10 Hometown Heroes That Were Embarrassed By WWE
Who loves a happy homecoming? Not WWE, apparently.
Professional wrestling doesn’t have 10 commandments, but if it did, “thou shalt be embarrassed in thy hometown” would likely sit comfortably beside “thou shalt have no other gods before Vince McMahon.”
Hometown humiliations are a longstanding tradition in the sport. They might be the most popular person in the building on that particular night, but WWE’s hometown heroes rarely walk away with their dignity intact. Ric Flair took so many losses in Charlotte, NC that his inability to win there became a running joke among WCW fans back in the day, and the tradition remains alive and well in 2016.
This week’s Monday Night Raw saw Noam Dar make his WWE debut in Glasgow. He walked out to one of the night’s biggest reactions, but as usual, Dar’s huge pop didn’t translate to in-ring success. Dar and Brian Kendrick were defeated in their tag team match, and while Noam wasn’t pinned, it’s another example of WWE knocking their stars down on home turf.
Dar’s loss is just the tip of the iceberg, though, and far greater crimes have been committed against WWE’s superstars on their homecoming. WWE have developed an unfortunate reputation for burying, humiliating, and embarrassment such wrestlers in their native town, state, or country, and there are plenty of examples.
Here are 10 hometown heroes that were embarrassed by WWE.
10. Sasha Banks In Boston
Hell In A Cell 2016 was a deeply flawed pay-per-view, but one that made history in a couple of ways. Not only were Sasha Banks and Charlotte the first women to ever compete in the show’s titular structure, but also the first to ever headline a WWE PPV. It’s debatable whether or not this was the right move, of course, but it’s an honour that’ll live with them forever, and nobody can erase that.
Sadly, Sasha may not have come away from the show with too many fond memories. HIAC took place in her hometown of Boston, MA, and while her arrival wasn’t celebrated as vociferously as, say, CM Punk in Chicago, she still received a great pop. Having won the Raw Women’s Championship just a few weeks prior, logic dictated that she’d retain in her hometown, and HIAC would close-out with a huge feel-good moment.
WWE took the opposite route. Instead of having Sasha win, they opted to have Charlotte put her away with Natural Selection after two awkwardly botched table spots, and instead of closing on a high, HIAC ended on a whimper. The finish sucked the life out of the TD Garden, and while few can say Charlotte isn’t a worthy champion, it was the most devastating loss of Sasha’s career thus far.