The biggest disconnect in WWE over the past decade or so features management facing off with the fans. It is no secret that WWE is the strongest wrestling promotion in the world with no real threat out there. This typically leads to the company being complacent at times knowing they’ll always have a strong fan base. The plight of the diehard fan sees them often upset with how the product but still wanting to continue watching due to the love of wrestling. WWE has even started referring to the fans turning on their characters as “polarizing” television and sometimes describes the audience as “bizarro world” if reacting in a way the company dislikes.

There have been many instances of the fans competing against Vince McMahon when it comes to deciding who deserves to become top stars. We have seen the McMahon family change their stances on wrestlers because of the fanbase fighting for them. Other instances have seen popular wrestlers buried despite fans showing the McMahon’s that they support the talents. Fans sometimes change their minds as well and come around to Vince’s line of thinking. We will look back at some of the recent and distant instances of the fans and WWE wanting different things. These are ten wrestlers that the fans wanted to get pushed along with ten wrestlers that the McMahon family decided to push instead.

20 Fans choice: CM Punk

Fans still attempt to troll WWE during live shows by chanting CM Punk's name at certain points where they want to make a statement. It is no secret that Punk clashed with WWE for many years before walking out in controversial fashion.

Punk did manage to get to the top of the company in 2011 following his incredible run cutting unpredictable promos and having stellar matches. Once the title reign ended, Punk moved lower down the card and was not happy about it. WWE did not view him as an "A+" level of Superstar and the booking showed it. This was just one of many reasons Punk left WWE.

19 McMahon choice: Randy Orton

The entire career of Randy Orton has seen strong support from the McMahon family and everyone within WWE. Orton was viewed as a future world champion from the day he stepped foot into WWE developmental thanks to his great look and pedigree of being a third-generation wrestler.

The success of Orton is well documented, but one of his pushes in recent years stand out as being forced. Orton returned to the top of WWE in 2013 essentially taking CM Punk’s spot as the second major superstar behind John Cena. WWE even tried to sacrifice Daniel Bryan’s push for Orton’s title reign, but the fans didn’t let that happen.

18 Fans choice: Dolph Ziggler

It seems surprising that Dolph Ziggler was once among the most beloved wrestlers by the WWE fan base. Ziggler was having great matches for many years that led to the fans giving him huge ovations every night. The Money in the Bank cash-in on Alberto Del Rio proved that Ziggler could get the fans behind him in a main event level.

WWE, however, decided to end his push right away. Ziggler suffered an injury during his short title reign and dropped it in his first PPV defense. Dolph's career has never been the same with his mid-card status basically keeping him below the top-level Superstars in WWE.

17 McMahon choice: Alberto Del Rio

Vince McMahon was one of the biggest supporters of Alberto Del Rio when he entered the company. Del Rio had the look, charisma, and presence that McMahon dreams of when creating main eventers. The push to the top of WWE came within a year of his debut on the main roster.

Alberto received multiple world title reigns. The most deflating one came when he ended Dolph Ziggler’s World Championship reign after a few weeks. McMahon made the call to go with Del Rio over Ziggler despite the fans rallying behind the latter. Alberto had a mediocre title run and started to fall lower down in the pecking order.

16 Fans choice: Christian

Christian will become a WWE Hall of Famer one day following the many accomplishments during his time there. However, WWE did underutilize Captain Charisma for most his run. Fans rallied for Christian in 2004-05 when his heel character was becoming too cool to not support.

Many pundits expected WWE to push Christian in a main event role before his contract expired. They kept Christian in the mid-card, squandered his momentum and he went to TNA for a main event run. Christian proved he would be a great world champion and had some incredible outings for TNA before coming back to WWE. He finally received a World Championship reign and main event run in his second WWE stint.

15 McMahon choice: JBL

One wrestler to receive a main event push after years of tenure in WWE was John Bradshaw Layfield. Vince McMahon did not feel Christian deserved that much of a push, but he had a closer relationship with JBL behind the scenes. Following many years of mid-card and tag action as Bradshaw, he was repackaged as JBL and won the WWE Championship out of nowhere.

