As I sat down to write this week, I felt a sense of disappointment. It wasn’t because I didn’t know what to write about (in fact, I’d hoped I could have written about my amazement with the Royal Rumble). It wasn’t because I had nothing to say. The reason I felt a sense of disappointment was because I knew that I was not going to be able to write the article I wanted to. This past Sunday was the Royal Rumble, a once a year event that would be under-described if one were to refer to it as “can’t miss.” True to form, I made a point not to miss it; I cancelled plans, I changed my workout schedule, I did everything I could to make sure I was front and center for the event, because I knew if WWE delivered, I wouldn’t have to think for a second about what to discuss. My hopes were that I could deliver to you, my top five moments from the event, and indeed, I probably still could. After all, Lesnar / Cena / Rollins was easily one of the best triple-threat matches I’ve ever seen, both from a wrestling and storytelling perspective. Bubba Ray Dudley and others appearing from the woodwork to make a few surprise appearances was awesome. For the most part, WWE really did deliver with the event.
However…
When it mattered the most; when the biggest prize of the night was up for grabs, WWE not only let us down, they insulted us. Again. For the second year in a row, WWE ignored the pleas of the crowd; they ignored the wishes of the millions of fans across the universe who united as one loud clear voice under the banner of “Yes.” While it was more than obvious the fans wanted Daniel Bryan as the man to win it all, WWE had other plans for the finish. When the lights went off and the smoke settled, Roman Reigns, a man who many feel was not ready for such an honor, was the last man standing. Unsurprisingly, the rowdy Philadelphia crowd, much like it’s rival fan base in Pittsburgh did the previous year, held nothing back in letting the WWE know what they thought of the decision, and as ticket holders, they had every right to. Outside of the arena, the internet exploded with negative criticism. Things like #CancelWWENetwork were trending worldwide on twitter. Reddit’s top wrestling community, /r/SquaredCircle was buzzing about not just the ending being bad, but the entire match. Fans were so frustrated, in fact, that they jokingly begun the trend known as #Axelgate, in reference to the fact that the man who came in at number 6, Curtis Axel, technically never entered the ring, and thus was never eliminated, demanding that he be allowed to go in and try to eliminate Reigns. Even a surprise appearance by The Rock, which clearly was planned as damage control, could not get the crowd to side with WWE, as Reigns was booed out of the building, even as his arm was raised by the great one. It was obvious, from the moment Bryan’s feet hit the floor, that the turnout was not going to be positive, really no matter what happened.
However, what might not be so obvious was the real reason behind the booing; the reason that shakes every wrestling fan to their core, and genuinely makes us question one of our favorite forms of entertainment. While it might seem at the surface like petty fans acting like babies for not getting what they want, the truth runs much deeper. Ultimately, the fans booing Reigns is not a rejection of the man, himself. It’s not a rejection of the possibility of Reigns becoming one of the future stars. It’s not even a rejection of a super baby face who might one day be seemingly untouchable. Instead, it is the response to being ignored; to being told “You don’t know what you want” over and over again. It is the only way fans can express their frustration with booking decisions that lead WWE down a road fans don’t want to go. Booing Roman Reigns is a symbol; one which represents the fans booing McMahon himself, for having the audacity to tell us that we decide who goes over, and then giving us the exact opposite of what we say we want.
