Wrestling has been in mainstream western media for decades, allowing what once was a niche concern to grow into a huge industry. Still, the heart of the sport is maintained by a hardcore fanbase.
This is why booking a wrestling company is so difficult. What’s good for a larger audience is because it may not match more complicated fandoms. There have been many performers who have been attracting mainstream attention throughout the history of wrestling, but hardcore viewers have formed negative opinions.
Logan Paul
Internet stars have become a hassle
- Logan Paul became a controversial, if any, internet celebrity through various means of the 2010s
- He first wrestled alongside MIZ alongside Ray and Dominique Mysterio, and in 2022 at WrestleMania 38
- Paul has a clear knack for the wrestling business, but hardcore fans resent the presence of his feature
As a source of heat for heels, Logan Paul remains an effective character in the WWE storytelling universe. However, the initial novelty factor with internet personality has long been draining, and all appearances are less rewarding than last time.
Paul’s athleticism and personality are tailored to his wrestling career, but his success outside the ring will bring hardcore fans to even more resent him. Even if his list of opponents grows, his WWE career could still last for a while.
Kane
Glen Jacobs had a long WWE career
- In the late 1990s, Kane’s character became prominent during the peak of WWE’s “attitude era”
- His longevity as part of the WWE system has made hardcore fans tired of seeing his character
- The man behind the mask, Glen Jacobs, is also a controversial figure within the political realm.
As a character who became prominent during the “Age of Attitude”, Kane won many other cultural caches in wrestling. His presentation gave him longer than most people in WWE, but this also led hardcore fans to hate him over time.
There’s more reason to hate Glenn Jacobs, the man behind Kane’s character. Still, few people as wrestling personas have been cut more mainstream than Kane has had over the past decades.
Chris Jericho
Y2J is too long and stuck
- Chris Jericho became the first popular name in wrestling when he signed WWE at the height of “attitude age”
- His presentation and performance made him one of the most skilled wrestling stars of the 21st century
- Jericho’s presence in AEW continues to have a presence featured on television every week, which has made many angry.
Despite being one of the most popular stars of the 21st century, Chris Jericho continues to gamble his legacy through his sub-performance at AEW. Another beneficiary of the “Age of Attitude,” Jericho has developed connections with his fans through his work and presentations, including his enrollment music.
However, after getting off to a great start as “Le Champion,” Y2J has become a choking presence in AEW. This is a shame. There is still time for Jericho to retreat as a constant presence in wrestling to repair his relationship with the hardcore fanbase.
The ultimate warrior
Jim Helwig was a difficult character
- The Ultimate Warrior became famous during WWE’s “Golden Age” as the successor to Hulk Hogan
- The behind-the-scenes issues led to warriors having a shortened stay at the top of the wrestling world
- Jim Helwig was a real controversial figure and hurt his legacy.
Although iconic characters, bad people seem to be the archetype with too many wrestling stars for the 80s. The ultimate warrior shows this. And because Jim Helwig was a real-life favorite.
Aside from the problems, there is also a more basic wrestling reason for not liking warriors as performers. His difficult nature behind the scenes certainly didn’t help, but the ultimate warrior character lives on despite his best attempts to sabotage it.
Ronda Lucy
MMA Star burned the wrestling bridge
- Ronda Rousey became a massive UFC star in the 2010s as a female division figure
- She had an incredible rookie year at WWE after making her debut in tag team matches at WrestleMania 34 in 2018
- Rousey’s second run at the company was far more disappointing, and she also drew fans’ anger
It’s hard to believe that after her amazing newcomer year, wrestling fans will turn on Ronda Lucy very much. MMA Great has become more prominent in contrast to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair as all three competed in the 2019 WrestleMania main event.
Rousey returned to much worse competition three years later. She often aimed to wrestling with her fans on social media and interviews. Needless to say, she’s no longer a popular figure among hardcore viewers, but she has remained one of WWE’s biggest success stories in the past decade.
Randy Orton
Viper has a complex heritage
- Randy Orton has been a stubborn WWE guy for over 20 years, and many are considered to be the best ever
- His longevity is certainly impressive, but much of Orton’s career is plagued by mediocrity
- Orton has won even the most cynical fans in recent years as he takes on the role of a more veteran
He has embraced the more veteran role in WWE, which certainly softened critical awareness in Randy Orton in recent years. The “Viper’s” output, which has always been praised by his colleagues as one of the best, did not match his hype throughout most of his career.
Orton also has the advantage of Ben’s mainstream presence through his RKO signature. It ended with his character and his own years ending his life. His detractors will say his legacy is exaggerated. That may be true given how much of his career is unforgettable.
John Cena
The 17-time champions are constantly facing criticism
- John Cena has been the biggest beneficiary of the WWE system for the past 20 years.
- The record-breaking world champion has always worked in the ring and criticised his inflated presence.
- Fans have generally softened John Cena as he approaches to end his career in the ring.
As one of the few wrestlers who have successfully made a jump to Hollywood, John Cena has had a more mainstream appeal than any other performer throughout the 21st century. However, his 20 years at the top of the WWE and 17 World Championships have not done enough to attract the most hardcore fans who still hate what Cena represents.
“Big Match John” made a major contribution to Targid WWE products at the turn of the 2010s. Fans have generally softened Cena as an existence now that he has closed his career, but they will never forgive him how he has changed the industry.
rock
Dwayne Johnson has become a light empty person
- Rock was one of the biggest stars in wrestling history and successfully moved to a career in Hollywood
- He has remained a popular figure in his sporadic appearance since he stopped wrestling full-time in the 2000s.
- Locke’s recent involvement in WWE’s main event photos have seen him face criticism because of how confused he is
Throughout most of his career, as one of the greatest wrestling performers of all time, he rarely hated about Rock throughout most of his career. However, his recent attitude definitely plagues some. Rock has been routinely interfering in WWE’s main event scene over the past year or so, undoubtedly causing chaos behind the scenes.
For those who enjoy WWE’s recent boom period, there is concern that a star of rock’s size will very clearly hinder the big plans that could derail the company. His absence at WrestleMania 41 promoted Dwayne Johnson’s res as the main event set between John Cena and Cody Rhodes was completely tanked.
Hulk Hogan
Terry Borea is a terrible person
- Hulk Hogan helped WWE establish itself as a market leader during the first boom of the 1980s
- He remains an iconic figure of a certain generation of wrestling fans, but his legacy is hurt
- Terry Borea is part of some controversy and is known to be a difficult person to work with.
There was no wrestling world as it is today, as there was no Hulk Hogan. Even today, those who are not too familiar with Hogan’s antics are still visible as he spits out his catchphrases and tears his top.
Anyone who has wrestling fans, and who even have a slight conception of who Terry Borea is as a person, will know that they no longer support Hulk Hogan. Hardcore wrestling fans may appreciate his work throughout the ’80s and ’90s, but Hogan has proven to be a disgusting person in real life.
Mr McMahon
The world of wrestling is better without Vince
- Fans enjoyed McMahon’s character.
- The cartoonish depiction of the maniac boss has proven to be true to Vince’s actual personality over the years.
- He was taken from the company in 2022 after the latest sexual harassment allegations against him.
McMahon’s character endured as one of the greatest inventions of wrestling’s history, and Vince gave WWE a new life through his on-screen performances. Those who are not very familiar with his personal actions will still have fond memories of the character he played, but hardcore fans are delighted to see his back.
In every respect that Vince McMahon made something bigger and better about wrestling, he did terrible things to counter it. It was a shame to see recent people of WWE important people mention him fondly.
