10 WWE Decisions That Enraged The IWC

10. Sheamus Squashes Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan’s perceived mistreatment was the source of much fan outrage throughout his WWE run, to the point where we could probably fill a list with his examples alone. We’ll stick to just a couple for variety’s sake, but for many fans, his 18-second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII is as egregious as it gets.

DB was regularly stealing the show as a heel World Heavyweight Champion at the time, and 105 days into his reign, he was tasked with defending the belt against the 2012 Royal Rumble winner.

In the most notorious loss of his career, Bryan dropped the belt after just a single Brogue Kick, and if this was WWE’s idea of the heel getting his comeuppance, it totally backfired. Bryan was immensely popular in spite of his alignment, and the initial shock soon turned to anger, showing just how poorly WWE had gauged the situation.

The criticism was particularly prevalent on the internet, where Bryan’s support was always strong. The one positive of this situation is that it was one of many dismal events responsible for triggering The “Yes!” Movement, and DB’s eventual surge to glory at WrestleMania XXX - but the initial reaction was one of rage.