WWE's business model is fairly simple in theory - first, the company creates characters with whom the audience is supposed to identify in some way, or at the very least, find compelling. Then, WWE books feuds between the characters, digging into their personalities to create an antagonism that makes for gripping television. Finally, these feuds end in big matches, with fans forced to pay money to see the blowoffs. At its core, that's what pro wrestling is. Anyone who's ever watched wrestling can attest to the fact that it's not that easy in real life. Fans' preferences are hard to anticipate, and in an era where access to WWE's backstage workings is more open than ever before, audiences can be resentful when they catch wind of plans and feel like they're being led in a certain direction. As a result, the superstars that the fans get behind are often different men and women than the ones WWE wants to push. Still, no problem - just run with what the fans want, right? After all, their money keeps the lights on. Again, not that easy. WWE has been notoriously stubborn when it comes to whom they choose to push. If a wrestler is flagged for success, the company will push him lost past the point where it makes sense, and if a wrestler isn't seen as a star by management, no amount of fan support will change their minds. Being a fan of WWE can be frustrating when it seems like the most talented or beloved wrestlers are being undermined by the company that employs them. Still, the world's largest wrestling organization shows no signs of changing the ways it tries to create main event players. With that in mind, here are 10 stars WWE simply doesn't want you to love...
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
