10 Genius Ways Wrestlers Proved The Critics Wrong

Does anyone else remember Kane's "Embrace The Hate" campaign? No, not the noxious nonsense the current Mayor of Knoxville spews on Twitter, but his attempt back in 2012 to do the impossible and turn John Cena heel. Kane failed, of course, but somewhere in Japan a young Tetsuya Naito took heed of his advice and earmarked it for future use should his own babyface run hit the skids. (???????? ??????)

And hit the skids it most certainly did. When NJPW tried to turn Naito into the promotion's next babyface hero, the company's famously respectful fans made a rare show of open dissent. Naito was showered with boos wherever he went and, unlike Cena, Naito decided to fully embrace the hate.

Naito's transformation into the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon (still one of the best stable names in wrestling) revitalized his flagging career. Espousing the virtues of being "Tranquilo" - a.k.a. not giving a single, solitary toss about what other people thought of him - Naito became NJPW's resident bad boy. And, like many a bad boy before him, Naito's heinous acts couldn't hide the fact that his newfound attitude had turned him into the coolest man in the building. This, ironically, lead to the same fans who booed him as a babyface to cheer him as a heel.

A state of affairs which might seem familiar to those who've been following WWE for the past few years...