10 Times WWE Failed To Pass The Torch
When you're given the mantle, that still doesn't guarantee you success...
The idea of someone 'passing the torch' inside a WWE ring has been a marketable one for decades.
Examples of this include Shawn Michaels taking up Bret Hart's mantle at WrestleMania XII, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin doing the same against Michaels at 'Mania XIV and Brock Lesnar receiving the spiritual torch after knocking off The Rock at SummerSlam 2002.
However, for every truly meaningful moment of the guard successfully being changed over, there's always another attempt that unfortunately doesn't land quite in the way that was expected.
This can be down to a number of reasons, from the fans not being ready to accept the new flag-bearer to the match itself not feeling epic enough to justify the torch definitively being handed over.
Regardless of WWE's intentions, sometimes their calculated plan to hand a star the responsibility of being one of their new top stars doesn't fully come off and what seemed like a formality can end up actually damaging the promising talent in the long run.
Wrestling fans are a tough bunch to please and if your execution in passing the illustrious torch of WWE superstardom is weak, you can bet that they will be the first to let you know about it.
10. Triple H To Roman Reigns (WrestleMania 32)
As Roman Reigns has often found himself in the bracket of 'WWE pet project' over the last few years, expect to see a few of the company's attempts to hand him the symbolic torch to crop up on this list.
The first failed example worth digging into involved Triple H trying to ultimately get some of his own legendary shine to rub off on 'The Big Dog' at WrestleMania.
Embarking on a lengthy feud throughout 2015/16 stretching from Survivor Series to 'Mania 32, Reigns was tasked with overcoming the insurmountable odds often laid in front of him by The Authority and The League of Nations.
Vince McMahon definitely felt that this stacking of the odds against Reigns would eventually result in the crowd feeling nothing but sympathy towards the former Shield member and this would then lead to an eruption on the Grandest Stage of Them All when he was inevitably crowned as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
This was definitely the case, just not in the way that McMahon would have hoped.
Sadly, the WWE Universe had made up their minds on Reigns not being the man for them ever since he was chosen to win the Royal Rumble back in 2014 and not even his conquering of 'The Game' on the Show of Shows could convince them that he was the guy to take the company forward.