10 Biggest Missed Opportunities In WWE History
Bad things happen when WWE drop the ball.
Combining the thrills and spills of a Hollywood blockbuster with the comic book world’s big, colourful characters and tales of good vs. evil, wrestling is a sport like no other. At it’s best, it’s one of the most exciting shows in the world, and while many of their practices are far from perfect, WWE have given fans plenty of reasons to cheer over the years.
From Daniel Bryan finally winning the big one and becoming WWE Champion at WrestleMania XXX, to Hulk Hogan bodyslamming Andre the Giant at WMIII, wrestling is defined by those big moments where the stars align and the end result is nothing short of exhilarating.
Unfortunately, WWE have become just as well-known for fluffing such opportunities. Their current monopoly affords them leeway in this department, but that doesn’t change the fact that Vince McMahon’s industry-leading juggernaut has dropped the ball on countless occasions over the years.
As a wrestling fan, few things are more frustrating than seeing WWE botch what looks like an easy lay-up. Here are those moments where WWE failed to strike when the iron was hot, and give the fans what they wanted: the 10 biggest missed opportunities in WWE history.
10. The 2014 Royal Rumble
Daniel Bryan had established himself as WWE’s most beloved babyface throughout 2013. From Team Hell No’s memorable Tag Team Title run to the Triple H/”B+ Player” fiasco, Bryan was white hot. His struggles with The Authority made him a natural underdog, the easiest wrestler in the world to root for, and the ultimate good guy.
Bryan had succeeded in spite of every hurdle the company had thrown in front of him, and the 2014 Royal Rumble should’ve been his big moment. WWE would finally go all-in on their most organic babyface and capitalise on his immense crowd support by finally making him a made man, but it wasn’t to be.
Instead, Bryan didn’t even feature in the Royal Rumble, and lost a match to Bray Wyatt earlier that evening. The Rumble’s first 29 entrants came and went, and by 30, the “YES” chants had hit fever pitch. Surely this was Bryan’s moment?
Nope. Out came Rey Mysterio, who instantly became the biggest heel in the country by virtue of not being Daniel Bryan. The returning Batista went-on to win the Rumble, and while Bryan ended-up achieving his crowning glory at WrestleMania XXX, WWE needlessly flubbed one of their biggest shows of the year for the sake of pushing an ageing part-timer back into the spotlight.