Paul Heyman and Brock LesnarThere are million ways in which WWE can mess up. Choosing the wrong winner for a big match is just one of them. If WWE selects the wrong guy to win a match at a less prominent pay-per-view or a weekly show, it wouldn’t be much of a problem because, the fans are used to it.However, if they come up with such a thing in big matches where the expectations are sky high, then it is bound to go down into the history books as a black mark. Over the years, WWE has been subjected to major mistakes like this. The video below takes a look at these winners who were clearly not supposed to win the match. Feel free to comment if we have missed out on anyone.
#5 Batista at Royal Rumble 2014
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This was a classic case of misjudgment by the WWE. Batista was back in the company after a hiatus during the time and WWE expected the fans to welcome him warmly. However, the WWE Universe had other ideas. His baby face gimmick and rusty in-ring performance made the fans turn on him and the Batista experiment bombed in no time.
And above all, WWE did not include Daniel Bryan in the Royal Rumble. All these resulted in a messed up atmosphere and when Batista went on to win the Rumble, he was showered with jeers. WWE did cover up brilliantly afterwards, but Batista clearly wasn’t the right person to win the match.
#4 Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 22
Rey Mysterio winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22 was a magical moment. It was an ultimate story of the Underdog, but Rey was pushed to the top for all the wrong reasons. WWE did not want Rey to be the champion because he deserved so. They wanted him to be champion so that they could cash in on the death of Eddie Guerrero.
Kurt Angle and Randy Orton were the other superstars involved in the match and if it was any other day, the match would have gone to either of them. But since WWE were hell bound on getting some sympathy, they decided to crown Rey Mysterio as the World ‘Heavyweight’ Champion when Rey was nothing more than a cruiserweight.
#3 John Cena at SummerSlam 2010
The main of 2010 SummerSlam saw an elimination match between Team WWE and Nexus. The Nexus team came into the match with great momentum and was ready to take over. WWE’s landscape would have changed if Nexus had won the match but unfortunately for them, John Cena was not ready to get pinned by Wade Barrett.
While the original plan was to let Nexus win the match, Cena used his creative control and changed the outcome. Cena used the STF to make Barrett tap out in the end and it gifted the win for Team WWE. Nexus cooled down after the loss and they never managed to pick up.
#2 Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30
The ending of the WrestleMania 30 bout between Undertaker and Brock Lesnar was both shocking and controversial. There are numerous reasons why it was the wrong decision from WWE’s side. First of all, Undertaker went on to wrestle at WrestleMania 31. His appearance did not carry the buzz that it usually had. Secondly, WWE is yet to capitalize completely on the momentum of Lesnar.
His part-time contract did the company no favors and a regular wrestler would have benefited more from breaking the streak. Brock Lesnar’s win did manage to break the Internet, but on the longer run, it was a mistake from WWE’s side and they are probably realizing it as well.
#1 Triple H at WrestleMania 31
Sting’s WWE debut had all the hype in the world. Everyone wanted to see the WCW legend perform at WrestleMania, but no one expected him to lose. The match was an overbooked affair throughout and was capped off with this anti-climax. Sting deserved a win in the match as it would have set him up pretty well for his next appearance.
But at the end of the day, it turned out to be a massage to Vince McMahon’s ego. He once again buried WCW and Sting’s loss was the final nail in the coffin. Triple H, on the other hand, gained nothing from the win and was turned into a comedy character in the segment with Ronda Rousey and The Rock.
