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There's an old adage in journalism that everyone might demand the truth, what they really want is to cheer and boo.
While that's certainly true in pro wrestling as well, sometimes there are wrestlers who just don't click with the audience, and are unable to form a connection.
Worse, sometimes those same wrestlers turn out to be annoying, or unskilled, or just plain so boring that fans don't hate the character--they hate the man playing him. Here are ten wrestlers who the fans just couldn't stand.
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#10 Renegade
The Renegade is what happens when you get the fan base's hopes up, only to dash them utterly to Earth.
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For weeks leading up to WCW's Uncensored event, Hulk Hogan teased an "Ultimate Surprise" and showed a silhouette of a man who bore a striking resemblance to Jim "Warrior" Hellwig.
It should have been called the Ultimate Con because when the PPV rolled around instead of the Ultimate Warrior, fans were treated to the Renegade, a cheap knockoff with half the muscles, perhaps twice the talent, but none of the charisma of Hellwig.
The Renegade flopped, and not even Arn Anderson could carry him to a good match. Fans resented Renegade because of who he wasn't, not because of who he was.
#9 Mike Bennett
Proof that in-ring ability is NOT enough to endear you to the masses, Mike Bennett is probably more well known for being married to former Playboy model and WWE Diva Maria Kanellis than he is for any of his exploits in Ring of Honor or TNA.
While Bennet is above average in the ring, he doesn't seem to be able to connect with the audience. Even the generous ROH crowd booed Bennet at every opportunity and not in a good way.
Bennet just doesn't seem to have that "It" factor that seems so elusive yet essential. If your claim to fame is you annoy the crowd, you might be just someone the fans can't stand.
#8 Heidenreich
Former NFL-pro Jon Heidenreich was big, burly, and chiselled.
Unfortunately, he was stiff and clumsy in the ring. And as far as being able to cut a promo, well... the less said the better (quite literally.)
No matter what WWE did, they couldn't get this guy over as a heel or a face. Putting him with Road Warrior Animal and painting his face didn't work. Neither did the controversial assault angle where Heidenreich cornered Michael Cole in a bathroom and proceeded to violate him (off-screen.)
In the end, some men just aren't cut out for sports entertainment, and this shuffling goon fits the bill.
#7 Erik Watts
Pro wrestling's answer to rampant nepotism, Erik Watts was the son of legendary wrestler and promoter Cowboy Bill Watts.
That's pretty much his sole qualification to be a wrestler.
Big but slow and stiff, Watts was hired by WCW while his father had considerable backstage stroke. Watts was pushed as the next big thing and went on an undefeated streak. No matter what they did, however, WCW couldn't get the fans to take Watts seriously as an unstoppable babyface.
If Erik Watts had a different father, he likely never would have gotten a contract in WCW.
#6 Mordecai
After the WWE brand split, Smackdown struggled to find its audience. Between bouncing around from one network to another and having the B list WWE stars (except for Undertaker, which we'll get to in a moment) the show had flagging ratings and little fanfare.
Bruce "Brother Love" Pritchard was chosen to be Smackdown's new creative head. He decided that Smackdown should be the home of 'extreme' gimmicks. Pritchard needed something to test the waters and additionally needed a credible opponent for The Undertaker.
Thus Mordecai was born, aka faux vampire Kevin Thorne. Mordecai was the 'evil' Undertaker....as silly as that sounds, it was even worse to behold. Giving long, rambling interviews and making extensive use of pyros is what Undertaker does. Having another guy with less charisma and in-ring ability cheapens the Undertaker more than it enhances him.
Thankfully, this didn't last long, as fans despised the obviously pandering gimmick, and they were never fond of Kevin Thorne, to begin with.
#5 Rocky Maivia
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a megastar and wrestling legend.
Rocky Maivia is a jobber with a bad haircut and too many tassles.
WWE was very, very high on Dwayne Johnson, so much so they must have thought he could overcome this terrible 'gimmick' and costume. I mean, what is that even supposed to be? It doesn't even look vaguely Samoan. The fans chanted "Rocky Sucks" repeatedly even though Maivia was booked as a babyface.
Worst of all, Maiva had a creepy, plastic pasted on smile almost the entire time he was on screen. Thank god he evolved into his higher form, The Rock.
#4 The Ding Dongs
Fact: Jim Herd was once the president of a St. Louis television station (back when that meant something) that ran a hot, hot wrestling show called Wrestling at the Chase. Before Vince McMahon Jr. revolutionized the wrestling landscape, Wrestling at the Chase was the main place where midwest fans could see the biggest wrestling stars.
Also Fact: the show's success had nothing to do with Herd's ability to create characters. When he was given the reins of WCW after Ted Turner bought out JCP, one of the first things he did was create this silly tag team, meant to appeal to children.
The idea was the fans would ring bells and get excited. As if anyone could get excited about this sad mockery of professional wrestling.
#3 Buff Bagwell
Before he was the NWO flunkie Buff Bagwell, he was an American Male. Before that, he was young blue chipper white meat babyface Marcus Alexander Bagwell.
What did all three of these men have in common? The fans couldn't care less!
Bagwell was a failure as a face because he annoyed the fans and couldn't get them on his side. He wasn't much better as a heel, and really only had his physique to rely on. The only time the audience felt a twinge of sympathy for him was when he was injured on a live broadcast (he would later fully recover.)
Bagwell is blamed for Vince McMahon abandoning WCW as his second brand, due to a lacklustre performance and fan response. Some guys just can't get over, and this former NWO member falls into this category
#2 "Lex Express" Lex Luger
In a pathetic attempt to copy Hulk Hogan's mid to late 1980s glory, WWE pushed Lex Luger as the all-American, patriotic hero who would stop nasty foreigner Yokozuna at WrestleMania.
In order to get Luger over with the fans, they came up with the Lex Express. The idea was that fans would line up in droves to meet Lex when he came on tour to their hometown. The reality was most fans saw through the pandering gimmick for what it was. Global politics were more complicated than they had been during the cold war, and this repackaging of a wrestling favourite fell flat on its face.
Luger would return to WCW, and have great success as just plain Lex Luger, leaving his star-spangled tights and the Lex Express behind.
#1 X-Pac
The fans hate X-Pac. They know it, he knows it, and the WWE knows it. They even put it in the lyrics of one of his many theme songs!
Why the fans hate X-Pac is a bit effusive. He's skilled enough in the ring but just comes across as that obnoxious twerp at the party who gets too drunk and tries to pick a fight with everybody. The WWE developed the backstage term 'X-Pac Heat' to describe those wrestlers who the fans hated on a personal level, not just a storyline one.
Heel or babyface, WCW or WWE, X-Pac just couldn't resonate with the fanbase. Now ignobly known for some sleazy shenanigans, there aren't too many fans who remember X Pac fondly.
There you have it; ten wrestlers fans just can't stand!
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