10 Times WWE Fans' Worst Fears Came True

Anyone who tells you they're not afraid is lying. All of us have our fears - whether they're about a lack of money, spiders, losing loved ones, spiders, getting laid off work, spiders (mainly spiders, really).

Some of us, however, also like to fret about what's happening in the fictional world - particularly WWE, whose much-maligned creative team have acquired an unfortunate reputation over the years for shooting themselves in the foot right when it really matters.

They're constantly getting things wrong, often to the detriment of our viewing experience, which means that it makes perfect sense for us to lie awake at night worrying that Roman Reigns is going to beat Daniel Bryan next month, or that Vince McMahon is planning to cull half the roster to fund the XFL. Often times, these fears end up being wide of the mark, with WWE settling on a decision that is only half as terrible as many of us first anticipated.

But, every now and then, the fans' worst nightmares actually come true, leaving them extremely angry... but also very, very smug as well.

Back in the heady days of early 2016, WWE fans were head over heels excited about the prospect of seeing Bayley, NXT's leading woman, make the step up to the main roster - with just one caveat.

As with all developmental graduates, there were fears that the Huggable One's progress could be slowed by the slapdash, often careless booking that tends to predominate on Raw and SmackDown, and that she'd then be lost in the mid-card shuffle as a result.

This, despite some early promise, is largely what has come to pass. Bayley's smiley, I-see-good-in-the-world disposition - the same one that drew admirers down in Orlando - has inevitably seen her mistaken for a complete dunce by the writers on Monday nights. Consequently, she now does things like get really upset when Alexa Bliss brings up her past, and become unduly fazed by the prospect of having to use a kendo stick (despite violence literally being in her job description).

A fully-fledged heel turn could change this, granted, but the damage is done.