WWE has a history of tremendous feuds that paid off with tremendous matches, but that doesn’t always work out. There have been quite a few rivalries that showed promise to make fans have some investment with a match just couldn’t live up to the hype. Each pairing could have had a path towards success, but they didn’t get over the final hump.
A bad match in the wrong situation will erase all goodwill established in a program with no guarantee that fans will care again. WWE witnessed the feuds here peaking before a big match and never rebounding. The wrestlers in question had the following matches miss the mark to completely ruin their once promising feuds.
10 Randy Orton Vs Bray Wyatt (WrestleMania 33)
The history of Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt feuding has featured interesting feuds and horrible matches. This started back in early 2017 when Orton was actually a member of The Wyatt Family after months of incredible work teaming with Bray.
However, Orton winning a title shot vs Wyatt unveiled his master plan to turn on him after Bray attacked him many times in the past. The WrestleMania 33 match was such a stinker that it ruined an interesting idea. WWE fell into the same mistake when Orton and Wyatt’s portrayal of The Fiend also had bad matches to ruin a feud.
9 John Cena Vs Mark Henry (Money In The Bank 2013)
Mark Henry faking out fans with a retirement promo before he attacked John Cena may have been the greatest moment of his wrestling career. Cena and Henry entered a feud that doesn’t get talked about as much as the actual promo.
WWE tried to benefit from the buzz from that segment when Henry challenged Cena for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2013. The in-ring chemistry wasn’t there and gave us a disappointing match after that great moment.
8 Baron Corbin Vs Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 35)
Kurt Angle has talked about Vince McMahon wanting him to have his retirement match against Baron Corbin due to their long feud. John Cena, AJ Styles and a few other names were the dream choices of Angle to have a great final match at WrestleMania 35.
McMahon did have a fair point about Angle working against Corbin for months and that idea having potential. Corbin’s character work always adds temptation to make you think he’ll get to the next level, but another stinker of a match ruined this final Angle match to make the feud completely hated afterwards.
7 Mr. America Vs Roddy Piper (Judgement Day 2003)
The Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper feud drew a lot of money for WWE in the 1980s and WCW towards the end of the 1990s. WWE tried to go back to it one more time when Hogan was playing the masked Mr. America character.
The segments between Hogan and Piper did strong television ratings, even though both were clearly past their prime. Judgment Day 2003 featured the optimism running out when they had an atrocious match together. WWE would stop working with both wrestlers by the end of that summer.
6 Brock Lesnar Vs Randy Orton (SummerSlam 2016)
WWE utilized the dream match appeal of having Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton face off for the first time at SummerSlam 2016. The first PPV after the brand split added a fun Raw vs Smackdown dynamic with Orton attacking Lesnar with the RKO out of nowhere during the build.
A combination of a first-time match between legends and the story of Orton having Brock’s number had fans excited to see them lock it up. The match ended up disappointing fans due to the one-sided affair and awkward ending of Orton being unable to continue as a bloody mess.
5 Bret Hart Vs Vince McMahon (WrestleMania 26)
Bret Hart returning to WWE in 2010 was a massive story since he never appeared outside of a Hall of Fame induction and DVD talking spots since the Montreal Screwjob. WWE ran a big angle of Vince McMahon low blowing Bret in his return to use their previous issues in a storyline.
The build of Bret training for one more match against Vince at WrestleMania 26 had fans excited to see if the legend could turn back the clock. It was cool to see Hart having another moment on the big stage, but the match was a disaster that ran way too long.
4 The Undertaker vs CM Punk (Hell In A Cell 2009)
WWE fans had a lot of interest in a CM Punk vs The Undertaker feud back in 2009. Punk was becoming a top heel during his feud with Jeff Hardy and winning the World Championship back. Undertaker returned after their ladder match to attack Punk.
The feud created interest heading into both of their PPV matches, but the in-ring side was a disaster. Hell in a Cell 2009 was the final match of the program with Undertaker squashing Punk in under ten minutes to kill off his momentum at the time.
3 Triple H Vs Randy Orton (WrestleMania 25)
Triple H and Randy Orton had multiple feuds at different points in their careers. The start of 2009 featured Orton and Triple H having the most interest in their work since Orton was showcasing another side of his sadistic heel character attacking Vince McMahon and kissing Stephanie in front of Triple H.
WrestleMania 25 was their most anticipated match in the main event of the biggest show paying off a personal feud. The match completely missed the mark and felt like a wasted opportunity to have a hardcore stipulation. There was never the same interest for future Triple H vs Orton matches.
2 Seth Rollins Vs Bray Wyatt (Hell In A Cell 2019)
WWE witnessed fans getting behind Bray Wyatt’s Fiend persona since it was so unlike anything else in wrestling. The biggest issue for his infamous feud with Seth Rollins falling apart was having Wyatt challenge for the Universal Championship so early into his rebranding.
Fans turned on Rollins’ face character in favor of Wyatt and turned on the entire first match they had at Hell in a Cell 2019. WWE booked Bray to kick out of every finisher and weapon use. The referee stopping the match created an uproar that made this once promising feud pairing a huge failure.
1 Brock Lesnar Vs Braun Strowman (No Mercy 2017)
Braun Strowman was once among the most over wrestlers on the WWE roster, especially during 2017. Vicious attacks towards Roman Reigns, stunt show spots throwing people off high platforms, and standing up against Brock Lesnar led to huge reactions.
No Mercy 2017 was the peak of Braun’s run when getting to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in a singles match. A previous fatal four-way match showed Strowman over enough to be champ, but this match failed to live up to the hype and ended his momentum.