10 Wrestling Matches That Changed Fans Opinions On Certain Wrestlers
One standout performance was enough to make viewers reconsider these stars.
Whether they like to admit it or not, wrestling fans are fickle. One week, they can absolutely love someone. The next, they can hate them. It really is that quick sometimes.
This isn't that surprising really. A lot can go wrong in wrestling, especially when you consider most of what fans see is happening live, so mistakes are made quite frequently.
Do fans care that these mistakes probably happen because a wrestler is so tired or burnt out by their gruelling schedule? Not if it's funny and will get them clicks on their YouTube channel they don't!
Whilst people can jump on a wrestler for a bad slip-up in a match or bully them forever for one missed line in a promo, sometimes it goes the other way and audiences can be won over with a single brilliant performance.
The following ten wrestlers all know that feeling well, as they've all managed to change fans' minds with just one match. Whether it was getting over a new gimmick, coming out of retirement to prove they've still got it, or taking crazy risks in the name of entertainment, it's safe to say that none of these wrestlers would be where they are today if these matches hadn't happened.
10. Braun Strowman Vs James Ellsworth (WWE Monday Night Raw, 2016)
When Braun Strowman first debuted in WWE as part of The Wyatt Family, fans had little more to say about him than "he's a big lad, isn't he?"
As the lumbering black sheep of The Family (presumably because he was the only one who couldn't actually work), Strowman toiled in the background before the faction was split up by the return of the Brand Split in 2016.
This is where things started to go right for Braun. Repackaged as an unstoppable monster, a trimmed down Strowman re-debuted on 26th July edition of Raw against an enhancement talent called James Ellsworth.
Fans got quite the shock when Strowman tore through Ellsworth in a matter of minutes. He had bulked up significantly since his Wyatt Family days and had clearly been hard at work in the gym too. The lumbering oak tree of a man was gone, replaced by a beefy behemoth capable of lightning quick turns of speed.
Not only did this match introduce the wrestling world to Ellsworth, but it also introduced it to the new and improved Braun Strowman. This squash completely changed the way fans thought about the former Black Sheep and set in motion his run of dominance.