5 times fans turned on WWE superstars

It was match boasting two of the biggest names in wrestling history. When the match began, the fans were showing their support and the wrestling world didn't anticipate who it would be towards.
A classic example of the fans turning on a popular superstar

Fans are, in essence, free to cheer and jeer whomever they want, whenever they want, including John Cena and Roman Reigns. The fans' sharing of their discontent with a certain Superstar helps, in some instances, to dictate the direction of the character for the future.

Over the course of history, there have been characters that have initially been faces, such as The New Day and the Honky Tonk Man, that ultimately turned due to the rejection of the fans. These turns actually helped catapult them forward, as they became must-see acts that fans looked forward to seeing and despising.

In a number of instances, fans didn't buy what certain acts were selling. Perhaps because they wanted someone else in their place, or the characters came across as too over the top and unrealistic, they felt insulted and made the faces into heels through their reactions.

Which instances of faces becoming hated stand out? Here are five times fans turned on WWE Superstars.


#5 Batista @ Royal Rumble 2014

He returned to the company a fan favorite and in one moment changed the direction of how fans viewed him.
He returned to the company a fan favorite and in one moment, changed in the eye of fans

In 2013, Batista made a long-awaited return to WWE, and when he initially rejoined the roster, Batista was very well liked by the fans. His look had changed somewhat, as his weightlifter's physique had been replaced with a leaner look.

He had also embraced MMA and had clearly added that to his repertoire of moves in the ring. Batista's initial feud was against former WWE champion Alberto Del Rio, and it was as though Del Rio was being fed to the wolves.

This program was intended to be a stepping stone to bigger things, and indeed it was. The Animal defeated Del Rio and announced he was going to be entering the 2014 Royal Rumble.

His entry, however, was met somewhat unfavorably by the fans, and that response escalated when the Rumble came around. As the match drew to a close, and Batista was one of the final two men, along with Roman Reigns, fans were clearly behind Reigns and not Batista.

The fans in attendance were already disappointed that Daniel Bryan was not in the Rumble, and when it became clear Batista was the inevitable victor, they became even angrier.

As soon as Reigns was eliminated, a huge chorus of boos was let out as the fans showed their displeasure, turning the babyface Batista into an instant heel.

#4 Kurt Angle @ Pittsburgh debut

He may have won an Olympic gold medal but that doesn't mean fans would support him.
He may have won an Olympic gold medal but that didn't mean fans would support him

Angle has mentioned in the past that, despite what he was told by Vince McMahon, his expectation for his debut was that there was no way the fans were going to boo him. McMahon was of the belief that, if you believe you're better than everyone else, then it leads to a desire on the part of fans to see you get beaten up.

When he debuted, Angle proudly walked out, showing his gold medals and saying how proud he was of his past accomplishments. Despite standing for the same beliefs that faces normally espouse, it was also 1998, and thus in a counter-culture environment, those values did not go over so well.

Angle was booed mercilessly, and even in his hometown of Pittsburgh, he was jeered because of his beliefs. Only in wrestling can a pimp be celebrated and an Olympic gold medalist be jeered, but this was the case as Angle felt the wrath of the fans while facing The Godfather.

By calling himself a 'real athlete', Angle was clearly suggesting the fans weren't as good as him, and the early cheers turned into a deafening collection of boos.

#3 Bob Backlund in 92

After years of being out of action, Backlund returned and realized the wrestling world had changed and so had the WWE fans.wrestling
After years of being out of action, Backlund returned and realized the wrestling world had changed

If there was ever a wrestler that was considered an all-American boy and a clean cut babyface, it was Bob Backlund. Fans may or may not know that Backlund won the WWWF championship in 1978.

He held the title for an incredible six years, before losing the championship to The Iron Sheik when the towel was thrown in by his manager Arnold Skaaland. Backlund never cut corners as champion, and always wrestled a fair and technical style.

After losing the championship, he didn't do very much and even retired from the ring for a period of time. When he returned and faced then champion Bret ‘Hitman' Hart, he attempted to replicate the character he presented during the earlier part of his career.

The problem was it didn't resonate with fans, and after losing his championship match to Hart the fans in the arena jeered his face type antics, which saw him completely change character. He would soon emerge with a better-than-you type persona known as Mr. Backlund.

#2 The Rock @ Wrestlemania X8

It was pegged as icon versus icon with The Rock going into the match the fan favorite. That was, until the match began.
It was pegged as icon versus icon with The Rock going into the match the face. Until the match began...

It was supposed to be a meeting of the immortals, but it turned out to be anything but that for one of the men involved.

After World Championship Wrestling closed its doors, Hogan, Nash, and Hall were in the midst of finishing out their contracts with Turner, and the 'Invasion' angle suffered as none of those men arrived in WWE when the promotion purchased WCW.

Eventually, when it was announced that all three men would be joining WWE, it represented a very newsworthy return to the company. In particular, Hogan's return was an opportunity to have WWE's past come face-to-face with its present, as The Rock challenged Hogan to a match at Wrestlemania X8.

This was the first time that WWE held Wrestlemania in Canada since Wrestlemania VI. However, while it had been expected that the fans would be cheering for the Great One and jeering Hollywood Hogan, the reality was that the fans cheered for the heel Hogan, making him the face as soon as the match began.

While Hogan didn't walk out victorious, fans supported him and his effort, cheering him on in defeat.

#1 Roman Reigns @ Royal Rumble 2015

Despite the show of support and kudos given to Roman Reigns by The Rock, the chorus of boos he received was deafening.
Despite the support given to Roman Reigns by The Rock, the chorus of boos was deafening.

After what took place the previous year, it was uncanny how fans voiced their overall displeasure at what appeared to be unfolding. Roman Reigns was among the last few men left in the Rumble, and it appeared preordained that he was on course to walk away as the number one contender for the WWE championship.

Despite overcoming the odds and eventually eliminating Rusev, the fans booed his win mercilessly. What was even more perplexing was the fact that Reigns was in the middle of the ring with the beloved Rock, yet still faced a chorus of boos.

Fans will recall the puzzled look on the face of The Rock as Reigns was still being jeered even though the icon was celebrating Reigns' accomplishment.

Much like the previous year when Batista faced the ire of fans, Reigns simply continued to do what he could, to show he was more than deserving of the opportunity of being number one contender for the championship. Fans booed Reigns, and even The Rock didn't understand exactly why that was.

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