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5 Times Fans Have Had Power in the WWE

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Laci Schlatz  |  Last updated Jan 14, 2026 7:09 AM ET

Triple H holds pride in the fact that the WWE is run by the fans. While it’s not for everything, or we wouldn’t have many of the surprises or upsets that we’ve seen. But if they are loud enough, WWE has no choice but to listen.

Here are five moments when the fans took control and created the outcome they wanted to see.

KofiMania

Kofi Kingston has been beloved by WWE fans since his debut in 2008. One of the many things he is known for is his creativity, which he brings to the Royal Rumble match. He uses his athletic ability to bring shocking ways to stay in the match. Along with his time in The New Day, one of the most popular tag teams in the WWE.

He has had a successful career with the WWE; however, without the fans, he likely wouldn’t have won the WWE Championship. If he had never won this championship, he wouldn’t be the grand slam champion that he is today.

The movement began back at Elimination Chamber 2019, where Kingston put on an incredible performance in the Elimination Chamber match but fell short. Kingston wasn’t even supposed to be in the match. He replaced an injured Mustafa Ali, and boy, did he take advantage of that opportunity. Even though he didn’t win, Kingston lasted nearly 40 minutes and made it to the final two before being defeated by Daniel Bryan. The fans let Kingston know that his talent didn’t go unnoticed.

The next notable moment leading up to Kingston’s WrestleMania moment was a gauntlet match that Kingston was a part of, competing for over an hour before ultimately losing to AJ Styles. The results of this gauntlet match are what really put fans behind Kingston. He has consistently delivered unforgettable performances, but has come up short every single time. Fans expressed their frustrations with this on social media and in the crowds at the shows.

Big E and Xavier Woods were then put through a tag-team gauntlet match, where, if they win, Kingston will get a shot at the WWE Championship. The Usos even showed support for Kingston despite being rivals and forfeited their place in the match to help New Day win the gauntlet for Kingston, which they did. Kingston finally got his WrestleMania match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.

Kingston’s WrestleMania win was a tear-jerker for everyone, including Xavier Woods. Over a decade of hard work had paid off. It was beyond a well-deserved moment.

The Rise of Jey Uso

The rise of Jey Uso truly took the WWE Universe by storm. He has always been part of a tag team with his twin brother, Jimmy Uso. They have been a very successful and one of the most popular tag teams in the WWE, but neither man has had much of a singles career because they are always by each other’s side.

Things would change for the Usos in 2020 when Jimmy Uso would get a knee injury, forcing Jey Uso to become a singles competitor. This marked the beginning of “Main Event” Jey Uso.

Jey Uso then began a singles feud against Roman Reigns, challenging for the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell and Clash of Champions 2020. He didn’t win the championship in this feud, but he won over the WWE Universe. He showed that he can be a successful singles competitor; he just never had the opportunity.

Departing from the Bloodline in 2023, Uso continued as a singles competitor and flourished. This eventually led him to 2025, one of his most successful years. It started by winning the 2025 Royal Rumble match, a happy surprise for the WWE Universe, as he eliminated John Cena to capture the win. Uso then went to WrestleMania 41 and defeated Gunther for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Uso had thousands of people yeeting at Allegiant Stadium and thousands more watching from home around the world.

Yes Movement

WrestleMania 30 was a big show representing 30 years of the largest show of the year for WWE. When looking back at this Mania, everyone thinks of one moment first, and that is Daniel Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

The fans fought by his side the entire time. The odds were consistently stacked against Danielson, but with the fans’ power, he was able to overcome them. After getting screwed over by the authority repeatedly, the fans had had enough and made sure to stick by Danielson’s side.

Fans would repeatedly chant “Yes” or “Daniel Bryan” during segments that wouldn’t even involve Bryan. They didn’t let WWE have a choice in whether or not Bryan was going to be successful in the company, because they made the decision for them. The WWE Universe wanted Daniel Bryan.

Come WrestleMania 30, the “B+ player” won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania by defeating both Randy Orton and Batista. This is something every wrestler dreams of doing. The fans are what made it possible for Danielson.

Rehiring R-Truth

While we are on the topic of beloved WWE Superstars, one of the first that comes to many people’s minds is R-Truth. There have been nothing but good things said about him. The WWE Universe loves his charismatic ways and in-ring ability, despite being almost 54 years old. The rest of the WWE roster has always said positive things about Truth. It is shown that he is deeply loved backstage.

This is why June 1st, 2025, shocked everyone when WWE announced the release of WWE Superstars, one of them being R-Truth. The WWE Universe and wrestlers made their voices heard with their disappointment in this decision.

#WeWantTruth was trending on Twitter and was even chanted by the crowd during Monday Night Raw. When the WWE Universe has something to say, they will ensure that they are heard. CM Punk was forced to acknowledge these chants during his promo on Monday Night Raw because the fans were so persistent.

Only a week later, by June 7th, R-Truth made his return to the WWE. WWE was trying to pass it off as planned; however, everyone knows it wasn’t. R-Truth took to X to thank everyone who made #WeWantTruth real and brought it back to life.

The Return of CM Punk and AJ Lee

It took a decade for two of the most loved wrestlers in the business to return to the WWE, but what we thought was impossible was made possible. WWE has brought back CM Punk and AJ Lee.

Punk made his return to WWE back in 2023, while his wife, AJ Lee, returned more recently in 2025. When the two departed from WWE over 10 years ago, it wasn’t on the best of terms. No matter how much fans wanted them back, it was hard to believe that it would ever happen.

Throughout the time they were gone, there had been rumors constantly about both of their possible returns. There were many times that the idea of them coming back to a WWE ring was too good to be true. But one thing that we all know about WWE is that timing is everything.

The return of these beloved stars fell into place perfectly with timing and storylines. We can’t say for sure that the WWE Universe is the sole reason the two are back, but it definitely aided communication between both parties. The constant chants of “CM Punk” and “AJ Lee” during events they weren’t even involved in likely helped WWE reach out to the two. There may have been conflicting ideas between the parties, but in the end, the WWE knows what fans wanted to see.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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