10 Times Wrestling Fans Booed The Good Guys
With fans like these, who needs critics?
Being a babyface is hard.
In wrestling, much like in the real world, it's easier to get people to hate you than love you. A few well-aimed words, an attack on a more popular wrestler, and fans will turn on you in a heartbeat. Hell, Ronda Rousey inadvertently turned heel a few years ago just by insulting avocados.
Getting people to like you, however, is a whole different ballgame. You need to be charismatic, likeable, inspirational, sympathetic and entertaining all at once, and God help you if the audience feels you are trying to force any one of those qualities.
As this list will show, few things irk wrestling fans more than being dictated to. Time and time again wrestlers who started life as heroes in the booking room have been treated as villains by the fans.
Whether it's being preached to by a group of one-dimensional cheerleaders or being asked to tolerate a hero's inexplicable temper tantrum, fans hate being told how to react to what's happening in front of them. Fans want to connect with the good guys, but they need to connect organically...
10. Boo-Tista
Batista's 2014 run may not have gone the way WWE wanted it to, but damned if it wasn't entertaining.
Booked to win the 2014 Royal Rumble after a three-year absence, WWE attempted to portray Batista's victory as the return of the conquering hero. The fans in attendance, however, had other ideas.
Big Dave was mercilessly booed by the irate crowd who were furious Daniel Bryan had been left out of the Rumble. Batista's loss was social media's gain, as the hashtag #Bootista began trending overnight.
Initially attempting to play along with the joke, Batista understandably became frustrated with being heckled all over the country. After one dismal match on RAW a visibly gassed Batista simply mouthed "deal with it" to the jeering fans, cementing his turn to the dark side.
WWE succumbed to the inevitable and officially turned Batista heel on the road to WrestleMania, where he redeemed himself in fans' eyes by agreeing to tap out to the indescribably popular Daniel Bryan.
Batista also delivered one final gift on his way out of the company, wearing a deep blue ensemble in the final match of his run. The internet, inevitably, dubbed the cerulean colossus "Bluetista".
Thanks for the memes, Dave.