10 Worst WWE Booking Decisions Of The 2000s (Year-By-Year)

At WrestleMania 21, WWE had finally found their new top babyface when SmackDown’s John Cena defeated JBL for the WWE Championship. His ascent as WWE’s ace was cemented when in June, he was moved to the RAW brand. That, unfortunately, was where the trouble began.

Having mostly ditched the Dr. Of Thuganomics persona that had gotten him over, Cena also had to be carried by world-class workers such as Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle, who also had much better grasps of their characters and carried themselves more like stars. While the women and children continued to cheer Cena, the men in the audience eventually gravitated toward the much cooler heels, and in time, started outright booing Cena.

In the past, WWE would have seen the way the winds were blowing, and corrected course, i.e. turn Cena heel. However, since Cena’s merch was still selling well and he was getting face pops from the women and children, he stayed the course as a face, and was booked like an unbeatable superman. Much like Triple H's "Reign of Terror," this move is blamed for turning many fans off WWE for several years.

Obviously, they've made plenty of money with John Cena as a face, but as Hollywood Hulk Hogan and the nWo showed, even a baddie can generate some green. Not going with the flow and turning Cena heel felt like a major case of WWE leaving money on the table.