring against him.
This change in character made Sami Zayn one of the most entertaining parts of WWE programming. With an improved gimmick, the star started to get involved in the main event storylines. He racked up some impressive wins against Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, and Jeff Hardy. He even captured the Intercontinental Championship twice during this period.
The Master Strategist is currently an integral part of SmackDown. He serves as an honorary member of The Bloodline and is featured prominently on WWE TV. For someone who was deemed to play only a certain type of character, Sami Zayn has surely done a commendable job as a heel.
#1. Brock Lesnar being allowed to cut promos
Brock Lesnar lives up to his "Beast Incarnate" moniker every time he steps into the ring. However, there were once doubts regarding Lesnar's mic skills.
When he returned to WWE last year, fans were concerned about how he would fare without a mouthpiece. Many even suggested that Paul Heyman should realign with his former client to avoid exposing Brock's mediocre mic skills.
The Beast rarely cut his own promos during his second WWE stint. Paul Heyman acted as his advocate and cut fiery promos on behalf of The Beast, which helped Lesnar maintain a larger-than-life personality. But without having a manager to convey his message, many thought Brock would lose the aura surrounding him.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
The former Universal Champion proved to the world that he is a total package by cutting great promos during his run as The Cowboy. He expressed his charismatic personality and didn't back down from making witty jokes either.
It was a side of The Conqueror that fans were unknown to. The fans never thought Brock would be so entertaining with a mic in his hand. Although Lesnar couldn't dethrone Roman Reigns, he won over a lot of his critics during this phase.