JBL holding down a top heel spot on SmackDown is one of the reasons Christian did not get a bigger role after moving to the blue brand in 2005. The idea of McMahon to give one of his favorites a random instant push to the main event picture took JBL’s career to another level.

14 Fans choice: Neville

Triple H's plans to rebuild 205 Live have been going well this past year, but the brand was off to a rough start under the guidance of Vince McMahon. Neville moving from Raw to 205 Live certainly helped add some instant credibility after months of failure.

The incredible heel run of Neville made him by far the best performer on 205 Live. McMahon, however, didn’t view him as anything special. A decision was made to have Neville drop the Cruiserweight Championship to Enzo Amore and remain off the touring schedule. Neville was unhappy with this and it led to his request for a release from WWE.

13 McMahon choice: Enzo Amore

Vince McMahon made a bold move to put Enzo Amore on 205 Live and make him the Cruiserweight Champion in his first title shot. Enzo was hated in the WWE locker room for rubbing others the wrong way. McMahon believed moving him to the 205 Live roster was a better way for him to stay away from those that had issues with him.

Fans were underwhelmed as Enzo replacing Neville hurt the quality of the show, making it fall even lower than before. Controversy in his personal life led to WWE firing Enzo during his Cruiserweight Championship reign and vacating it. Enzo’s run as the face of a brand is viewed as a horrible McMahon decision. Vince gave control of 205 Live to Triple H following this disaster.

12 Fans choice: AJ Lee

The popularity of AJ Lee made her the most beloved women’s wrestler in WWE since the days of Trish Stratus and Lita. Lee was so over that she broke a long streak of women’s wrestlers not receiving merchandise when getting her own t-shirt.

AJ's fan base was strong, but the relationship with WWE started to sour. Lee’s marriage to CM Punk created tension due to his issues with the company and his eventual departure. WWE continued booking AJ for another year after Punk left, but it was obvious that she was getting phased into a secondary role behind a few other handpicked favorites. She was only 28 when she retired from wrestling in 2015.

11 McMahon choice: Nikki Bella

The woman that WWE tried to essentially replace AJ Lee as the face of the women’s division with was Nikki Bella. A rivalry between the two ended with Nikki winning the Divas Championship at Survivor Series 2014.

WWE intentionally booked this with the idea in mind to have Nikki end AJ’s reign as the longest-reigning Divas Champion of all time. Nikki broke the record and WWE marketed it as a huge deal. Rumors indicate the motive was to have Nikki erase AJ’s record and part of her legacy in WWE. The two reportedly had strong tension for many years that added even more interest in how things played out.

10 Fans choice: Finn Balor

There was a window where Finn Balor had a chance to become a top superstar on Raw. WWE tried to make it happen in the start of his main roster run as the first-ever Universal Champion. Balor suffered an injury that forced him to relinquish it and spend many months recovering.

Fans were hoping Balor would return from his injury in time for WrestleMania 33. It felt like he’d have a great chance to defeat Kevin Owens or whoever the Universal Champion was at the time to regain all momentum. WWE instead chose to have Finn return the night after WrestleMania on Raw and he’s yet to do anything of note.

9 McMahon choice: Braun Strowman

Finn Balor’s injury opened the door for another talent to get the spot as the second face of the Raw brand beside Roman Reigns. The person Vince McMahon clearly wanted to get that spot was Braun Strowman. McMahon was a supporter of Strowman from day one and played a role in hiring him.

Strowman’s Raw push following the brand split featured him getting protected with no wrestlers getting the upper hand on him. As of now, Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre are the only wrestlers to truly look strong against Strowman. Roman stepping away from the ring means Braun has the chance to become the face of the company.

8 Fans choice: Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston is beloved today as a member of The New Day. It is easy to forget just how long Kingston has been a consistent part of the WWE roster. There was one major chance Kofi had to become a main event player and world title contender in 2009.

