5 superstars whose careers were hindered because of the fans
Batista’s second outing was forgettable to say the leastIn professional wrestling, the superstars and the powers that be operate not for themselves, but for the wrestling fans. In any business, customer satisfaction dictates the longevity of the organization.The wrestling business is not that different; the fans become the measuring stick in the industry, and much like any other business, it all depends on how well the fans receive the product.There have been many instances when the storylines and angles changed depending upon the reaction of the fans, and the ability of a company or its performers to adapt to the fan reaction has been pivotal for their sustainability in the industry.However, like Vince McMahon once said, the fans aren’t always right. Sometimes the fan base wants a particular superstar to perform better than the others, and if the management decides to go against the tide, it becomes difficult to pacify the fans.There is a fine line between listening to the fan base, and giving them everything they want. It is famously said that Paul Heyman, who has one of the best minds in the business, made one grave mistake during his days in ECW – he gave the fans everything they wanted, and ECW soon went bankrupt.With the fans having a voice and being more powerful now than ever, there have been instances when they were responsible for a superstar’s downfall. In this article, we take a look at five such instances when the superstars’ careers were hindered because of the fans.
#5 Batista
Batista is a former multiple time WWE World champion, so a few people might be wondering how he would make the cut. However, during his initial run in the WWE, when he became one of the top faces, he received a lot of flak from the fans, who complained that Batista was injury prone and that he wasn’t a good performer.
Batista then took time off and focused on his Hollywood career, but he then returned to the WWE, similar to The Rock. However, his return wasn’t anything like Dwayne’s, as the fans turned on the superstar as soon as he won the Royal Rumble.
Batista was brought back with the aim of boosting the ratings, and according to reports, he was scheduled to headline and win the main event at WrestleMania. However, the fans turned on ‘The Animal’, and WWE had to change the entire angle and added Daniel Bryan to the main event.
Bryan then defeated Randy Orton and Batista to win the WWE World Heavyweight championship. After his catastrophic return to the WWE, Batista decided to move on, and gave notice to the company that he wanted to leave.
A couple of months after leaving the WWE for a second time, Batista gave an interview, and stated that the original plan was for him to stick around till his next movie, but the fan reaction and WWE not keeping their word led to Batista quitting the organization.