5 Past WWE rivalries that deserved a better ending

A great rivalry in WWE is made of a variety of components. A creative origin, a sense of purpose for everyone involved, and a compelling narrative to thread the story across it's intended timeline. The believability of hatred between the two rivals is also a factor, as is the quality of the matches they have against each other.

But what turns a good rivalry into a great one, and a great rivalry into a legendary one is how it ends. WWE could do a great job in building up a feud between two Superstars but if the payoff does not match the issue, it leaves a bad taste in the fans' mouths.

There have been multiple examples of a bad ending putting a dampener on a good rivalry in the past few years. It is certainly a more common occurrence for WWE in recent times, which is a bother on the product. These underwhelming finishes could undo the good work done in any rivalry, however unfair it may be.

Here are five WWE rivalries that deserved a better ending. While they were all great in their own rights, each one of them would have been looked back on more fondly had they ended in a better way.

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#5 Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose

A very disappointing payoff.

WrestleMania 32 went from being the most stacked event in WWE history to a card that had to be held together by tape, due to the rabid injury bug that bit most of the main event scene at the time. However, there were some exciting matches on the card, with one of them being Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose.

The two were part of a number one Contender's triple threat at Fastlane, with Ambrose standing up to the Beast in the build-up to that match and looking spectacular in doing so. One night later, Lesnar brutally blindsided the 'Lunatic Fringe' backstage.

And thus, the stage was set for a brutal and barbaric No Holds Barred Street Fight at 'Mania, with the promise of a star-making performance for Dean Ambrose. But it wasn't to be. Brock Lesnar won the match with ease, making the current AEW World Champion look weak in the process.

It was highly disappointing, especially considering the way WWE promoted it before WrestleMania. There wasn't a problem with the winner, just the way in which he won. A build like that should have ended with Ambrose looking like an absolute star, but it wasn't to be.

#4 Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose

A hologram cost him the ultimate revenge.

Sticking with the present-day Jon Moxley, his 2014 feud with Seth Rollins was pretty great. Since The Architect broke up The Shield, betraying him and Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose sought after him like a crazed madman. The two had some brilliant matches and memorable segments over a few months, making it the best WWE rivalry of the year.

It all came to a head inside Hell in a Cell, as Ambrose would finally be able to get vengeance on Rollins. The match was great, with both men falling off the side of the Cell. But the way it ended left the entire WWE Universe unsatisfied.

As Dean Ambrose was about to put Seth Rollins away, Bray Wyatt would run in and attacked him. Rollins pinned him and walked out victorious. That would have been fine on its own, but an unrelated interference really dampened the match. This was not the only time an Ambrose vs Rollins rivalry deserved a better ending.

Their feud in 2016 ended with a tepid Shield triple threat at Battleground, focusing more on the brand split than the story between all three men. Also, the overall rivalry between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in WWE ended poorly, as the latter's heel turn died a slow and lackluster death.

#3 Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton

A sad end to a rivalry with so much potential.

Many fans regard this as one of the worst WWE rivalries in recent history. But a different ending would have made this one of the best ones in recent history. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper tormented Randy Orton to the point where he decided to join them, making the Wyatt Family stronger than ever.

Orton was magnificent in his role and subtle in his actions. He even seemingly forfeited his WrestleMania 33 title shot after winning the Royal Rumble, because Wyatt was the WWE Champion. But as he gained the keys to the kingdom, The Viper stabbed his "master" in the back.

This was the dark and disturbing counterpart to the extravagant and emotional Festival of Friendship between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens on RAW. The story between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt had so many layers and the former setting the latter's house on fire made it personal.

Unfortunately, WWE butchered the final month of the rivalry. Wyatt lost the WWE Title to Orton in a lackluster match at WrestleMania, before the two had a strange House of Horrors Match at Payback. It was a heatless and illogical end to such a personal story, with Wyatt pinning Orton after interference from Jinder Mahal. The title wasn't even on the line.

#2 Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch

These two didn't even have a one-on-one match with each other.

While this rivalry did conclude in the main event of WrestleMania, fans were not satisfied when it ended. Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch had the fiercest and most personal rivalry in WWE at the time, without actually having any one-on-one matches with each other.

The two cut some fiery promos on each other and were set to clash at Survivor Series until The Man broke her nose courtesy of a Nia Jax punch. She ended up winning the Royal Rumble and challenged Rousey to a match at WrestleMania 35 before Charlotte Flair got added to the mix.

But even in a triple threat scenario with both women's belts on the line, the payoff between Rousey and Lynch would be worth it. Unfortunately, the main event did not deliver as WWE would have liked. It happened past midnight at MetLife Stadium, with the entire WWE Universe exhausted after seven hours of action.

The worst part was that Rousey's shoulder was off the mat when Lynch pinned her to win the RAW and SmackDown Women's Titles. It was a great moment ruined by that botched finish, a real shame considering the personal nature of the feud between the two.

With Ronda Rousey yet to return to WWE since that match and Becky Lynch going on maternity leave, the chances of a proper blowoff match between the two are unlikely, if it ever happens.

#1 Daniel Bryan vs The Miz

A terrible end to a personal rivalry.

It's a shame that WWE failed to properly conclude the hottest feud in SmackDown Live history after getting a huge opportunity to do so. It all started when The Miz went on a passionate rant about Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack in August 2016, after the former general manager ridiculed his wrestling style.

The Miz and Bryan were at odds with each other, renewing rivalries that stemmed from NXT season 1. The two seemingly did not like each other in real life, which made their story all the more compelling. However, we would not get a payoff since Bryan was not cleared by WWE.

That changed in March 2018 when the Leader of the Yes Movement returned to in-ring action. Inevitably, he restarted his rivalry with The Miz on the Blue brand. This was the best feud of WWE's brand split era, even with one of them being unable to wrestle. So when they were set to face off at SummerSlam, the WWE Universe was understandably excited.

The match was pretty good, with The Miz cheating to win. That was fine, as Bryan would likely get his revenge on a bigger stage. After another Miz victory in mixed tag team action, the two had one final match at Super ShowDown in Australia. The rivalry was so watered down at this point, but the two promised to have a belter of a match to end it.

Daniel Bryan vs The Miz was the second last match on a long show, taking place between a terrific 6-man match involving The Shield and the main event between The Undertaker and Triple H. The fans were hoping for a fitting conclusion to an incredibly storied rivalry, with Bryan making Miz tap out.

However, what we got was embarrassing. A testament of the way WWE cooled down the feud. Bryan caught Miz in a small package to win in less than 2 minutes. In a rivalry that was supposed to have an intense and emotional end, WWE turned it into a joke.

When it comes to rivalries that deserved a better ending, Daniel Bryan vs The Miz takes the cake. WWE did a great job with it for a couple of years but when the matches actually began, the rivalry lost its value to the point where the big blowoff match lasted only 2 minutes. A real shame.