10 Times WWE Lost Their Minds

Daniel Bryan was hugely popular, but he still wasn't guaranteed a WrestleMania main event. It took a series of specific events and a huge amount of fan support to get WrestleMania XXX rebooked, but he came out of it with the WWE Championship.

Unfortunately, just weeks later, Bryan's neck started bothering him. He tried to take some time off to deal with the pain and weakness, but when it became clear that he'd need surgery, he was forced to vacate his championship. As 2014 rolled on, details about his condition remained scarce. Fans wondered when - if ever - they'd see him come back to the ring.

And then, in January of 2015, he was cleared for action - just in time for the Royal Rumble. When it was announced that Bryan would be in that match - and could potentially earn a shot at the belt he never lost - fans threw their support behind him once again. The presumptive winner, Roman Reigns, already had trouble connecting with the fans, but now, he was left in the dust.

Bryan was the tenth man in the Rumble match, and after lasting only 10 minutes, he was unceremoniously dumped from the ring by Bray Wyatt. Fans couldn't believe it, and they made their displeasure vocal. WWE banked on that happening, so they got Bryan out of there early, but they didn't expect the uproar to last for the rest of the show. The Philadelphia crowd booed Reigns mercilessly, and even booed The Rock when he came out to raise the victorious Reigns's hand.

No one needs to be told that Roman Reigns still hasn't won over the fans. While not having him win at Bryan's expense may not have changed his fate, there was literally no reason to bring Bryan back for the Rumble if he wasn't getting put over. Saving Bryan for after the match and giving him his own program heading into WrestleMania 31 could have saved everyone a lot of trouble.