History Main / XPacHeat

* Please only add professional wrestling examples.[[labelnote:explanation]]It's too contentious. Listing any other examples would invite bashing of RealLife people.[[/labelnote]]

X-Pac Heat can occur because the performer has been [[CreatorsPet pushed too hard]], they have [[WagTheDirector political power behind the scenes]], or because they're terrible performers. For wrestlers, this often refers to those who have poor matches, or actively wreck the pushes of others, and become overexposed despite crowds not caring for them one way or the other, regardless if they're a face or a heel. This is not a villain whom fans [[LoveToHate want to see punished]]; a wrestler with X-Pac Heat is someone fans don't want to see ''at all''. It's a very specific form of breaking {{kayfabe}}.

"Not the right kind of heat" is an alternative meaning to "X-Pac Heat" that can (but does not always) intersect with it. It's more of a "we are sick of this person and don't want to see them anymore" reaction than a "we want this person to get their comeuppance" reaction, which is the impression you ''want'' the fans to have. This is more or less the equivalent of a villainous [[TheScrappy Scrappy]], but fits this page more due to the pro wrestling/live reaction factor.

Normally, it is possible to [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap correct an unfavorable response by altering a wrestler's gimmick or shifting their position in the company]]. It is significantly harder, though not impossible, to overcome X-Pac Heat. Unlike the Scrappy, the audience is reacting not to an annoying ''character'', but to a bad or overexposed ''performer''.

* Celebrity guests are always hated by fans but there is no one more hated than Creator/LoganPaul, even if one disregards the controversies he had before 2022 which include filming and uploading footage of the corpse of a suicide victim on to his [=YouTube=] channel in 2017. Although Paul is capable of putting up a good match, fans hated him for being given high profile matches, including a world championship match on his third match at the cost of actual wrestlers. At ''Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank 2023'', Paul is booed to oblivion throughout the men's ladder match and even when he pulled an amazing feat, the fans still chant "You still suck!" to him.
* Ever since rape allegations were made against him, Gable Steveson's reception with the fans has nosedived. Case in point, at ''NXT Wrestling/TheGreatAmericanBash 2023'' where he made his in-ring debut against fellow X-Pac Heat recipient Wrestling/BaronCorbin [[note]]Who to be fair has been in the middle of rebuilding his career and has been earning back the respect of fans[[/note]], the crowd ''[[RootingfortheEmpire cheered]]'' for Corbin while Steveson received chants such as "Gable Sucks" and "You're not Angle."

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neo1LYZnHFs The Ding Dongs]], one of the first of a series of really idiotic gimmicks thought of by former WCW head Jim Herd, and a permanent resident in any list of worst tag teams, worst gimmicks, etc... Cornette (now a podcaster) describes the reception they got from a southern wrasslin' crowd:

The angle was a clusterfuck from the beginning. Master P wasn't seen by the hip hop fandom as particularly cool or a particularly good rapper at the time, and his raps for WCW certainly didn't change that impression. He failed to draw in any new fans, and then after he was booed on his first appearance, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he refused to return and support the angle]]. Although the Soldiers were supposed to be street-wise antiheroes, they simply [[NinetiesAntiHero came across as heels]] (particularly in that ''they'' started the feud with the Rednecks, destroying a gift Hennig intended for Master P's brother and then attacking him for no particular reason), and the bloated roster of re-gimmicked veterans and rookies no one had ever heard of before failed to connect with the fans. Meanwhile, the Rednecks recorded a [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments downright hilarious]] song titled "Rap is Crap", held their own against the No Limit Soldiers despite being outnumbered almost two-to-one, and had Hennig, widely considered one of the best ever in the business and a really nice guy to boot, as their leader. Also, the WCW fanbase, which was largely white southern males, was pre-conditioned to prefer the country music-loving rednecks anyway. It's no surprise the latter stable became a collective EnsembleDarkhorse. So with the fans cheering the Rednecks and booing every time the Soldiers chanted "hootie-hoo," the angle ended barely a month in. Konnan, Mysterio, and Kidman split from the group to form The Filthy Animals, BA reunited with his brother Scott Armstrong, and Swoll, Chase and 4x4 disappeared uneventfully, Chase having done so before the angle was even finished.

* Michaels also got hit with a huge case of this during his world title defense against [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sycho Sid]] at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1996''. Michaels won the title at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XII'' in March, by May a few people were already sick of Shawn's MrFanservice act, Vince gushing over him on commentary in a way that made people [[HoYay question the sexuality]] of ''both'' men [[HypeBacklash didn't help]]. It was also around this time that word about his backstage politics and drug abuse trickled out to the public. Still, the majority of fans stuck with him, mainly because he was the top babyface in a really thin field[[note]]Especially with Wrestling/KevinNash and Wrestling/ScottHall leaving for [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} Atlanta]] in May[[/note]] and basically the only guy in the company that could be relied on to have a good match[[note]]Wrestling/BretHart stepped away from the WWF after dropping the title to Michaels at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' to rest, do a couple acting projects, and decide if he wanted to re-sign with Vince or take a more lucrative offer from Wrestling/{{WCW}}. [[Wrestling/MontrealScrewJob We all know how that last one worked out.]] Wrestling/OwenHart was still working at his usual high level, but there was only so much he could do while stuck in a pitiful tag division[[/note]]. But ''Survivor Series'' was at Madison Square Garden in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, aka [[SmartMark Smark]] Central, and they let HBK have it with both barrels, booing ''everything'' he does while treating Sid (who was supposed to be the Main/{{Heel}}) like [[Main/{{Face}} the biggest babyface that ever babyfaced]]. The reaction Sid gets when he pins Michaels for the title is right up there with the pop that Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} got for beating Wrestling/HulkHogan 9 months later. Shawn would shake it off and win the title back at the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'' two months later, but was forced to relinquish the belt due to a knee injury after a couple weeks. When he returned he brought with him a [[Wrestling/DGenerationX new faction]] and a much edgier persona.

