10 Times WWE Had Their Head Up Their Ass

1. Not Pushing Daniel Bryan In 2015

Vince McMahon Big Show
WWE.com

If the Rock was the People's Champion, he reflected back their gaze at the Royal Rumble.

After a colossally f*ck-witted titular match, he emerged to play a deeply cynical role WWE fans saw through with eyes of fury. They weren't buying this pathetic attempt to get Roman Reigns over via osmosis, particularly since the match was constructed with brain-wormed malice. The young guys you liked were all tossed by Kane and the Big Show - they knew you thought of them as prehistoric interlopers - but if they knew that, they had to know you didn't want Reigns to win, either. An egregious meta work that understood its audience and didn't, all at the same time, perhaps that's kind.

Perhaps they didn't expect you to get behind Roman as the final cog on the chain that linked the workhorses to their burial to your winner. Perhaps they just wanted them the f*ck out of dodge before the tall handsome hero chucked out the two giant baddies.

Two giant baddies! How strong and brave is that Roman, eh?

It was a disastrous match from which, thanks to a tremendous Brandon Thurston deep-dive, WWE's decline in popularity can be traced.

Daniel Bryan was swiftly eliminated mid-match because he was a pale plant-munching dork.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!