10 Times WWE Broke Your Heart And Didn’t Even Care

6. Royal Grumbles

Asuka MITB
WWE.com

Shawn Michaels' Royal Rumble 2010 one-man show betrayed how the rest of the decade would play out for the 30-man war. After a broadly experimental 40-man effort the following year, two deathly dull displays of the once-great-gimmick in 2012 and 2013 later seemed breaths of fresh air compared to the stench of sh*t that lingered from the three consecutive disasters that followed.

2014 saw Rey Mysterio and Batista mercilessly booed in a torrent of Daniel Bryan-centred sentiment, whilst a similar problem polluted Roman Reigns' jagged ascent the following year against a backdrop already p*ssed all over when The Big Show and Kane calmly disposed of every other actual crowd favourite like the trash they were.

2016's WWE Championship 'One Vs All' was a unique concept that again failed because it was set up to get Roman Reigns over. Fans cheered when he nearly went out, were positively thrilled when he looked ruled out, and lost their f*cking minds when he was actually thrown out late in the match by top heel overlord Triple H.

The following year represented a recovery of sorts, as a mammoth Alamo Dome were spared Roman's victory by Randy Orton and a host of returning legends, but WWE didn't get it really back on track until the genuinely spectacular 2018 vintage.

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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