10 WWE Wrestlers Who The Fans Truly Hated

A legend of the business, Larry Zbyszko became despised to a degree few will ever even approach. Trained by the great Bruno Sammartino, Zbyszko was the big Italian’s protege onscreen and off, and as the ‘70s drew to a close he began to rankle in his mentor’s shadow.

He challenged Sammartino to a match to prove his mettle, and turned heel in a major way. He walloped his former backer with a wooden chair, leaving him bust wide open in the middle of the ring.

It was an extreme moment meant to gain heat, and it certainly achieved that goal. These were the days of kayfabe, and Sammartino’s legions of fans did not take kindly to what Zbyszko did to their hero. He was attacked repeatedly at events, including taking a shiv to the buttocks in New York. His car was vandalised by irate Sammartino heads, and taxi cabs containing the New Living Legend were rushed and overturned in the street.

A wrestler of rare resilience, Zbyszko survived all this and continued his in ring career all the way up to 2012. He was inducted into WWE’s Hall Of Fame by Bruno Sammartino - a truly inspirational performer.