A hostile wrestling crowd is one of the most exciting to watch and/or be a part of. The crowd doesn’t do what the WWE or any other promotion assumes it will do ordinarily and instead goes against the grain. It makes a murky situation for the WWE who generally want to push their chosen superstars, but the fans in these cities and events just aren’t having it.
It’s when the WWE Universe declares in one fell swoop what they want to see and who they want to cheer for. These events also become some of the most well-known, sometimes just for that reason alone.
10 Hell In The Cell 2019
The 2019 Hell In A Cell was going swimmingly. The night started with one of the top ten Cell matches of all time - Becky Lynch Vs. Sasha Banks. But the ending of the main event was a complete “cluster muck” as Stone Cold might say on a PG show. Seth Rollins defended the Universal Championship inside Satan’s structure. No matter what he did, The Fiend kept coming.
After smashing Wyatt with his own mallet, the referee decided to stop the match. Hell In A Cell was stopped by the referee. The very match that nearly killed Mick Foley, ended Tim White’s wrestling career, and had countless amounts of blood spilled should never be stopped. That’s the whole point! Needless to say, explicative-filled jeers came from the crowd immediately.
9 Royal Rumble 2014 & 2015
It’s a two-for-one entry considering two straight years in a row, the WWE did not learn from their mistake. Riding the wave of The Yes Movement meant Daniel Bryan was surely going to win the 2014 Royal Rumble and conquer all odds on Bourbon Street.
While the latter part of that did happen, Batista had won the Rumble and D-Bry wasn’t even in the match. One year later, Bryan returned from injury and was eliminated not even halfway through. On both occasions, the crowd chanted non-stop for Bryan and only got louder when their cheers weren’t answered.
8 Unforgiven 2006
Emanating from The Air Canada Centre in Toronto means one thing to the Canadian section of the WWE Universe. The Canucks are going to root for their fellow Canuckleheads.
The Rated-R Superstar, Edge waltzed into battle not just as the defending champion, not just in a TLC match, but as the conquering hometown hero. He was defending against his rival, the polarizing John Cena. It wasn’t the first hostile crowd Cena would have to deal with, and it wouldn’t be his last either.
7 WrestleMania 20
It should have been a huge dream match between two unstoppable juggernauts. Brock Lesnar and Goldberg were set to collide at WrestleMania 20. On the road to the match, it was announced that Goldberg was leaving after the match.
Then Lesnar decided to quit and give football a go. The WWE Universe was furious and one of the most anticipated matches in WrestleMania history was jeered. Only guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin was cheered for and the MSG crowd was just waiting for Stunners and a beer bash.
6 Raw August 15, 2005
As SummerSlam 2005 was drawing nearer, Shawn Michaels was embracing being the heel against Hulk Hogan more and more heading into their dream match. It got even easier when the go-home edition of Raw came from the country that has despised Shawn Michaels since November 9, 1997.
Michaels arrived at Raw in Montreal to a resounding chorus of boos that turned to outright hatred when Michaels began to insult Hogan and faked the crowd out that Bret Hart was returning as well.
5 Genesis 2010
TNA fans were happy to welcome Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan with open arms. The duo opened up Genesis by welcoming everyone to the all new Impact Zone.
Despite the cheers for Hogan, the TNA faithful were not amused by a traditional wrestling ring replacing the six-sided one. As they chanted “we want six sides,” Hogan stopped endearing himself when he told them all that TNA was through with the playpen ring.
4 Raw March 3, 2014
It had been less than two months since CM Punk had walked out on the WWE and quit his job. Raw had come to Chicago. Someone decided it would be a great idea to completely troll the Second City fans. Raw opened with Cult Of Personality blasting through the arena, which got the fans chanting for their favorite Iconoclast. Instead, the psycho yuppie from New York arrived.
Paul Heyman arrived. At first, he seemingly agreed with the crowd and demanded they cheer for their hero louder before sitting crisscross applesauce in the ring to tell the story of a Paul Heyman Guy who the WWE didn’t want then, now, or forever. He dropped a “pipe bomb” about his friend, which nearly turned the Chicago crowd into a Chicago mob as he blamed the WWE Universe for his friend’s absence.
3 Old School Heat Drawing Crowds
Currently, thanks to The Rock and the Dark Side creators, Vice TV is showcasing the history of the old school Territories. During this time in history, wrestling wasn’t just real, it was all that mattered to a lot of fans, and it was something they’d be willing to commit violence for.
Jimmy Hart was stabbed with a makeshift blow dart, and other wrestlers like Ole Anderson were also stabbed and shot at. Old school Territory crowds could have so much nuclear white-hot heat that the heels would either have to wait for everyone to leave or be escorted out by police.
2 Money In The Bank 2011
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Speaking of CM Punk and Chicago, when Punk wrestles in Chicago, he’s not only unbeatable, he’s invincible. He arrived at Money In The Bank 2011 as the challenger for the WWE Title on his last night in the company.
All he had to do was defeat John Cena, and then he could head to his own bed with the title in tow. Give credit to Cena for not allowing Vince McMahon or anyone else to screw Punk or himself out of a tainted victory. Punk of course famously defeated Cena and blew McMahon a kiss as he headed home.
1 ECW One Night Stand 2006
Rob Van Dam was so over with the WWE Universe, but he knew that he wasn’t going to get a fair shake in the company. So he did the then-unexpected and announced he was cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase in a place he’d have a fighting chance - ECW One Night Stand.
The infamous banner “If Cena Wins, We Riot” emphatically stated how the hardcore fans felt about the situation, which was RVD’s crowning achievement.