10 Times WWE Forced It Down Our Throats
You'll eat it and like it, damnit.
WWE are always looking for the next big thing. It's a necessity, because nothing lasts forever. Main event performers like Hogan and Austin all fall victim to the inevitable passage of time and can't carry the torch like they used to in their heyday. That, or they outstay their welcome in the main event - everybody has a shelf life, of course. So, it makes perfect sense that WWE always have one eye on the future, but the trouble is, the fans often feel like their voices are ignored when it comes to creating new stars.
WWE have quite the track record of pushing the wrong guy, at least in the eyes of large parts of the fanbase. Stephanie McMahon has talked in the past about the fans acting as a focus group for the creative team, telling them what they want and when they want it, but this claim has been contradicted by the evidence put forth on TV on so many occasions. Superstars we've demanded more of have been overlooked in favour of whoever WWE are high on time and time again. A stubborn refusal to abandon the pushes of these hand-picked stars irks us even more - no one wants to be told who they should like. Especially when they aren’t up to scratch in-ring or have no discernible character for us to invest in.
The following 10 superstars all have one thing in common: they have all been forced down our throats at one time or another.
10. Roman Reigns
Let's get Roman out of the way, shall we? It's been a tough period for the man earmarked by WWE as their next Cena. Back when The Shield were running riot, it seemed that Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns could do no wrong. Ambrose was the mouthpiece, Rollins the in-ring wizard, and Reigns the silent muscle. As a trio, they just worked. Of course, no stable lasts forever (although DX may beg to differ) and singles competition was always going to be the endgame for each of these three men. What was unexpected, perhaps, was that WWE would push one of these men so much faster and harder than the other two.
Despite Seth Rollins's current status as WWE Heavyweight Champion, it was undoubtedly Roman Reigns who had the rocket strapped to his back ever since breaking Kane's record for the number of Royal Rumble eliminations in 2014. Reigns was cheered by the live crowd over the returning Batista, which was hardly surprising - there wasn't much goodwill for the 6-time world champion - but fast forward a year, to the 2015 Rumble, and oh my, how things had changed. The crowd booed for the final three of Kane, Big Show and Reigns (and Rusev, but we'll get to that) and continued to make their displeasure heard once Kane and Show returned to give Reigns a beatdown after being eliminated. That was, until The Rock came out to make the save. Rock got a pop, of course, because he's the freakin' Rock. Once he'd raised Roman's arm in apparent victory, however, the boos resumed, until Rusev (see, told you we'd get to him) reappeared, having not been eliminated.
The crowd cheered. They had wanted Daniel Bryan, who hadn't even been in the Rumble match, but Rusev would do. Anyone but Reigns. Rusev, though, went sailing over the top rope, and Roman was going to Wrestlemania.
Was Seth Rollins cashing in the briefcase at Wrestlemania 31 the original plan? Did WWE realise that no one was buying into Roman Reigns? In any case, Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Rollins all deserve credit for making the main event what it was: one of the most exciting conclusions to a Wrestlemania in years. For that alone, you have to hope that Reigns manages to become a worthy main event performer in the eyes of the fans as well as the WWE top brass.