12 Times WWE Buried Itself
2. Triple H Says John Cena Can’t Wrestle
Route One stuff from Triple H in a "reign of terror" epilogue, this infamous burial of John Cena as WWE's Champion and undisputed top star was a bizarre way to build a WrestleMania main event and an even wilder act of self-flagellation by the market leader a mere four years after the closure of World Championship Wrestling as its own viable competition.
Cena was the first true top guy of an era unlike any other in the company's past. Hulk Hogan was used as Vince McMahon's elevator pitch for his entire product as the territories were decimated in a hunt for global domination. Stone Cold Steve Austin (and to a lesser but still-significant extent The Rock) was the wrestler that helped overcome a rivalry with World Championship Wrestling and propel to WWE to even greater financial highs than the 1980s boom. The company was just about bust-proof by the time WCW closed its doors, but the wheels couldn't stop turning, and between 2001 and 2004, the need for the next Guy grew apparent even without true wrestling competition to work against.
John Cena was that Guy by the end of 2003, but his successful babyface ascension in 2005 had generated a vicious backlash by 2006. This time though, McMahon had no rival nor reason to listen to the boos or disdain. He was proven right to hold the wheel with the push in the end, but when a character with credit in the bank like 'The Game' validated near-unanimous takes about Cena's flaws ("excuse me if I'm not afraid of the guy whose one big move is pumping up his Reeboks", "you happen to not be a very good wrestler") it asked much larger questions about what exactly 'Big Match John' was even 'The Champ' of.