5 emotional endings to WWE storylines

WWE has worked hard to build some of the most emotional storylines over the decades. The action taking place in the ring has moved fans to a whole new level.

The superstars involved perform their hearts out to ensure they deliver the story and the message in the best way possible. Many times the storylines have gotten a little too personal and made things very realistic.

This has led to matches that have touched superstars and their fans and made matters very emotional.The superstars themselves are often unable to contain their emotions and break down after a match.

Emotional endings to big matches and storylines have made WWE’s product even more popular over the years. With that being said, take a look at the five emotional endings of WWE storylines and matches.

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#5. WWE fans and legends found Edge and Randy Orton’s rivalry in 2020 extremely emotional

Edge made a miraculous return to the WWE ring at the 2020 Royal Rumble. After rejecting rumors of a possible return, Edge returned to pay-per-view to surprise his fans and nearly win the match.

After the event, Randy Orton turned on his friend and tried to end his career. After trading victories, the two men met in WWE’s Greatest Wrestling Match Ever at Backlash.

The match was an emotional one as fans saw two good friends compete at the highest level. The Legend Killer looked set to end Edge’s career during the contest.

The match was over-hyped and led to a 45-minute epic contest between the two WWE Superstars. In the end, The Viper beat The Rated-R Superstar and put him on the shelf for several months.

The entire storyline, and the match at Backlash, was an emotional one for many fans. Speaking to WWE’s After The Bell podcast, Undertaker said:

“It almost brought a tear to my eye. I haven’t seen that kind of wrestling match in so long. I understand the parameters and everything else, that they had a lot of time, but my God, what a story they told. An unbelievable story,” The Undertaker said.

The contest led to a few big confrontations between Orton and legendary WWE Superstars. The added segments made the storyline seem even more emotional.

Edge returned at the 2021 Royal Rumble and eliminated Orton to win the match and come full-circle.

#4. Rey Mysterio won it for Eddie Guerrero at WWE WrestleMania 22

At WWE WrestleMania 22, Kurt Angle defended his World Heavyweight Championship. Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton stepped up to the Olympic gold medalist for the title.

The match was held five months after Eddie Guerrero's demise. Mysterio won the Royal Rumble match before the event to make his way to WrestleMania.

He was made part of the storyline because of his relationship with the late WWE Superstar. Vince McMahon believed the crowd would blindly support Mysterio and would go wild after his win.

However, things didn't go as planned. The unpredictable fans in Chicago booed Mysterio throughout the match.

Angle spoke about how the moment was emotional and that Mysterio deserved to win the title for Eddie. The match had a really good and emotional buildup, making the entire storyline worth it.

"I think it had a lot to do with it because, you know, like I said before, Rey Mysterio has never been booed out of the building. And this was the first time for him. And I think that Vince McMahon saw that as a, 'Oh, okay, maybe Rey isn't quite as over as I thought he was.' And I think that might have affected Rey's title run. But the whole match was based on Eddie Guerrero and his remembrance. So Rey winning the title, nobody was going to stop that, and that was the right decision. Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio deserved it," said Kurt Angle.

It turned out to be one of the most emotional storylines for fans of Eddie Guerrero. It was great seeing Mysterio win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for his late friend.

#3. Sasha Banks and Bayley had an emotional storyline in WWE NXT

Bayley and Sasha Banks competed in one of the biggest matches of their careers at WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Banks put her NXT Championship on the line against her best friend.

They gave a phenomenal performance and helped put the NXT women’s division on the map. Once the dust settled, Bayley had the NXT title raised high above her head while Banks watched on with tears in her eyes.

It was one of the most emotional storylines and matches in the NXT’s history. Both WWE Superstars spoke about when they realized the match was special.

"That was the first match I was comfortable," said Banks. "I was like 'wow, there's something just amazing going on right now.' I remember being in that match and laying still after taking something and being like 'this is so cool', hearing the fans' reaction just like 'wow, this is everything I dreamt of."

After the match, the two women hugged and cried as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair joined them in the middle. The Hugger went as far as to state that Seth Rollins cried after the match.

"A lot of people ask that, like, 'when did you know that everybody was into it?' But I don't know, I was living it second by second. It wasn't until the end of the match, when it was all four of us in the ring, the crowd erupting, that's when I was like 'woah, this is special'. It wasn't even really meant to be. It just happened," said Bayley. "Seth Rollins cried. He'll probably be mad that I pointed that out, but he did," she later added.

NXT has had many big matches ever since. However, this contest still tops the list of the most emotional matches in NXT history.

#2. Kofi Kingston’s emotional WWE Championship win at WrestleMania 35

WrestleMania 35 was not just huge for Kofi Kingston but the entire WWE Universe. Fans pushed for Kofi to become the WWE Champion for the first time in his career, and the company gave in.

The creative team tested Kofi and built the story perfectly. After an extremely emotional storyline involving Vince McMahon and then-WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, Kofi got what he wanted. He went on to defeat The Yes Man at WrestleMania 35 to win his first world championship with WWE.

Xavier Woods and Big E lifted their brother on their shoulders as all three men were overcome with emotion. Meanwhile, WWE Superstars and celebrities took to social media to show their excitement after Kingston’s big victory. Woods took to Twitter to express his excitement.

WWE Superstar MVP and the late Shad Gaspard could not hold back tears after Kofi Kingston’s emotional victory. His victory could be termed one of the most emotional WWE Championship victories of all time.

#1. The Undertaker’s loss at WWE WrestleMania 30 was extremely emotional for everyone

The Undertaker enjoyed the most iconic winning streak in WWE. After remaining undefeated at WrestleMania events for several years, The Phenom came face to face with Brock Lesnar.

The Beast Incarnate gave Undertaker one of the toughest matches of his career. Lesnar pinned The Phenom and broke his undefeated streak in arguably the most emotional endings to a WWE match.

Fans were shocked as they never expected The Undertaker’s streak to be broken. Even The Beast was not in favor of breaking the legend’s streak and was extremely emotional after the contest.

WWE Superstar John Cena, too, found Undertaker’s loss at WrestleMania a very emotional moment.

“I’m a member of the WWE Universe and I’ve thought about this a lot. I was emotionally moved when the streak was broken. Last year was an emotional performance. Then you get closer and closer to WrestleMania, and you realise it’s not a WrestleMania without The Undertaker.”

The Deadman soaked in the fans' response and remained in the ring for some time after his streak was broken. He suffered a concussion during the match and had to be taken to the hospital after the contest.