* ''Wrestling/DecemberToDismember'' 2006, the first and ''only'' pay per view exclusive to WWE's rebooted ECW brand. Said brand had its share of problems, such as the phasing out of ECW originals like Wrestling/{{Sabu}} and [[Wrestling/JimFullington The Sandman]], the stricter WWE rules, the untimely suspension of the first champion of the new ECW, Wrestling/RobVanDam, the sudden release of Wrestling/KurtAngle due to substance abuse, and everything that happened with the late Wrestling/ChrisBenoit. Not to mention that it quickly became a C-show to ''Raw'' and ''[=SmackDown=]''. But ''December to Dismember'', held in Augusta, Georgia, was rock bottom for the roster. The undercard had a skeleton crew of perennial midcarders and no-names like Sylvester Terkay[[note]]a legit fighter who had been big in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1 when it was big and pushed hard in OVW but WWE made sure he'd never get over again by [[CharacterDerailment repackaging]] him as a white Wrestling/{{Umaga}} on their main roster[[/note]], Kevin Thorn and Mike Knox, plus a pre-commentary Matt Striker going against one of the few ECW originals on the show, Wrestling/BallsMahoney. [[Wrestling/MattHardy Matt]] and Wrestling/JeffHardy versus MNM was inexplicably added despite neither team being on this roster. And then Sabu was taken out backstage and replaced in the main event with ''[[Wrestling/BobHolly Hardcore Holly]]'',[[note]]Some explanation. Rumor has it that WWE viewed Sabu as being "useless" and Vince [=McMahon=] himself wanted Hardcore Holly to replace Sabu in the match for Lashley to have more villains to overcome.[[/note]] and the fans saw right through it. Thus, Holly joined Wrestling/CMPunk, Van Dam, Wrestling/BobbyLashley, Wrestling/BigShow and ''Wrestling/{{Test}}'' in the Extreme Elimination Chamber main event. Punk had quickly gotten a huge fandom in WWE, so of course he was first eliminated, to a huge negative response. By the end, amidst "BULLSHIT" and "BORING" chants, it was Lashley, an obvious CreatorsPet at the time, going over The Big Show to win the ECW title. By then, the Augusta crowd had long turned on the show, sometimes literally. The result was what fans called "the death of ECW," and the aftermath saw Wrestling/PaulHeyman leaving the company, a ''fraction'' of the usual pay-per-view buy rate[[note]]This show holds the dubious honor of having the lowest WWE PPV buy rate ''ever'' prior to the introduction of the WWE Network, which made PPV obsolete for anyone with a broadband internet connection[[/note]], WWE ending single-brand pay-per-views for eleven years, and the brand slowly dying.

* Michaels also got hit with a huge case of this during his world title defense against [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sycho Sid]] at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1996''. Michaels won the title at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XII'' in March, by May a few people were already sick of Shawn's MrFanservice act, Vince gushing over him on commentary in a way that made people question the sexuality of ''both'' men [[HypeBacklash didn't help]]. It was also around this time that word about his backstage politics and drug abuse trickled out to the public. Still, the majority of fans stuck with him, mainly because he was the top babyface in a really thin field[[note]]Especially with Wrestling/KevinNash and Wrestling/ScottHall leaving for [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} Atlanta]] in May[[/note]] and basically the only guy in the company that could be relied on to have a good match[[note]]Wrestling/BretHart stepped away from the WWF after dropping the title to Michaels at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' to rest, do a couple acting projects, and decide if he wanted to re-sign with Vince or take a more lucrative offer from Wrestling/{{WCW}}. [[Wrestling/MontrealScrewJob We all know how that last one worked out.]] Wrestling/OwenHart was still working at his usual high level, but there was only so much he could do while stuck in a pitiful tag division[[/note]]. But ''Survivor Series'' was at Madison Square Garden in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, aka [[SmartMark Smark]] Central, and they let HBK have it with both barrels, booing ''everything'' he does while treating Sid (who was supposed to be the Main/{{Heel}}) like [[Main/{{Face}} the biggest babyface that ever babyfaced]]. The reaction Sid gets when he pins Michaels for the title is right up there with the pop that Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} got for beating Wrestling/HulkHogan 9 months later. Shawn would shake it off and win the title back at the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'' two months later, but was forced to relinquish the belt due to a knee injury after a couple weeks. When he returned he brought with him a [[Wrestling/DGenerationX new faction]] and a much edgier persona.

* As much X-Pac Heat as Cody gathers, there are still some who respect his work. The same can't be said about his wife Brandi, who almost no AEW fan will defend. Her in-ring career started off poorly enough as the manager of the Nightmare Collective, a stable [[Horrible/ProfessionalWrestling so bad AEW had to disband it]], but when she became her husband's valet/manager, fan opinion soured on her, as she drew unfavorable comparisons by fans to [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Poochie]] as someone who constantly involves herself into her husband's matches and feuds regardless of how little she adds. Meanwhile, her promos failed to impress, as she came across as a grating, bitchy wannabe Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon despite ostensibly being a face manager, and the few times she stepped in the ring, she displayed a complete lack of ability to wrestle. Just like her husband, she's been accused of only using wrestling as a stepping stone for other projects such as her reality show--and fan opinion of her only got worse when it was revealed on said show that she was planned to win the AEW Women's Championship instead of other fan favorites before she got pregnant and had to take maternity leave. Unfortunately, after her return, she was pushed right back into being prominent in her husband's angles. Her X-Pac Heat ended up being so great that when she cut a promo on Dan Lambert, the face of one of AEW's most hated angles, ''the crowd cheered Lambert''. Likely for the best that Brandi has been completely absent from Cody’s return to WWE in 2022.

* Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys most popular members are Big Dick, Little Spike, Devon, Bubba Ray, with Big Dick not being as well known to people who only watched WWE/TNA (or HUSTLE/New Japan), but when The Dudley Boys were first baby faces in ECW, Bubba Ray wasn't liked at all. Wrestling/PaulHeyman tried to hide the fact the crowds were deriding Bubba Ray through {{astroturf}}ing, but once the fans held out a bedsheet with "BUBBA MUST DIE" written across[[note]]Wrestling podcaster Brian Last, best known as the co-host of two podcasts with Wrestling/JimCornette (The Jim Cornette Experience and Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru), claims to be the one who made the sign and one of the people holding it[[/note]], too wide for the camera to completely hide, it was time for a FaceHeelTurn. That did [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap save Bubba Ray in the eyes of the fans]], however, and later lead to him become one of the four most popular.

* Michaels also got hit with a huge case of this during his world title defense against [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sycho Sid]] at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1996''. Michaels won the title at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XII'' in March, by May a few people were already sick of Shawn's MrFanservice act, Vince gushing over him on commentary in a way that made people question the sexuality of ''both'' men [[HypeBacklash didn't help]]. It was also around this time that word about his backstage politics and drug abuse trickled out to the public. Still, the majority of fans stuck with him, mainly because he was the top babyface in a really thin field and basically the only guy in the company that could be relied on to have a good match[[note]]Wrestling/BretHart stepped away from the WWF after dropping the title to Michaels at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' to rest, do a couple acting projects, and decide if he wanted to re-sign with Vince or take a more lucrative offer from Wrestling/{{WCW}}. [[Wrestling/MontrealScrewJob We all know how that last one worked out.]] Wrestling/OwenHart was still working at his usual high level, but there was only so much he could do while stuck in a pitiful tag division[[/note]]. But ''Survivor Series'' was at Madison Square Garden in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, aka [[SmartMark Smark]] Central, and they let HBK have it with both barrels, booing ''everything'' he does while treating Sid (who was supposed to be the Main/{{Heel}}) like [[Main/{{Face}} the biggest babyface that ever babyfaced]]. The reaction Sid gets when he pins Michaels for the title is right up there with the pop that Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} got for beating Wrestling/HulkHogan 9 months later. Shawn would shake it off and win the title back at the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'' two months later, but was forced to relinquish the belt due to a knee injury a short time later. When he returned he brought with him a [[Wrestling/DGenerationX new faction]] and a much edgier persona.

By ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2018'', WWE's writers seemed to be aiming to invoke this by having her gloat about breaking Lynch's face and reveling in the boos, which ended up reaching [[Wrestling/TommasoCiampa Ciampa]] or [[Wrestling/RomanReigns Reigns]] levels of heat that night, while also boasting her elimination of Asuka from the match just to spite them some more. The weeks that followed saw Jax become one of the most [[TheScrappy disliked people]] on the ''Raw'' brand. Many people turned on Jax, mainly due to the realization that her in-ring ability paled significantly in comparison to the other women on the roster, as well as the ''dreadful'' mic work she had done prior to her second match with Ronda Rousey. No one batted an eye when it was revealed that due to an injury exacerbated at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 35'', Jax would be gone for the rest of 2019. She would finally be cut loose for good in 2021, supposedly for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine[[note]]Which would basically limit her to shows in the U.S.[[/note]] (though this has never been confirmed).

* The so-called "Divas Revolution" was considered by many fans to be a poorly-booked storyline, with the center being the rivalry among three-woman factions Team PCB (Wrestling/{{Paige}}, Wrestling/CharlotteFlair, Wrestling/BeckyLynch), Team Bella (Wrestling/BellaTwins + Wrestling/AliciaFox), and Team BAD (Wrestling/{{Naomi}}, Wrestling/TaminaSnuka, Wrestling/SashaBanks). As a result, even the babyface Team PCB, excluding Becky Lynch, received X-Pac Heat from fans. Banks was also popular despite her heel status. Eventually, Paige escaped her earlier X-Pac Heat by turning heel on Team PCB with an impressive worked shoot promo on the September 21, 2015 episode of ''Raw'', only to rejoin them ''one week later'', before [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder turning on them again after]] ''Wrestling/HellInACell''.

* Wrestling/{{Batista}} received minor examples of X-Pac Heat over the years, with his match with The Wrestling/BigShow on ECW being his worst offense, but they were nothing compared to the backlash over him winning the Wrestling/RoyalRumble in 2014. It certainly didn't help that he had been back on television for less than a week beforehand after being gone since 2010 and won the Royal Rumble altogether, sending him to the main event of ''Wrestling/WrestleMmania'' over a number of more popular wrestlers like [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]], who wasn’t even in the match. Much of the reaction had to do with revulsion to the WWE creative team rather than Batista himself (case in point, when Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}} came out at number 30 the boos started hard and heavy, which almost ''never'' happens to Rey), but he certainly seemed to take it poorly (reportedly flipping off fans and mocking the "YES!" chants with his middle fingers before walking backstage). Barely weeks into his big return, his appearances were greeted by main roster audiences chanting "BOO-TISTA!", NXT audiences chanting "[[TakeThat BETTER THAN BATISTA!]]" in response to powerbombs, and cheers for his opponents Roman Reigns, Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio, and Randy Orton — the last of which was ''the top heel of the company'' at the time — thus leading to Batista undergoing a quickie heel turn and Daniel Bryan being inserted into the main event.

* Most fans may remember The Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan as one of the top midcard heels of his era, and the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in history. What they may not know, however, is that he actually got his start in the WWF as a babyface. Fans refused to buy into the idea of an Elvis impersonator as a good guy, however, and after a series of "Vote of Confidence" promos and an actual poll where the fans (as expected) weren't behind him, he was turned heel and the rest is history.

* Wrestling/{{Batista}} received minor examples of X-Pac Heat over the years, with his match with The Big Show on ECW being his worst offense, but they were nothing compared to the backlash over him winning the Royal Rumble in 2014. It certainly didn't help that he had been back on television for less than a week beforehand after being gone since 2010 and won the Royal Rumble altogether, sending him to the main event of [=Wrestlemania=] over a number of more popular wrestlers like Daniel Bryan, who wasn’t even in the match. Much of the reaction had to do with revulsion to the WWE creative team rather than Batista himself (case in point, when Rey Mysterio came out at number 30 the boos started hard and heavy, which almost ''never'' happens to Rey), but he certainly seemed to take it poorly (reportedly flipping off fans and mocking the "YES!" chants with his middle fingers before walking backstage). Barely weeks into his big return, his appearances were greeted by main roster audiences chanting "BOO-TISTA!", NXT audiences chanting "[[TakeThat BETTER THAN BATISTA!]]" in response to powerbombs, and cheers for his opponents Roman Reigns, Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio, and Randy Orton — the last of which was ''the top heel of the company'' at the time — thus leading to Batista undergoing a quickie heel turn and Daniel Bryan being inserted into the main event.

* The so-called "Divas Revolution" was considered by many fans to be a poorly-booked storyline, with the center being the rivalry among three-woman factions Team PCB (Wrestling/{{Paige}}, Wrestling/{{Charlotte}}, Wrestling/BeckyLynch), Team Bella (Wrestling/BellaTwins + Wrestling/AliciaFox), and Team BAD (Wrestling/{{Naomi}}, Wrestling/TaminaSnuka, Wrestling/SashaBanks). As a result, even the babyface Team PCB, excluding Becky Lynch, received X-Pac Heat from fans. Banks was also popular despite her heel status. Eventually, Paige escaped her earlier X-Pac Heat by turning heel on Team PCB with an impressive worked shoot promo on the September 21, 2015 episode of ''Raw'', only to rejoin them ''one week later'', before [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder turning on them again after]] Hell in a Cell.
* [[Wrestling/BellaTwins Nikki and Brie Bella]]'s [[DullSurprise terrible acting skills]] (Nikki's infamous "I wish you died in the woo'''ooo'''mb" promo [[note]]Incidentally, [[OldShame even she disliked that promo]].[[/note]]) and perceived success [[Wrestling/JohnCena due to their]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson respective partners]] haven't gone over well with smarks, resulting in them receiving inappropriate sexual chants from fans on the RAW after [=WrestleMania=] 31 ("You suck Bryan!" and "You Suck Cena!"). While they have improved significantly since their debut and get mostly positive reactions from the more casual fans, it seemingly wasn't enough to justify Nikki holding the Divas Championship for over 300 days, while Wrestling/{{Bayley}} was still in NXT. Not to mention their feuding story line with each other that was being built up for months ultimately led to Brie [[EasilyForgiven forgiving Nikki for all the terrible things that she's said and done to her.]] The heat appears to be dying down, more so on Nikki than Brie. First, Nikki improved her ring skills to the point that she was actually pretty decent in the ring. Then, after suffering a career threatening neck injury, it became hard to hate her after seeing how heartbroken she was over not being able to wrestle anymore. Brie also had a bit of Daniel Bryan's heat rub off on her, although since her wrestling skill didn't improve much, she still got some bad heat.

To some, it got worse as she ended up turning heel and aligning with Wrestling/TaminaSnuka, who a) was never really that over to begin with, b) is the daughter of [[Wrestling/JimmySnuka a man]] that many consider even more checkered than Wrestling/HulkHogan even after his death, and c) despite not having competed in over a year, ended up on the women's Survivor Series team in favor of far better and more popular superstars like Wrestling/EmberMoon, Bayley and Sasha Banks. As if that wasn't enough, when Wrestling/BeckyLynch led an invasion of Raw and attacked Creator/RondaRousey, Jax was among those who defended Raw but ended up delivering a stiff punch to Lynch's face that left the latter bleeding. Initially seen as great for the run-off to Survivor Series, Lynch was legitimately too injured to compete, thus depriving fans of [[CoolVersusAwesome Rousey vs. Lynch, a match they were hotly anticipating]]. Quickly inciting a ''massive'' fan backlash, many called for Jax to be sent back down to NXT or even fired due to her already spotty record of injuring other superstars. Not helped by how much like Roman Reigns, many see her push and staying on the roster as doing [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] [[{{Nepotism}} a favor]], but unlike Reigns, who at least had some moments where fans got behind him (and, after his 2020 heel turn, might be escaping X-Pac Heat for good), she can't seem to shake the X-Pac Heat off no matter what she does.\\

By Survivor Series 2018, WWE's writers seemed to be aiming to invoke this by having her gloat about breaking Lynch's face and reveling in the boos, which ended up reaching Ciampa or Reigns levels of heat that night, while also boasting her elimination of Asuka from the match just to spite them some more. The weeks that followed saw Jax become one of the most [[TheScrappy disliked people]] on the ''Raw'' brand. Many people turned on Jax, mainly due to the realization that her in-ring ability paled significantly in comparison to the other women on the roster, as well as the ''dreadful'' mic work she had done prior to her second match with Ronda Rousey. No one batted an eye when it was revealed that due to an injury exacerbated at [=WrestleMania=] 35, Jax would be gone for the rest of 2019. She would finally be cut loose for good in 2021, supposedly for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine[[note]]Which would basically limit her to shows in the U.S.[[/note]] (though this has never been confirmed).
* James Ellsworth first appeared as a [[{{Jobber}} enhancement talent]], but his unique look and attitude led to him becoming an EnsembleDarkhorse, appearing on ''[=SmackDown=]'' again and even getting involved in the Wrestling/AJStyles feud with Wrestling/DeanAmbrose over the WWE Championship. However, his beloved status among the fans started to evaporate when he repeatedly defeated Styles thanks to interference; some called it a burial and heaped hate on Ellsworth for it, but he was still popular enough to get signed to a permanent WWE contract and appear as ''[=SmackDown=]''[='=]s "mascot" for Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2016. Immediately after the feud with Styles however, it was abundantly clear WWE had run out of ideas for him; since Ellsworth had just been signed and the company had to do ''something'' with him, they paired him up with Wrestling/{{Carmella}} as her lackey, and his goodwill with the crowd instantly evaporated. By this time, he was largely seen as a punchline that had ceased to be funny a long time ago, but WWE still seemed to think the fans loved him just as much as they had on his first appearance. The hatred came to a head at Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank 2017 when he helped Carmella win the Money in the Bank ladder match by pulling down the briefcase for her. The fact that, technically, [[DidntThinkThisThrough a man won the first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match]], caused so much hate toward both him and the company (with fans accusing WWE of blatant sexism) that Ellsworth had to be taken off TV for a while to calm the heat down. Ultimately, the company saw the writing on the wall and didn't renew his contract, and his last match [[TakeThatScrappy saw his arm get]] {{Kayfabe}} [[TakeThatScrappy snapped by]] Wrestling/BeckyLynch. The general consensus among fans is that Ellsworth was a mildly funny in-joke that stopped being so as soon as the company got ahold of his popularity and immediately shoved him down their throats, and few were sad to see him go. He then made a shock return in 2018 [[BadassDecay by distracting]] [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] to help Carmella retain her championship, and the IWC's collective palms met their faces. He was gone ''again'' in about five weeks much to the delight of everyone, with his final appearance seeing ''[=SmackDown=]'' General Manager Wrestling/{{Paige}} fire him and literally [[TakeThatScrappy kick him out of the building]].

* The second half of 2019 saw Wrestling/SethRollins become a major recipient of X-Pac Heat, and it appeared to be at least partly his own doing. The backlash toward Rollins started becoming evident in early October, in the aftermath of his Hell in a Cell match against "The Fiend" Wrestling/BrayWyatt, a match that ended in a massively unpopular non-finish and gave off the impression that WWE had no plans of having the revitalized Wyatt and his brilliant character win the Universal Championship. However, fans were already turning on Rollins due to his penchant for defending WWE to the death online and in interviews, going as far as to argue with Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling's Wrestling/WillOspreay over their respective paychecks. With Rollins still mouthing off on social media as the heat intensified -- this included comments about Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling's Wrestling/KennyOmega competing in the "minor leagues" -- the boos kept ramping up, to the point that WWE had to edit them out of a pre-taped ''Raw'' from Manchester, England, in November. It didn't help that he was also criticized by Wrestling/JimRoss, who said on his podcast that "maybe one day you'll be as over as [[Wrestling/BeckyLynch your girlfriend]]" while reacting to Rollins' comments on AEW and Omega. Likewise, Wrestling/CMPunk took aim at Rollins on his ''WWE Backstage'' debut on Fox Sports 1, advising him to delete his Twitter because it isn't doing him any favors -- this was in response to Rollins challenging Punk to a fight on repeated occasions ahead of the episode, and possibly to his past Twitter shenanigans as a die-hard WWE company man as well. For what it's worth, WWE soon leaned into the criticisms and had Seth pull a FaceHeelTurn post-''Survivor Series''.

* Wrestling/TheVelveteenDream had his share of X-Pac Heat in the latter half of 2020, largely due to WWE's decision to bring him back to television despite numerous accusations of sexual misconduct and grooming toward minors, and soon after, Triple H's claim that the company found nothing incriminating against him, and that Dream's hiatus was a result of a car crash he was involved in. Not helping that one of his accusers stated that he was never contacted for the investigation. While the COVID-19 pandemic at the time had prevented WWE from holding shows with live audiences, many fans took to Twitter to call the company out for allowing Dream to return to action on ''NXT''.
** When WWE launched its virtual fan experience, the [=ThunderDome=], just ahead of ''[=SummerSlam=]'' 2020, one fan found himself [[https://www.thesportster.com/news/fan-banned-thunderdome-fire-velveteen-dream-sign/ banned from the service]] for showing a "Fire Velveteen Dream" sign on his live feed during the event. If Wrestling/FinnBalor's [[https://twitter.com/FinnBalor/status/1296191535319523331?s=20 tweet]] in regards to his match against Dream is anything to go by, [[TheFriendNobodyLikes not even a good portion of the roster was happy to have him back]]. Furthermore, not helping matters is the fact that WWE wasn't shy of firing and [[UnPerson refusing to further acknowledge]] three other superstars for ''the same reason''.[[note]]''NXT UK''[='=]s Wrestling/TravisBanks and El Ligero, and ''205 Live''[='=]s Gentleman Jack Gallagher.[[/note]]

** Even after his fellow stable members Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler were released, Ryker would remain a part of WWE television due to being one of Vince's final pet projects, receiving a role as an ally to the ever popular Elias. Even Elias turning on him didn’t lead to him connecting with the crowd, as they showed anything from apathy to distaste at seeing him (especially after Elias would be written off TV after losing their feud). Ryker would be banished to Main Event, where he would remain until being released in November 2021.
* Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon received this reaction in record time after the 2022 Men's Royal Rumble, which was widely regarded as one of the worst and most underwhelming Rumble matches in recent memory. It was reported that the real-life booking of the match was changed multiple times at the behest of Shane (surprising considering he's always been well-liked and humble), angering both the talent and bookers. Just days after[[note]]More like as soon as the match ended, but the news took a couple days to trickle out[[/note]], Shane was said to have been sent home, showing just far he's fallen in popularity behind the curtain.
* Celebrity guests are always hated by fans but there is no one more hated than Creator/LoganPaul, even if one disregards the controversies he had before 2022 which include filming and uploading footage of the corpse of a suicide victim on to his [=YouTube=] channel in 2017. Although Paul is capable of putting up a good match, fans hated him for being given high profile matches, including a world championship match on his third match at the cost of actual wrestlers. At ''Money in the Bank 2023'', Paul is booed to oblivion throughout the men's ladder match and even when he pulled an amazing feat, the fans still chant "You still suck!" to him.
* Ever since rape allegations were made against him, Gable Steveson's reception with the fans has nosedived. Case in point, at ''NXT The Great American Bash 2023'' where he made his in-ring debut against fellow X-Pac Heat recipient Baron Corbin [[note]]Who to be fair has been in the middle of rebuilding his career and has been earning back the respect of fans[[/note]], the crowd ''[[RootingfortheEmpire cheered]]'' for Corbin while Steveson received chants such as "Gable Sucks" and "You're not Angle."

* Wrestling/CodyRhodes is probably the first example of this in [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]], whose fanbase has otherwise proved incredibly forgiving and patient. When the company began, Cody was hailed as the man who broke free of WWE and made AEW possible, and was basically the company's top {{Face}} for its first year. He had well receieved feuds with Wrestling/ChrisJericho and [[Wrestling/MaxwellJacobFriedman MJF]] and his reign as inaugural TNT Champion was also pretty popular as he gave young up-and-comers and outside indie talent a shot at TV exposure, eventually losing the belt to incoming fan favorite [[Wrestling/LukeHarper Brodie Lee]]. However, after that the wheels began to gradually fall off- he got an absolutely ridiculous neck tattoo that got him dunked on even by heels, making him a laughing stock. After losing to Lee he went on hiatus with an [[{{Kayfabe}} "injury"]] so he could film a gameshow, then returned and quickly won his title back, and although he dropped it to EnsembleDarkhorse Darby Allin a month later, a lot of fans were confused. From there he consciously distanced himself from the rest of Wrestling/TheElite and got a reputation (rightly or wrongly) as someone who comes in, works a brief program with whoever's hot at that moment and then disappears again to work on outside projects before coming back after weeks off TV to beat the guy he was feuding with before moving on to repeat this sequence with someone else--fans began to notice that this sequence never elevated the wrestlers he was feuding with. Fans also started to reject his in-ring work as generally inferior to much of the rest of the roster, and overbooked to hide his limitations. Meanwhile, he also keeps trying to get an acting or reality TV career off the ground, giving the impression that he's only interested in wrestling as a springboard for other things, further alienating the fans. Up until his return to WWE in early 2022, he was booed relentlessly, most notably in his feud with [[Wrestling/AleisterBlack Malakai Black]], despite ostensibly being the Face.

* ''Wrestling/DecemberToDismember'' 2006, the first and ''only'' pay per view exclusive to WWE's rebooted ECW brand. Said brand had its share of problems, such as the phasing out of ECW originals like Wrestling/{{Sabu}} and [[Wrestling/JimFullington The Sandman]], the stricter WWE rules, the untimely suspension of the first champion of the new ECW, Wrestling/RobVanDam, the sudden release of Wrestling/KurtAngle due to substance abuse, and everything that happened with the late Wrestling/ChrisBenoit. Not to mention that it quickly became a C-show to ''Raw'' and ''[=SmackDown=]''. But ''December to Dismember'', held in Augusta, Georgia, was rock bottom for the roster. The undercard had a skeleton crew of perennial midcarders and no-names like Sylvester Terkay[[note]]a legit fighter who had been big in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1 when it was big and pushed hard in OVW but WWE made sure he'd never get over again by [[CharacterDerailment repackaging]] him as a white Wrestling/{{Umaga}} on their main roster[[/note]], Kevin Thorn and Mike Knox, plus a pre-commentary Matt Striker going against one of the few ECW originals on the show, Wrestling/BallsMahoney. [[Wrestling/MattHardy Matt]] and Wrestling/JeffHardy versus MNM was inexplicably added despite neither team being on this roster. And then Sabu was taken out backstage and replaced in the main event with ''[[Wrestling/BobHolly Hardcore Holly]]'',[[note]]Some explanation. Rumor has it that WWE viewed Sabu as being "useless" and Vince [=McMahon=] himself wanted Hardcore Holly to replace Sabu in the match for Lashley to have more villains to overcome.[[/note]] and the fans saw right through it. Thus, Holly joined Wrestling/CMPunk, Van Dam, Wrestling/BobbyLashley, Wrestling/TheBigShow and ''Wrestling/{{Test}}'' in the Extreme Elimination Chamber main event. Punk had quickly gotten a huge fandom in WWE, so of course he was first eliminated, to a huge negative response. By the end, amidst "BULLSHIT" and "BORING" chants, it was Lashley, an obvious CreatorsPet at the time, going over The Big Show to win the ECW title. By then, the Augusta crowd had long turned on the show, sometimes literally. The result was what fans called "the death of ECW," and the aftermath saw Wrestling/PaulHeyman leaving the company, a ''fraction'' of the usual pay-per-view buy rate[[note]]This show holds the dubious honor of having the lowest WWE PPV buy rate ''ever'' prior to the introduction of the WWE Network, which made PPV obsolete for anyone with a broadband internet connection[[/note]], WWE ending single-brand pay-per-views for eleven years, and the brand slowly dying.

** In 2015, Cena started being booked lower on the card, feuding with Rusev over the United States Championship (his first title he won back in 2004). It didn't bring Cena all of his fans back, but when he won the title at [=WrestleMania=] 31, he began a weekly title defense of the United States Championship, putting on impressive matches against other mid-card wrestlers such as Wrestling/DeanAmbrose. The fans, while still mixed, started to realize Cena can actually pull off great matches, and enjoy not seeing him in the world title spotlight anymore. This went so far that when Cena was injured toward the end of 2015, even many smarks came to legitimately miss him, as WWE's next plan of building Roman Reigns as the next top face utterly failed and caused ratings to tank. Some even [[ConspiracyTheorist theorized]] that Reigns' mega-push was actually one long, convoluted scheme to finally get Cena over with the hardcore fans.

** 2016, however, was a very good year for The Miz. Despite taking the Intercontinental championship off of fan favorite Zack Ryder the night after the latter's [=WrestleMania=] win, he's brought a lot of credibility back to the title with how much he clearly values it. It culminated in him going to ''[=SmackDown=]'' during the brand split, cutting a passionate WorkedShoot promo on ''Talking Smack'' (which also sparked an ongoing rivalry with General Manager Wrestling/DanielBryan) that was met with widespread acclaim from both casual fans and smarks alike, and having stellar championship matches with the likes of the aforementioned Ziggler and Wrestling/DeanAmbrose. By the end of the year, he cemented himself as not only one of ''[=SmackDown=]'''s top heels, but one of WWE's greatest modern heels, period.

** Back again to some extent after his matches in 2016. ''[=SummerSlam=] '14''? Awesome due to the CatharsisFactor of Cena finally getting squashed in a match. Rollins? He was playing a DirtyCoward heel anyway and 2015 had the rematches with 'Taker. 2016 was where the pattern of every Lesnar match since breaking the streak became a problem and he delivered a dull match at Wrestlemania against Dean Ambrose. In the summer, Brock made a one-night return to UFC and failed two drug tests while preparing, confirming what many suspected for years. WWE did nothing to punish Brock, revealing that part-time wrestlers are exempt from their drug tests, which pissed fans off big time, especially since WWE had been handing out suspensions like Halloween candy to other superstars who failed drug tests, including Roman Reigns. Then at ''[=SummerSlam=] '16'', he beat up the returning Randy Orton badly enough that he was left in a pool of his own blood, had a legitimate concussion, several staples in his head and missed his next PPV appearance (to the point that Chris Jericho was ready to ''get into a real fight'' over the Orton fiasco). The overprotective nature of his booking which makes an already seemingly invincible monster look even stronger, plus the repetitive nature of his squash matches, has led to a bit of TooBleakStoppedCaring regarding his feuds now, since it's hard to get invested when he's going to walk all over whatever Face they feed to him next. It's reached the point where the returning Wrestling/{{Goldberg}}[[note]]Who despite being massively popular in his time has developed a hatedom amongst smarks due to HypeBacklash, and really has never been popular to begin with among people who weren't WCW fans in 1998[[/note]] has consistently gotten cheered over him, the sole exception being in Lesnar's home state of Minnesota.[[note]]Goldberg's own case was helped by both nostalgia and the plain emotion he let show on his face on his return to ''Raw'' and that his promo came off as heartfelt and sold the crowd on the match. And the only notable time Lesnar was cheered was at his hometown.[[/note]] And then Goldberg squashed Lesnar in a minute during their rematch at ''Survivor Series'', to the enjoyment of many fans.

** During his time in Wrestling/TheShield, Reigns was immensely popular. However, while he was in the stable, he had Wrestling/DeanAmbrose and Wrestling/SethRollins to cover for his weaknesses on the microphone and in the ring, and Wrestling/LukeHarper selling his offense and making him look awesome. Once The Shield broke up, Reigns was exposed as an inexperienced and poor worker with terrible mic skills. Since the break up, WWE management has been relentless in their attempts to make Reigns the new top babyface of the entire promotion. Many fans believed that he was only being pushed [[AuthorAppeal because of his look]] and [[{{Nepotism}} because he's a member of the Anoa'i family]]. As a result, many fans turned against him. WWE has tried various methods over the years to get the fans behind him. While some of them worked temporarily, in the long run, the extreme effort they're going through to force Reigns down the fans' throats has only served to turn them further against him. And unlike John Cena above, Reigns' response to fans' dislike of him could best be described as smug nastiness.

* An unusual example of this came in "Not Daniel Bryan" heat, whereas anyone who got scapegoated for WWE's bad booking of Bryan (by either squashing him in a match or being essentially a ReplacementScrappy for him) unfairly got booed out of the area. Amongst those offenders include Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} (for "18 Seconds"), Wrestling/RandyOrton (for his 2013-14 title reign when he cashed in MITB on Bryan right after he beat Cena), Wrestling/TheBigShow (when he was shoved into Bryan's spot as Orton's main title challenger), Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr (for being #30 in the 2014 Royal Rumble when it became clear Bryan would not be in the match that year), Wrestling/{{Batista}} (for winning that year's Rumble and being pushed in Bryan's place as the main anti-Authority babyface), and of course Wrestling/RomanReigns.

** Despite a controversial 2019, WWE did not learn its lesson. Just a month after the TLC match, Charlotte won the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble, eliminating the heavily favored Shayna Baszler (who was originally planned to be the winner before it was changed last minute). Charlotte would use her title match to defeat the fan-favorite Wrestling/RheaRipley for the NXT Women's Championship at ''[=WrestleMania=]'', giving Charlotte yet another pointless achievement for her already long list of accolades and damaging the momentum of another young talent. For some reason after that, Charlotte began to show up in all three divisions, despite the Wild Card rule having long been lifted, completely stealing the spotlight from everyone. Charlotte eventually dropped the title to Io Shirai two months later, in a triple threat match in which Shirai pinned Ripley. A lot of fans saw this as KarmaHoudini on Charlotte's part as not only did she refuse to put over anyone in NXT, she didn't even have the decency to be pinned in her last appearance for the brand.
** 2021 saw the resurface of Charlotte's excessive title reigns. After missing ''[=WrestleMania=]'' that year, Charlotte was instantly placed in the Raw Women's Championship picture, competing for or defending the title in nearly every single [=PPV=] since then. After defeating Rhea Ripley for the title at ''Money in the Bank'', she lost it to Nikki Cross the following day on Raw only to recapture it '''yet again''' a month later at ''Summerslam'' (thus immediately derailing the momentum of Nikki's new superhero gimmick). Two months later, Charlotte was given yet '''another''' title reign due to being drafted to [=SmackDown=] while still the Raw Women's Champion (meaning that she had to trade titles with the then [=Smackdown=] Women's Champion Becky Lynch).

** To put into perspective just how exhausted audiences have become of Charlotte, the match between her and Ronda Rousey on night 1 of [=WrestleMania=] 38 was probably the lowest point of an otherwise excellent card, with the combination of both performers' unpopularity and the excellent Wrestling/BeckyLynch/Bianca Belair and Wrestling/SethRollins/Wrestling/CodyRhodes matches back to back contributing to the lack of excitement from the crowd. It's probably fair to say that even Creator/LoganPaul and [[Series/{{Jackass}} Wee Man]] got better reactions than both of them.
** While Charlotte would ultimately be RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap after ironically ending Ronda's reign as [=Smackdown=] Women's Champion at the end of 2022, it was only to some degree as many were still critical of her immediately being given yet another title reign despite being absent for several months. Like her previous reign, Charlotte rarely competed in televised or pay-per-view events until ''[=WrestleMania=] 39'', let alone defending her title, which fans saw as WWE simply wanting to extend Charlotte's reign. Her feud with Royal Rumble winner Wrestling/RheaRipley received criticism due to how every promo between the two was simply Charlotte bragging on her achievements and the number of times she defeated Rhea for a title, as well as Rhea seeming to be more focused on the [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr father]]-[[Wrestling/DominikMysterio son]] Mysterio feud. Fortunately, unlike Charlotte's previous ''Mania'', not only did Rhea defeat Charlotte, Dave Meltzer considered their match one of the best women's matches in WWE history.

** During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was selling tin foil hats to fans and taking pictures of himself unmasked. He has been spreading anti-mask conspiracy theories that promoters do not want to hire him as a result.

** WWE fans have nicknamed Paul Wight ([[DoNotCallMePaul a.k.a.]] Wrestling/TheBigShow) "The Big Slow". In one of the rare examples of escaping X-Pac Heat, The Big Show took some time off, dropped 50 pounds and got in shape, and came back. Unfortunately for The Big Show, he fell back into this by 2015, as he never quite shook off the sour taste of the infamous 2015 ''Royal Rumble''. For the next several months, chants of "PLEASE RETIRE" haunted him at arenas. Then he lost even more weight, got into the best shape of his life, and escaped X-Pac Heat ''a second time''.[[note]]He basically has retired at this point and does... something for AEW. No one is exactly sure what, but he works there now.[[/note]]

** His first WWF run in the [[WrestlingDoesntPay country singer gimmick]] isn't too fondly remembered, but then again [[AudienceAlienatingEra neither is much else]] from that [[Wrestling/WWENewGenerationEra time period]]. However, it did start off a trend that would be a major reason that this trope has followed Jarrett throughout his career, as he somehow became a 3 time Intercontinental Champion in the span of 5 months. This first run isn't really an example of this trope because it drew genuine heel heat (albeit not in large quantities), but it gives a bit of background. Jarrett would [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere walk out]] after losing the IC title to Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and eventually find his way to Wrestling/{{WCW}}, where he may or may not have been a member of the Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen. After his contract ran out he headed back up north, which brings us to...

* Wrestling/JeffJarrett, who has the dubious honor of being listed under '''three''' promotions on this page.
** His first WWF run in the [[WrestlingDoesntPay country singer gimmick]] isn't too fondly remembered, but then again neither is much else from that [[Wrestling/WWENewGenerationEra time period]]. However, it did start off a trend that would be a major reason that this trope has followed Jarrett throughout his career, as he somehow became a 3 time Intercontinental Champion in the span of 5 months. This first run isn't really an example of this trope because it drew genuine heel heat (albeit not in large quantities), but it gives a bit of background. Jarrett would [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere walk out]] after losing the IC title to Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and eventually find his way to Wrestling/{{WCW}}, where he may or may not have been a member of the Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen. After his contract ran out he headed back up north, which brings us to...

** Jarrett's second WWF stint, where he became a record '''5''' time Intercontinental Champion, and at this point people began to realize that Jeff was getting far too much TV time, far too big of a push, and way, way too many title reigns for a guy that just wasn't really that over, especially compared to some of the other people working for the WWF at the time. Having a really misogynistic gimmick even by Wrestling/AttitudeEra standards and being perceived as dragging Wrestling/OwenHart down with him didn't help. Of course we now know that this had a lot to do with being friends with [[Wrestling/VinceRusso the guy]] that was head writer at the time, and it was no surprise when Jarrett defected back to WCW (to the relief of everyone watching ''Raw'') a week after Russo jumped ship, which you can read about below... but not before holding up Wrestling/VinceMcMahon for a $200,000 payoff to put over Wrestling/{{Chyna}} on the way out. This got him [[PersonaNonGrata blacklisted]], which is why Jeff and his father had to start Wrestling/{{TNA}}, which you can also read about below.

* Erik Watts from the early days of WCW. He was pushed because [[{{Nepotism}} he was the son of Cowboy Bill Watts]], who was in charge of Wrestling/{{WCW}} at the time. He was a crappy wrestler, didn't have a great physique, and was nearly booed out of the building whenever he appeared. The sad part is that he did eventually develop some talent in the ring and a decent look, but was so notorious for his nepotistic push[[note]]And throwing the worst dropkick in human history at ''Starrcade'' 92[[/note]] that he still couldn't get over and promoters were afraid to push him very hard.

** Despite dethroning Ronda's reign as [=Smackdown=] Women's Champion at the end of 2022, Charlotte's RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap only lasted a day before fans turned against her again, due to her immediately being given yet another title reign after being absent for several months and right after Ronda had already competed in a match. Like her previous reign, Charlotte rarely competed in televised or pay-per-view events until ''[=WrestleMania=] 39'', let alone defending her title, which fans saw as WWE simply wanting to extend Charlotte's reign. Her feud with Royal Rumble winner Wrestling/RheaRipley received criticism due to how every promo between the two was simply Charlotte bragging on her achievements and the number of times she defeated Rhea for a title, as well as Rhea seeming to be more focused on the [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr father]]-[[Wrestling/DominikMysterio son]] Mysterio feud. Fortunately, unlike Charlotte's previous ''Mania'', not only did Rhea defeat Charlotte, Dave Meltzer considered their match one of the best women's matches in WWE history.

** Despite dethroning Ronda' reign as [=Smackdown=] Women's Champion at the end of 2022, Charlotte's RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap only lasted a day before fans turned against her again, due to her immediately being given yet again another title reign after being absent for several months and after right after Ronda has already competed in a match. Like her previous reign, Charlotte rarely compete in telivised or Pay-per-view events until ''[=WrestleMania=] 39'', let alone defending her title, which fans saw as WWE simply wanting to extend Charlotte's reign. Her feud with Royal Rumble winner, Rhea Ripley, receives critism due to how every promos between the two is simply Charlotte bragging on her achivements and the number of times she defeated Rhea for a title as well as Rhea seems to be more focus on the father-son Mysterio feud. Fortunately, unlike Charlotte's previous ''Mania'', not only did Rhea defeats Charlotte, their match is considered one the best women's matches in WWE history by Dave Meltzer.

** When Wrestling/ShaynaBaszler betrayed Ronda by attacking her at ''[[Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank Money In The Bank 2023]]'', costing them the tag titles, the crowd ''cheered'' Shayna despite the fact her actions would have appeared heelish if she turned on anybody else. And when Shayna confronted Ronda in the subsequent episode of ''Raw'', she cut a babyface-style promo as the fans cheered her on as the hero in their feud. This promo, quite notably, focused on a lot of complaints fans have had about Ronda through the years -- her rocket push despite a lack of experience, her arrogance, and the general perception that she didn't pay her dues.

* The 2015 ''Royal Rumble'' match was another absolute travesty that was completely panned by the audience in - where else? - Philadelphia. After massive pops for Daniel Bryan, Wrestling/DeanAmbrose, and Wrestling/DolphZiggler, the quick eliminations of those three inevitably led to Roman Reigns, who had rapidly been losing fan support after some less-than-stellar ring work coming back from injury on top of having some of the worst promos of 2014, winning the Rumble. Even Wrestling/{{Rusev}}, an [[ForeignWrestlingHeel anti-America heel]], was cheered on by the fans when he surprisingly appeared towards the end of the Rumble, not having been eliminated after all. Not even an appearance by The Rock could calm the crowd down. Fans were so furious that [=#CancelWWENetwork=] was the #1 trend on Website/{{Twitter}} ''worldwide'', and the page where customers could cancel their WWE Network subscriptions [[DemandOverload crashed due to heavy traffic]]. You've got to wonder how incompetent management has to be to book the Rumble like this, especially after the debacle of the Rumble the previous year, and in ''Philadelphia'' no less. [[AnAesop The lesson]]? ''Don't'' [[HistoryRepeats go into Philadelphia with a terrible show]].

* The main event of ''TLC 2015'' between Wrestling/RomanReigns and Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} had this because the fans didn't want them to feud (the company's terrible booking made it the most boring feud that could've happened thanks to Sheamus' massive loss of credibility -- fans wanted Wrestling/DeanAmbrose or Wrestling/KevinOwens to feud with Reigns instead). The Boston crowd, when not chanting "[[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]]", chanted for people not even in the arena, two of whom were (at the time) not likely to ever wrestle for the company again[[note]]One was confirmed for a couple of years; Bryan retired in February 2016 due to constant injuries and risks he would have to take should he wrestle again, though he wound up being medically cleared to return to the ring in 2018[[/note]]: Wrestling/CMPunk, [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]], Wrestling/SethRollins, and even ''Wrestling/JohnCena''. Nobody got a pop until ''after'' the match, when Reigns beat the crap out of the widely-reviled Wrestling/TripleH and briefly pulled out of the XPacHeat before he regained it ''quickly'' in 2016.
* The [=WrestleMania=] 34 main event featured Wrestling/RomanReigns against WWE Champion Wrestling/BrockLesnar, both men at the height of receiving massive heat from fans. Reigns for being a bland CreatorsPet who'd already main evented the previous three [=WrestleManias=], Lesnar for being an InvincibleVillain with a lack of passion, only showing up to compete every four months or so). During the match, chants of "Wrestling/CMPunk" started two minutes in, followed by "Delete!", "Boring!", and "This is awful!", among others. The crowd even popped for a ''beach ball'' that someone started bouncing around the arena.

* Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys most popular members are Big Dick, Little Spike, Devon, Bubba Ray, with Big Dick not being as well known to people who only watched WWE/TNA(or HUSTLE/New Japan), but when The Dudley Boys were first baby faces in ECW, Bubba Ray wasn't liked at all. Wrestling/PaulHeyman tried to hide the fact the crowds were deriding Bubba Ray through {{astroturf}}ing, but once the fans held out a bedsheet with "BUBBA MUST DIE" written across[[note]]Wrestling podcaster Brian Last, best known as the co-host of two podcasts with Wrestling/JimCornette (The Jim Cornette Experience and Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru), claims to be the one who made the sign and one of the people holding it[[/note]], too wide for the camera to completely hide, it was time for a FaceHeelTurn. That did [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap save Bubba Ray in the eyes of the fans]], however, and later lead to him become one of the four most popular.
* Rush nicely demonstrates how "técnico" and "babyface" don't always mesh. CMLL started pushing him as an ultra badass after he won one of their annual body building contests, causing fans to believe he was being pushed [[PrejudicedForPecs more for his look than his talent]]. He kept the técnico designation even as he was getting booed more than most rudos. After teaming with the fast falling star of Wrestling/LaSombra, they became the most hated men in Wrestling/{{CMLL}}, and were often booked in the manner of heels. That said, CMLL booking him as a rudo in all but name [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap eventually]] did start getting him and his Los Ingobernables good heat, [[LoveToHate in a sense]].

* While nobody in the industry really ever used the term "go away heat" up to that point, "Go Away!" is exactly what the fans of Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling have chanted at Taichi Ishikari. He ''has'' gone away, getting over well enough in CMLL and Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, but he always comes back to New Japan, where he is best known as the most unpopular member of an unpopular stable. Suzuki-gun as a whole has gotten a little of this ever since they ousted Wrestling/SatoshiKojima, and a lot of it after the formation of Wrestling/LosIngobernablesDeJapon made fans see Suzuki-gun as outdated, with the exceptions of Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki himself and Wrestling/ZackSabreJr. They get good heat in NJPW... when the rest of the group are not around.
* When the Chicago Cubs overcame a 3-1 deficit and ended the longest championship drought in the history of North American professional sports by defeating the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series, fans who attended Absolute Intense Wrestling shows, which are almost entirely in Ohio, became enraged at the sight of anything related to Chicago for about a year, which included the usually popular Wrestling/ColtCabana.
* When [[Wrestling/JackSwagger Jake Strong]] signed with ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground'', he was fairly well received at first. However, after losing his debut match, he started a massive win streak where he'd always snap his opponents' ankles with his ankle lock. As Strong continued to win matches and put more popular wrestlers on the shelf, his popularity continued to decline and his win streak became known by the fans as his "cutting a swathe of apathy." At the end of Season 4, where he won the Lucha Underground Championship, the fans chanted "bullshit."