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There have been instances in WWE where superstars felt the need to flip off the crowd. Whether it was just them being a heel or getting frustrated with the crowd, these superstars let the audience know of their displeasure.
This has happened more times than WWE fans realize. Some of the greatest and most iconic superstars in WWE history have flipped off the crowd. Here are five times WWE superstars flipped off a crowd:
#5. Brock Lesnar - Flipped off the MSG crowd on his way out of WWE
It was 2004 and Brock Lesnar was 2 years into his WWE tenure. There were few stars in WWE history that received the kind of push he did. Within his first year alone, he became the youngest WWE Champion in history, won the Royal Rumble (2003) and main evented WrestleMania against Kurt Angle.
Brock Lesnar's first stint in WWE was nothing short of dominant. In a short time, he was established as one of the top stars in the company. With his athletic prowess and incredible talent, there was nobody more legitimate in WWE than Brock Lesnar.
The issue for Brock Lesnar was the full-time WWE schedule. As you may know, the travel schedules have been brutal for WWE superstars and Brock Lesnar openly admitted to relying on pills and alcohol - making his life miserable.
By 2004, his contract with WWE was expiring and he opted not to renew it. Instead, he attempted to shift towards a career in the NFL. He dropped the WWE Championship to Eddie Guerrero in a classic before facing former world heavyweight champion Goldberg at WrestleMania 20.
It was supposed to be a dream match, but it turned out to be the opposite. Goldberg was on a one-year contract with WWE and he too opted not to renew it since he wasn't a fan of the direction the company was heading in.
The two would face off in their final WWE match at WrestleMania 20 in Madison Square Garden. There was one big problem - fans were in on the news that they were both leaving WWE.
With the rumors circulating fast, both men received boos throughout the match and it turned into a disaster. Goldberg won, but it felt as though both men had really lost.
Post-match, Brock Lesnar flipped off the crowd before getting a stunner from special guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin. That was the only saving grace of the entire match.
Thankfully, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar would right their wrong 13 years later in an instant classic at WrestleMania 33. There, The Beast Incarnate became the first man to pin Goldberg clean.
#4. Batista - Flipped off the WWE Universe after his Royal Rumble victory in 2014
WWE fans weren't ready to embrace Batista in 2014 after nearly 4 years away from the ring. By that point, Batista had made his full transition into Hollywood. It was the year where he got his big break with The Guardians Of The Galaxy.
He returned to WWE in 2014 and declared his entry into the Royal Rumble that year. There was just one big problem - Daniel Bryan was the hottest WWE star at the time. Despite his match and defeat to Bray Wyatt that night, fans expected him to make an entry in the final spot and win it.
This wasn't what happened. Rey Mysterio was used as the sacrificial lamb, getting booed at #30. Batista would eventually win the Royal Rumble, but fans weren't pleased. In a bit of irony, it was Shield member Roman Reigns who was second-last and fans began cheering him when they realized the inevitability of Batista's victory.
Batista received instant backlash from the WWE Universe for getting a spot that most felt belonged to Daniel Bryan. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Batista stopped being a babyface. He mockingly gestured Daniel Bryan's 'Yes!' move while also reportedly flipping off some members of the audience.
It's not known to what extent it was a work, but one would imagine that Batista was infuriated with what happened. Later on, Batista admitted that he knew returning as a babyface was a bad idea, describing himself as the "worst" babyface ever.
#3. Charlotte Flair - Flips of the WWE Universe during her title match at Money in the Bank 2021
Charlotte Flair is the most accomplished woman in WWE history, at least on paper. She has had 11 individual Women's Championship reigns in WWE and 13 if you count her two NXT Championship victories.
But even Charlotte Flair isn't prone to a moment of irritation. During her bout against Rhea Ripley at Money in the Bank 2021, fans began to chant for Becky Lynch, who had teased her return on Twitter.
Charlotte Flair didn't take kindly to this and instantly flipped off the crowd, forcing WWE to blackout the broadcast momentarily. The commentators and crowd's reaction can be seen/heard here:
Despite WWE blacking out the broadcast, the beginning and end of Charlotte Flair flipping the crowd off can be seen. Despite this, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley went on to have their best match to date and the crowd got behind them quickly.
The Queen won the RAW Women's Championship for the 5th time, making her an 11-time WWE Women's Champion (5 RAW, 5 SmackDown, 1 Divas). She would, unfortunately, lose it a night later to the Women's Money in the Bank winner Nikki A.S.H.
#2. Roman Reigns - Flips off the WWE Universe on the first show with crowds back
Roman Reigns was part of the opening match on SmackDown when the WWE Universe returned in July. He teamed up with The Usos to take on WWE legends Rey Mysterio, Edge and the young Dominik Mysterio.
The match itself was fine, with Jey Uso picking up the victory after a pin over WWE legend Rey Mysterio. Post-match, Roman Reigns tapped out to Edge, who put a rod in his mouth and submitted him unofficially.
Interestingly, when Roman Reigns was leaving with The Usos, he heard the audible "you suck!" chants from the crowd. In a heel move, he turned around and briefly flipped the crowd off before walking away. It was captured on camera:
Roman Reigns would face Edge two nights later at Money in the Bank 2021, beating him thanks to some assistance from Seth Rollins. This flip-off didn't have the same kind of maliciousness as the ones previously mentioned. It was more of Roman Reigns being a heel off-camera.
#1. Vince McMahon - Flipped off WWE crowd while playing the crooked referee
It's good to be the boss for Vince McMahon - he can do whatever he wants in WWE. It was early 2016 and Roman Reigns was the WWE Champion feuding with previous-holder Sheamus.
Given that Roman Reigns wasn't getting the fan reception that WWE wanted, Vince McMahon decided to take matters into his own hands. Whenever Vince McMahon feuds with a superstar on WWE television, it's clear that he intends to elevate them by being the biggest heel possible.
He did just that and it helped Roman Reigns get cheered when he won the WWE Championship for the second time in late 2015. On the first RAW of 2016, Roman Reigns defended the WWE title against Sheamus with Vince McMahon as the special guest referee.
Vince McMahon played the crooked referee and had a moment where he flipped off the crowd while "covering" it with his other hand. Unfortunately for the Chairman of WWE, it was quite obvious what he did and the camera angle showed it directly.
