10 Most Hated WWE Champions

2. John Cena

John Cena
WWE.com

In 2005, WWE were spoilt for choice on how to close WrestleMania thanks to the overwhelming popularity of their two title challengers. John Cena and Dave Batista were literally inseparable at the Royal Rumble, flubbing their lines to such a degree that Vince McMahon blew both quads in hilarious rage.

'The Champ's migration to Monday Night Raw later that year signified his position as the company's real golden boy, but the shine was decidedly dulled by a gradually infuriated audience.

Seeing through the transparency of his limited arsenal right as WWE began smoothening the edges of the rapper gimmick that got him over the first place, the crowds turned on Cena with such ferocity that it became a movement acting on its own steam entirely. 'The Champ' was booed mercilessly fighting d*ckhead heel Triple H at WrestleMania 22 only 12 months after a heroic anointment.

It reached a point that commentators could no longer dress the noise up as a 'mixed reaction' until it organically became one again years later. Even then, it took Cena assembling some of the best matches in the history of the organisation just to even slightly curry begrudging favour.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett