WWE WrestleMania 32: 5 times WrestleMania destroyed careers of WWE stars

One of the most infamous WrestleMania moments that never wasWrestleMania, the Showcase of Immortals, is a place where dreams come true for many WWE superstars. Be it tears, blood or sweat nothing matters as much as the sweet taste of a victory on the grandest stage of the WWE for a WWE superstar. Many wrestlers live for that one glorious moment – the moment they stand victorious on the grandest stage basking in the adoration of the fans.Like a coin with two sides, where one wrestler’s dreams come true another wrestler’s dreams end. A failure at the Showcase of Immortals will haunt a wrestler like nothing else. Take John Cena for example. John Cena is one of the greatest superstars in WWE history. Despite his numerous victories on the grandest stage, John Cena’s loss to The Rock at WrestleMania 28 sent his career into a tailspin from which he could never recover until he avenged that loss at WrestleMania 29.

#5 The Undertaker vs Giant Gonzalez, WrestleMania IX

Taker and Gonzalez facing off at Wrestlemania IX

For a match that pitted two of the leading giants of WWE at the time, this bout was a complete failure. To say that this was the worst Taker match would indeed be an understatement. Leading upto WrestleMania IX, the bout was promoted hugely as a reincarnation of the Hogan vs Andre The Giant match. The match was supposed to establish Taker as the next-generation top superstar. But, instead it was an utter disaster.

The atmosphere in which the match took place didn't help Taker either. His usual mystical entrance's effect was ruined by a show that took place on a sunny afternoon, in Las Vegas of all places.

The bout had no memorable moments, and a DQ finish didn't help establish Taker as a dominant force either. It took years for Taker to reclaim his dominance in WWE. The giant fell out of favor soon and vanished from the memories of fans in quick order.

#4 The Boogeyman vs Booker T and Sharmell, WrestleMania 22

Boogeyman

Boogeyman was one of the more interesting superstars to step foot in a WWE ring. But so help us, the man can’t wrestle a good match. At WrestleMania 22, his flaws became too obvious even for a casual fan to ignore. At the Showcase of Immortals, this unique star came short of expectations even when pitted with a talented worker like Booker T.

The match shed light on his inability to wrestle a quality match in a glaring way that WWE had to reconsider his push. The match was intended to put the audience in a lighter mood before moving on to heavier bouts.

But it backfired heavily as the non-comical nature of the shenanigans irked the fans to an extent that they started to boo both the superstars out of the building. The match ended up as a disaster and in turn leaving Boogeyman at loose ends with WWE.

#3 Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt, WrestleMania 31

Bray Wyatt’s entrance at WrestleMania 31

Bray Wyatt’s career is as stagnant as a pool of water. Despite his enigmatic promos and high profile feuds, The Eater of Worlds is still middling in the mid-card trying to get a break-through.

It all started with this bout at WrestleMania 31. WWE not only missed a perfect opportunity to pass the torch, but also left one of its best workers to get stagnant with a terrible booking at WrestleMania

Though Undertaker is still a mythical figure in the world of WWE, his win over the Eater of Worlds at the Showcase of Immortals has hurt the patriarch of Wyatt Family more than WWE would agree.

As a result, WWE is left stranded with the enigmatic character of Bray Wyatt still struggling at the mid-card level, while the wrestler has the potential to be a main-eventer. The fact that the Sstreak was not even in line is an even worse a reminder of WWE’s incapable booking when it comes to promoting new talent.

#2 Miss WrestleMania 25-Diva Battle Royal, WrestleMania 25

Santina Marella crowned as Miss WrestleMania at WrestleMania 25

If there has been a moment in WrestleMania history that has hindered the advancement of an entire locker-room of wrestlers, then it would be this moment. An unfunny comedy angle aimed to create recreation, turned out to irritate people rather than entertain them. An excellent opportunity to create a new star Diva was wasted by the WWE creative.

The whole crop of Divas lost their chance at immortality as Santino Marella, dressed in drag, won the 25-Diva Battle Royal leading people to raise eyebrows. The severe backlash that followed and WWE’s rejection to take note of it was a clear indication as to how WWE looked at their women wrestlers. The incident caused several talented individuals to quit WWE in the upcoming months causing their roster to deplete dramatically.

#1 Sting vs Triple H, WrestleMania 31

Sting and Triple H shaking hands after their match at WrestleMania 31

Nothing but the huge disappointment the result of this match caused has propelled it to number one spot in this list. Sting’s long awaited WWE debut was wasted by WWE, as they let the Cerebral Assassin bury the Icon’s career with this win.

Once again with its lackluster booking, WWE let an amazing opportunity to create a moment that would last in the memories of the fans for centuries to slip through. The aging veteran’s career never took off after this disappointing start.

His loss to Seth Rollins later didn’t help his career either. One might argue that the Stinger never needed that win, but deep down everyone knew it was a disappointing end to a legendary career.