A few memorable attacks on Randy Orton and a PPV win helped Kingston develop strong fan support. There were rumors of Kofi being groomed for a WWE Championship reign. Another match with Orton basically killed his push. Orton called him “stupid” in the ring before scoring the win. WWE gave on Kingston following this match and he never would get another chance as a legitimate main event singles star.

7 McMahon choice: Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger received the 2009-2010 push that Kofi Kingston was rumored to get. Following months of mid-card work, Swagger shockingly won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania XXVI. No one saw it coming as Swagger not only stole the title shot but cashed in days later to become World Champion.

The idea was for a young star to get a great opportunity in the main event picture to sink or swim. Swagger, unfortunately, did poorly in the role and failed to get over at a top level. WWE ended his reign within a couple of months and he never would win the world title again. Kingston likely would have been the better option.

6 Fans choice: Bret Hart

Bret Hart developed a strong connection with his fan base in the early '90s. The Hitman had a good reputation as the one wrestler that went above and beyond to treat his fans right. The WWE fan base responded as such by adoring Hart during his rise to the top of the company.

Vince McMahon was still hesitant about Bret being the face of the company due to him being smaller than former Superstars in the role like Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Hart would get set aside for both Yokozuna and Lex Luger. Both wrestlers flopped, and Bret returned to the top spot in the company when Vince had no better choices.

5 McMahon choice: Lex Luger

Lex Luger had the opportunity of a lifetime during the 1993-1994 period in WWE. Vince McMahon loved the former WCW star's physique and look. A decision was made for Yokozuna to have a long WWE Championship reign that would end at the hands of Luger at WrestleMania 10.

The lack of fan support for Luger and the love for Bret Hart forced McMahon’s hand. It was decided that Luger and Hart would be co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble, as Vince still had a hard time deciding who the right man was to become WWE Champion and face of the company. The fans forced him to cancel his plan of Luger getting the win, and he went with Bret.

4 Fans choice: Sasha Banks

The Women’s Evolution in WWE officially started when Stephanie McMahon announced things were changing. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks were each called up from NXT following incredible runs there. Banks' fan support made her the favorite above the others in the division.

There was a strong push for Sasha to become the face of the women’s division for about two years. Vince McMahon just never was sold on her and has still yet to find the confidence to give her such a run. Banks would lose most of her biggest matches to Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and others.

3 McMahon choice: Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair was the chosen one by WWE to become the face of the new movement for the women’s division. Vince McMahon showed more support in Charlotte due to her pedigree as the daughter of Ric Flair. Both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were also sold on Charlotte which meant nothing could hold her back.

An undefeated PPV streak for Charlotte lasted over a year to establish her dominance. Flair ended Nikki Bella’s Divas Championship streak, was the first one to hold the new Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32 and won the first female PPV main event inside of Hell in a Cell. Almost every major match for the women’s division during this time featured Charlotte getting the win.

2 Fans choice: Daniel Bryan

The biggest instance of the fans choosing a wrestler at the dismay of the McMahon family is Daniel Bryan. WWE basically was forced to tell the story of fans pushing Bryan while the McMahon family held him down in both storyline and real life.

WrestleMania 30 was meant to feature Randy Orton vs Batista for the WWE Championship despite Bryan coming off a red-hot year as the most popular star in the company. Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon were all reportedly down on Bryan having that role due to his lack of size and non-traditional WWE main event look. They were forced by the fans to enter Bryan into the WM main event and have him win the WWE Championship.

1 McMahon choice: Roman Reigns

A combination of injuries to Daniel Bryan and the support of Vince McMahon in Roman Reigns led to a huge shift in the company. Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble as fans booed him out of the building. The boos would follow him into the main event of WrestleMania 31 and beyond.

Many fans felt that Bryan was getting the shaft and that McMahon was pushing Reigns over everyone else due to his fascination with the young star. Reigns received resentment from the fans due to the Bryan factor and McMahon’s well-documented love of him.

It wasn’t until he announced he was battling leukemia and had to leave WWE that fans realized they appreciated his work. Reigns has always been a great wrestler, but the status of being a “McMahon choice” led to fans booing him.