10 Times WWE Lost Their Minds

It can be frustrating to be a WWE fan. The largest pro wrestling company is unlike any other in the world, and unfortunately, it seems like the main reason for that is the sheer number of baffling decisions that they make. Granted, we all have our own likes and dislikes - for instance, I was furious when Shane McMahon came back to claim a WrestleMania match with The Undertaker, but others loved it - but to be a WWE fan is to get angry sometimes.

Still, the anger is temporary, and sometimes it even serves a greater good - even accidentally. At WrestleMania 28, when Sheamus beat Daniel Bryan to win the World Heavyweight Championship in 18 seconds, tens of thousands of fans in Miami and a million more at home were irate. The groundswell of support Bryan received in the wake of his loss, though, made him a true superstar, and two years later he headlined WrestleMania.

And then, there are the other times - times when a situation is so bad that there's literally no upside. When it's clear that for, whatever reason, WWE's higher-ups plainly chose their own preferences or fealties over making money. Given that WWE is a corporation, that's not exactly in their own interests. Those times, their motives are really inexplicable.

Here are 10 times WWE lost their minds...

At No Way Out 2004, Eddie Guerrero scored one of the most hard-fought, emotional victories in company history when he beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Fans legitimately loved Guerrero (when he tried to turn heel the previous year, crowds simply wouldn't have it), and had followed his story for years. They were elated to see him reach the pinnacle of the company.

Guerrero was on fire after defending the belt against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX, and house show revenue was legitimately up. Unfortunately, in the weeks following the show of shows, Smackdown suffered two major blows - first, Brock Lesnar left the company, robbing the blue brand of its top heel, and then, Guerrero's health started to suffer due to the pressure placed on him as champion.

He needed to lose the belt, at least for the time being, so who would get the honor? Booker T, who came over to Smackdown in a brand lottery and had turned heel, seemed a likely candidate, and he started a feud with Guerrero. By the next week, though, that program was shelved in favor of a feud with Bradshaw - the longtime tag team stalwart who was repackaged as rich Texan JBL without warning. Fans were stunned that Bradshaw was now in the main event, and they were shocked and angry when he beat Guerrero for the WWE Championship.

To be sure, the JBL character was an upgrade for Bradshaw, but a world title run - let alone one that lasted nine months and saw house show business fall - was unnecessary. More than a decade later, it's still hard to understand why Bradshaw got the push of a lifetime.