Bad Crowds Ruined These Great Wrestling Matches

Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins

The first-ever match for the Universal Championship should've been a significant deal. WWE was introducing a new major title, and two of WWE's best were competing for it, which seemed like a match made in heaven. On paper, this was an ideal situation, and Finn Balor and Seth Rollins delivered a hard-hitting encounter.

However, the audience was only focused on the design of the bright red title. Fans didn't care about the match because it looked poor, focusing instead on the epic singles match taking place in front of them.

DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns

DIY and Motor City Machine Guns are two of the greatest tag teams of their generation, and seeing them be put against each other in a two-out-of-three falls match should've been a huge deal. Unfortunately, the audience was almost silent for the first two falls, which massively hurt the match.

The encounter at the Royal Rumble in a stadium likely didn't help, as this was the type of match best suited to a small venue. But the fact that fans didn't get behind it at all just killed the team's momentum.

Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Wrestling fans were tired of Randy Orton and John Cena competing against each other by the time this match rolled around, and they decided to let the company know about it. Fans chanted anything they could think of, from "boring" to "Randy Savage," as they disengaged from the encounter.

It's a shame, because it's actually one of their stronger singles matches against each other. They threw in lots of false finishes and even busted out each other's moves to try to pop the fans, and if the audience had engaged with them, it could've been special.

Hikaru Shida vs. Riho

Nowadays, Hikaru Shida and Riho are two of AEW's most well-known performers, with fans being aware that anytime either steps into the ring, there's a good chance of a classic being created. But at All Out, 2019, that knowledge wasn't there, and the audience wasn't exactly kind to them.

Rather than getting invested in everything that happened between them, audiences opted not to care. There was a lack of reaction throughout the match, which was unusual for an AEW crowd.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey

This was the first-ever women's match to headline WrestleMania, which should've been an electric atmosphere to reward the women and the division generally for eachting that point. While there were a few moments when the audience picked up, for the majority of the match, it was deathly quiet, which hurt the encounter.

The main reason was the event's length, which had dragged on too long, leaving the audience unable to remain engaged. Even the finish, with Becky Lynch getting her triumphant moment, only drew a small pop, which kept this from being as iconic as it could've been.

Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy

Aleister Black is a fantastic wrestler who brings plenty of quick strikes, and Buddy Murphy is capable of matching that at the same speed himself. Putting them against each other led to a hard-hitting match that was full of reversals and excellent technical skills, but the fans just didn't care.

The lack of reaction prevented the match from reaching the heights it should have, given the work they put in. But with neither man being a priority for WWE at the time, fans treated the match accordingly and didn't get behind it.

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

Lighting at wrestling shows is essential, and at WrestleMania 35, that was evident. Randy Orton was taking on AJ Styles in a dream encounter, but the fans spent all their time shouting and complaining about the lights as they were pointed directly into their faces.

Many fans couldn't see the ring at all because WWE set it up that way, so they had to be vocal rather than engage in the match itself. Orton and Styles were leaving everything in the ring at the Grandest Stage of Them All, but they didn't get the response they deserved, which hurt the viewing audience at home.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins competing against Dolph Ziggler in a 30-minute Iron Man match should've led to a classic encounter that fans would never forget. The two men involved worked hard to make that happen, putting together a match that built steadily toward the finish to suit the stipulation.

Instead, audiences ruined the match by counting down toward the end of each minute in a Royal Rumble style. It meant fans were busy counting from 10 rather than reacting to anything either man did, which got even worse when WWE turned the clock off, as they booed everything.