5 Worst Wrestling Matches Of 2015
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.
2015 was one of the most difficult years in WWE history. Throughout that calendar year, it and its fans suffered from one major problem after another. Not only were many of the company’s biggest stars sidelined with major injuries, but fans were vociferous in their rejection of Vince McMahon’s newest pet project, Roman Reigns.
Despite having good matches on a relatively-consistent basis, fan hostility followed him everywhere like a dark cloud. Things got so bad, that fans even started booing fan favorites that said anything nice about him.
But was this hatred and anger justified? That depends on whom you ask. Reigns has many defenders that say he’s a great performer and character. Yet on the other side, the way said character was booked, modified and scripted caused some people to recoil in disgust. And since the average fan has no way of going up to WWE’s bookers to tell them how much they hate those ideas, they decided to turn on the wrestlers instead.
Of course, Reigns wasn’t the only wrestler whose match(es) in 2015 were plagued by difficult fan reactions…
5. Goldust vs. Stardust – Fastlane 2015
When this match happened, Goldust had wanted to wrestle his brother for years. To see if the match could draw money, they booked this match prior to WrestleMania. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near the big match the bookers or the wrestlers were hoping for.
First, everyone loathed the Stardust gimmick because it was such a disservice to Cody’s skills. In fact, he even left WWE over it because he wanted to be himself and not some wacko talking about stars and galaxies. Secondly, the actual drama in this match didn’t translate well for the audience, who reacted to this match with apathy.
That is the worst kind of reaction to get in WWE, because it means that what’s happening in the ring is neither exciting nor bad enough to elicit a strong emotional response. Third, the match ending was rumored to have been botched, but later reports confirmed that this original ending was, in fact, the correct one.
Yet because it came so out of left field, the fans couldn’t really be expected to care about it.