8 Exact Moments WWE Fans Turned On Popular Wrestlers

6. John Cena (SummerSlam 2005)

Ronda Rousey Survivor Series
WWE.com

By the time John Cena defended his WWE Championship against the well-respected Chris Jericho at SummerSlam 2005, fans were already wishing the Champ's claims of invisibility were accurate. Within three years, the rookie from West Newbury, MA had outgrown his ironic rapping schtick - and its cult following - into a mainstream, establishment star finely tuned for maximum marketability and broad appeal.

The change in character was one thing, but now Cena was being booked like Hulk Hogan - and at the expense of a cavalcade of sacred internet fandom cows. Few complained about Cena wresting his first WWE Championship from the company's trolling exercise JBL, but when Christian was sacrificed as his first defence, grumbles began to emerge.

They developed into outright outrage once Cena dispatched Chris Jericho that summer. The now familiar chants of "John Cena Sucks!" loudly echoed throughout Washington DC's MCI Center, and they'd only continue to grow from that point forth - not least when workrate machine Kurt Angle was scheduled as Cena's next victim.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.