5 WWE Superstars who have had public disagreements with the fans
The ring, check. Lighting rig, check. Titantron, check. Pyrotechnics, check. Announcer’s table, check. Superstars, check...but are we good to go? Not quite.
As narcissistic as this may sound, I think we can all agree that there is still no WWE show without the fans.
Unlike in many other sport/sport entertainment industries where fans play a pivotal but peripheral role, it isn’t even a stretch to contend that pro-wrestling is completely centered around them.
If a Superstar is labeled as a babyface, it’s because he generally evokes feelings of sympathy for agonizingly falling short of his goal (Sami Zayn), empathy for championing the cause of a common man (Daniel Bryan) or vicarious satisfaction when you one-up the boss (Stone Cold) – from the fans.
And of course, the heels employ nefarious means so that the babyfaces can get “over” – again, with the fans.
In an industry that so revolves around its fan base, one would then almost expect the performers to be implicitly thankful and fan-friendly, right? Think again.
Some WWE Superstars have made it apparent with their actions over the years, that they hold no such favour towards the people that line their pockets. What’s more – should you read on – you would be pretty convinced that they can sometimes be downright nasty and repellent towards them too.
Here then, are 5 WWE Superstars who’ve somehow managed to convince us that they hate the fans.
Batista
Batista had one of the most forgettable return acts in contemporary WWE history when he decided to come back in January of 2014, after nearly 4 years away from the industry.
The fans viewed Batista as another one of Triple H’s cronies who’d usurped the spot that they wanted to see Daniel Bryan in, and the fact that the Animal was sloppy, affected by ring-rust and terrible at receiving criticism also compounded the situation.
In an infamous gesture, he once flipped the bird at a crowd that was booing him and his bristly social media interactions with the fans did little to mend their opinion of him too. So much so that despite having returned as a babyface, the WWE were forced to have him align with Triple H’s heel authority faction purely because of the acrimonious relationship between him and the fans.
Oh, and shoving down a fan who was ringside during a live event in Manitoba didn’t exactly help redeem the public perception of him either. Only, in this case, it seemed like the distaste was truly mutual.