10 Times WWE Squandered A Genuine Crowd Reaction
When it's as easy as giving the people what they want, GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!
Timing is everything in pro wrestling.
That's why it can be so unbelievably infuriating to see a crowd lose their sh*t for a returning star or genuinely shocking moment, only for WWE to bumble around and let all that organic momentum evaporate into thin air.
It's not just one freak occurrence either. WWE have routinely found a way to crap all over an authentic crowd reaction and often left fans with their hands on their heads, wondering how such a golden opportunity was not capitalised on properly.
Whether it be the all encompassing Rusev Day or even just a show of appreciation for a breakout star (à la CM Punk at Survivor Series 2006) WWE aren't fans of being told what to do and they struggle enough following through on their own ideas. So you can only imagine what level of support fan generated concepts are given.
If WWE had the foresight to see that these crowd responses could be an indication of future success with a talent, perhaps they would have wisely invested in them immediately following the monster-pops on this list.
Alas, it wasn't to be and these moments will go down in history as the most criminal times WWE squandered a golden reaction.
10. Scott Steiner Returns At Survivor Series In 2002
Remember a time when Scott Steiner wasn't just a bitter old dude running down WWE whenever he got the chance?
Well, off the back of a lucrative run in WCW (from 1996-2001) Steiner found himself gifted with the opportunity to return back to Vince McMahon's play-pen in 2002 and brought with him all the buzz that had been generated by his World Heavyweight Championship reign towards the end of WCW's era on television.
Signing a three-year deal with WWE, it looked as though the company had big plans for Steiner and after eight years away from this particular environment, he returned to a swell of deafening cheers in Madison Square Garden at Survivor Series. The crowd lapped up his dismantling of Matt Hardy and Christopher Nowinski, with Steiner clearly being positioned as one of the company's new top stars.
A few months later, Steiner found himself in a World Heavyweight Championship feud with Triple H and as you probably know by now, it didn't work out very well for the hulking figure.
The matches were panned. Yet, if Steiner had been allowed to work his way through some lower-card guys for a while longer and really bask in the momentum he'd conjured up upon his return, perhaps his eventual neutering at the hands of The Game wouldn't have seemed so suddenly deflating.
Instead, he was gone from the company a year later and - with little fanfare - fans would never get the chance to see him inside a WWE ring again.