10 WWE & AEW Wrestlers Hurt The Most By The Empty Arena Era

Fans are finally back! But which WWE & AEW wrestlers struggled the most without them?

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AEW

Throughout the past year and a half, it has become more evident than ever before that fans are an integral part of professional wrestling.

Fans have been a staple of pro wrestling for decades - since the days of George Hackenschmidt, even - but back then, fans weren't in on the kayfabe nature of the business. 2020 has held up a mirror to the professional wrestling industry and it has shown how much a live crowd amplifies the experience.

While there are a lot of business ramifications for AEW, WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling due to the pandemic, there has been a lot of wrestlers who have suffered due to this era of wrestling. This may be due to creative direction, puzzling storylines or because their act just doesn't work as well in front of an empty arena.

While the likes of Chris Jericho, Bayley, and Kenny Omega have thrived in this new era, finding ways to adapt and evolve to their new environments, many more have struggled to find their footing. To them, crowd connection is everything and without that, they aren't the same.

Let's run through them...

10. Bray Wyatt

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WWE.com

Bray Wyatt started off strong in WWE's empty arena format. His Firefly Funhouse match with John Cena at WrestleMania 36 was exceptional and led fans to believe that Wyatt would excel in this environment.

However, the empty arena/WWE Thunderdome appeared to be Bray's downfall. The Funhouse match was a success, but WWE seemed to slot Bray into these gimmick matches with no good reason. His Swamp Fight with Braun Strowman was dreadful, as was his Firefly Inferno match with Randy Orton.

Sadly, during the Thunderdome era, WWE seemed to rely on effects and supernatural storytelling with Wyatt. His gimmick was reduced to magic and special effects which isn't the reason fans love Bray. Fans love Bray because he has a knack for subtle storytelling and builds a fully fleshed-out character.

The Fiend has lore behind him, as shown in the Firefly Funhouse match. This was thrown out of the window in favour of spooky nonsense that has done nothing for The Fiend in the long run.

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