10 Times Great Wrestling Was Ruined By Bad Writing
So much potential.
At its best, professional wrestling is one of the most exciting art forms on the planet. Moments like Hulk Hogan's WCW heel turn and Daniel Bryan's WWE Championship victory at WrestleMania 30 just can't be recreated in other forms of entertainment, and when everything clicks, the results are exhilarating.
There is a huge volume of variables involved in every iconic wrestling moment, however. Creating great memories and thrilling matches isn't as simple as throwing two talented performers in the same place at the same time, and without the right direction from the writers, things tend to go awry.
Writers, bookers, and creative teams often get a bad rep among wrestling fans, and it's not entirely undeserved. These people are often their own worst enemies, and their poor decisions have spoiled countless big moments over the years. From putting the wrong guy over to tanking entire storylines in one fell swoop, they are responsible for some of wrestling's biggest missed opportunities, and the problem continues today.
There's nothing worse than when a potentially awesome match, story, or angle failing to live up to expectations. Wrestling's creative types have much to answer for.
10. John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2012)
John Cena was Brock Lesnar’s first major target when he returned to WWE in 2012. Going straight to the top of the food chain, Lesnar destroyed WWE’s biggest star with an F5 on his Raw comeback and looked set to go on an almighty tear.
The match was booked for Extreme Rules, and all signs pointed to WWE preparing Lesnar for a huge monster run. He dominated the lead-up to the match, and was comfortably the most over person in the company. Logic would dictate that he’d set himself up for his forthcoming push with a huge win over WWE’s franchise player, but WWE went in the opposite direction.
It was an outstanding match, and the duo put each other through an insane amount of punishment. Lesnar dominated much of the match: it wasn’t quite as one-sided as their eventual clash at SummerSlam 2014, but it wasn’t far off. The booking was absolutely perfect… until the last minute or so. Cena fired-up, downed Lesnar with an FU on the ring stairs, and that was that: after 8 years away from WWE, Lesnar was defeated by Cena.
It left everyone who’d witnessed it in a state of confusion. While the loss didn’t destroy Lesnar’s aura completely, it was a needless gutting of the incredible momentum he’d built since returning.