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WWE may be expanding in its multiple business investments, but its programming certainly isn't without its fair share of faults. WWE is wasting Roman Reigns by constantly portraying him as a superhero babyface who believes he "deserves" to challenge Brock Lesnar time and again despite repeated failures.
It's infuriating because WWE is a platform controlled by the audience who truly have the power to prevent bad things from happening. It's unfortunate that bad booking seems to reign supreme.
That's the current scenario, and it won't change until the company either turns Reigns heel or stop pushing him over the moon. If WWE creative pressed a few things here or there, Roman would be better and way more sustainable.
So without further ado, here are 5 superstars who were booked poorly by the WWE.
#5 Shawn Michaels is "Broke"
Few months before Shawn Michaels tore the house down at WrestleMania XXV with The Undertaker and forgot about ever being 'broke', Michaels had to put on his babyface and explain that, due to the ongoing breakdown, he couldn't pay the bills. That's when opportunistic JBL hopped in and made Shawn do his bidding.
Shawn Michaels has been one of the biggest stars ever. The idea that a WWE legend was unable to cope amidst an economic meltdown was not convincing. With that one story, WWE creative nearly made HBK into a joke before one of his best matches ever happened.
Shawn Michaels was always the kind of performer who could take something grave, put his own spin on it and somehow make it functional. As good as HBK was, even he was powerless to defend the sentiment that he was weak, had lost his savings and needed JBL to put food on his table.
#4 Jason Jordan and Kurt Angle
In July, just three months following Angle's comprehensive comeback, he was asked to go on Raw and admit to the fact that Jason Jordan was his long lost son. It was Kurt's attempt to get fans fastened in with the false story and Jordan's own unconvincing drama only got worse over the next six months.
However, going as far as making the pair father and son added various complexities and hints to the storyline, resulting in it being too far-fetched to work. It also crossed a line of kayfabe which is far too difficult to control in 2017.
Kurt Angle's 2017 return to WWE was a long time coming, and it was something his most faithful supporters waited to see ever since the Olympian swapped Vince McMahon for TNA in 2006. The response to his return post-WrestleMania 33 was enormous. It didn't take long until those passionate cheers turned to boos.
This wasn't what the WWE Universe wanted from Kurt's return. His run as Raw General Manager was complicated. Nobody expected to see the creatives provide a storyline that didn't engage the fans.
3. Mr. America a.k.a Hulk Hogan
Viewing Hulk dawn a mask in a clumsy attempt to trick Vince McMahon felt like something out of WCW archives. It was awful for the WWE to expect anyone, even die-hard Hulkamaniacs, to embrace the short-lived gimmick. This decision lived just over a year after Hogan's impressive return was doomed by the creatives.
The 2003 dispute between Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon gave us a memorable match at WrestleMania XIX. Apart from that one match, the rivalry was really bad. It turned Hogan's return into a joke at the expense of fans who were thrilled to see their hero back. This gimmick did nothing for the ongoing feud with McMahon and it made Vince look like more of a fool than the audience were willing to buy.
#2 Stone Cold's Heel Turn
That invasion plan needed guys like Steve Austin on the WWF side, and he should've been supporting the organization he had rebuilt from WCW units. It didn't need the creative team's refusal to see that, or their firm belief that Austin should remain heel when fans were whining out to see him "open up a can of whoop-a$$" on Shane O Mac's boys.
WrestleMania X-Seven is globally known as the best WrestleMania of all time. So many legendary matches took place on this show; Triple H vs The Undertaker, TLC II, Kane vs Big Show vs Raven for the Hardcore title. However, out all these legendary matches, there’s one that stands out above all the rest – The Rock vs Steve Austin in the main event for the WWE Championship. Most people remember this match for one reason and, sadly, it’s not the best one.
It could be argued that turning Steve Austin heel at WrestleMania X7 was the mistake creatives could have made in 2001. It's a solid exchange, but it was also arguably worth trying. In 2001, Austin had a long run as a heel, and it was strong of him and Vince McMahon to give something else a go.
Despite the distinct absence of star power on The Alliance side, it didn't make sense that Austin would serve WCW. Years earlier, he had been brutally abandoned by that company and forced to pick up the remnants of his career in the WWF. Staying loyal to the company who helped him become a megastar as "Stone Cold" would've been more relevant.
#1 Batista's return in 2014
It wasn't Batista's weakness that he was treated the way he was by WWE fans at the 2014 Royal Rumble event. The WWE's creative team who must take the blame for how hard the return failed.
The creatives were aware that at that time if anyone other than Daniel Bryan won the Royal Rumble, the WWE Universe would be displeased. However, WWE chose to overlook that point and made Dave win the whole thing.
The whole run had been a disaster for Batista. He came back looking disinterested with no passion in his promos and it seemed like there was no gas left in him. The fans immediately turned on him.
His own babyface moment was shattered by these circumstances. He was booked in an awkward spot, at the wrong time and at the cost of a more conventional hero. In other words, big Dave was completely troubled by WWE. If Batista had returned doing great promos and having great matches like he hadn't lost a step since 2010, we wouldn't be having this talk.
