10 Awesome Ways Wrestlers Got Back At Critics
4. Roman Reigns 2016-2018
Throughout 2016, Roman Reigns evolved into one of WWE's elite in spite of an audience destined never to truly receive him as their true hero, and more's the pity.
After showing impressive fire as an underdog face again in his efforts to wrestle the WWE Championship from Triple H, Reigns went on to have a spellbinding series against AJ Styles that cemented him atop the organisation until a Wellness Policy suspension cracked the solid ground below his feet.
'The Big Dog' wasn't exactly buried after the setback, but the former Vince McMahon favourite was forced to chase his tail for several months as others scrapped for top title - and he still knocked out countless hidden gems.
Feuds with Rusev, Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman yielded minor classics on otherwise-ignored monthly pay-per-views, making the hostile responses from fans only more jarring. It had become all too apparent that live crowds en masse were determined to refuse him the respect he was grafting for, so he carried on regardless simply for the good of the game.
This drive, more than anything else, ironically completed the main event package. Reigns drove forward in spite of unchanging reactions, never once compromising programmes in the process. His 2019 return was - and can still be - a wonderful celebration of the fact.