Where Hulk Hogan ranks among the most hated WWE wrestlers of all time
Hulk Hogan has died
As tributes follow Hulk Hogan’s death at 71, it feels apt to recall how wrestling feeds on big reactions. Boos are expected, but some went beyond scripted villainy. Through controversy, missteps or overstaying their welcome, they earned real hatred. Let's see where Hulk Hogan ranked among wrestling’s most despised figures...
20. John Cena
Ok, let's ease into it. Cena is now a legend – and that's fair enough – but at his peak, fans loathed how WWE shoved him down their throats. The "Super Cena" era saw him never lose clean, deliver the same five moves, and derail rising stars – all while WWE ignored the constant "Cena sucks" chants. Though if you ask us, based on his current in-ring work, we should bring back those chants...
18. Randy Orton
It might seem like a lifetime ago, but Randy Orton's early career was plagued with bad attitudes, backstage heat, and forced main-event pushes. Fans resented just how much WWE kept pushing him despite reported behavioral issues behind the scenes. It absolutely stunk of nepotism.
17. The Miz
On a similar note, The Miz was once one of the most universally despised wrestlers in WWE. His over-the-top antics, reality TV background, and perceived lack of wrestling ability made him a target for criticism. Fans took years to accept him as a legit talent, but early on, he had pure go-away heat.
16. Snitsky
"It wasn't my fault!" became his catchphrase, but his lack of charisma definitely was. Snitsky (pictured right, obviously), his awkward promos and limited in-ring skills made him an odd choice for a major push, especially when one of his biggest storylines involved punting a baby doll into the crowd.
15. Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious had the look, the size, and the intensity—but not much else. His promos were incoherent, his work rate was questionable, and he famously walked out on WWE more than once. His reputation for being unreliable only made him more frustrating for fans.
14. Nathan Jones
WWE hyped Nathan Jones as an unstoppable Australian colossus – until he actually had to wrestle. Green as grass and stiff as a board, he flopped so hard that WWE pulled him from a planned WrestleMania match with The Undertaker because they didn't trust him to deliver, as Bleacher Report revealed. Fortunately, WWE was merciful with this one.
Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot @WWE
13. Ryback
At first, Ryback looked like WWE's next big powerhouse. Then, as his push intensified, so did the backlash. His reckless in-ring style, backstage arrogance, and inability to evolve made him a liability. His post-WWE rants, such as one he delivered to Sports Illustrated in the wake of his departure, didn't help matters either.
12. Lord Tensai
Lord who? A-Train's return to WWE as the mystical Lord Tensai was an absolute disaster. WWE hyped him as an unstoppable force, only for the crowd to immediately chant "Albert" at him. Despite an early push, he quickly became a glorified jobber, proving fans wouldn't buy what WWE was selling.
Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot @WWE
10. Edge
Edge's real-life affair with Lita while she was dating Matt Hardy turned him into one of WWE's most hated figures. Fans despised him, and WWE ran with it, making Edge and Lita an on-screen couple. His "Live Sex Celebration" and relentless beatdowns on Hardy only fuelled the hate. While he became a legend, his mid-2000s heel run was built on genuine fan resentment.
9. JBL
Despite being a solid heel, did anybody really buy him as a world champion? His main event push was one of the most forced in WWE history—and it went on for an eternity in what has to be one of the dullest eras of wrestling. His real-life bullying behavior coming to light has only soured things further.
8. Roman Reigns
On a similar note, while Roman Reigns is today one of WWE's best, back when WWE relentlessly shoved him down fans' throats, he was despised. The infamous 2015 Royal Rumble debacle and constant, forced main-event pushes despite fans wanting others (like Daniel Bryan) made him the face of WWE's tone-deaf booking. Even still, there's a loud contingent who haven't gotten over it.
7. Brock Lesnar
Though we never bought in, Brock Lesnar is objectively a force of nature, but his part-time dominance and ludicrous deal have really infuriated fans. Watching him squash full-time talent, rarely defend the title, and disappear for months at a time has really rubbed fans up the wrong way to the point we don't really want to see him come back.
5. Hulk Hogan
Hogan was a hero in the 80s, but by the time he kept coming back in the 2000s, refusing to put over new talent, fans had had enough. Add in his very long list of real-life controversies and frankly awful reality TV series, and the once-beloved icon saw his legacy take a major hit. Not only was he at odds with fans in his final years, but he was also at odds with the locker room for most of his career.
4. Goldberg
Casual fans loved Goldberg, but dedicated wrestling fans and experts? Not so much. His reckless style, limited move set, and refusal to adapt rubbed purists the wrong way. The king of botches, dropping The Undertaker on his head and his mistimed, career-ending kick to Bret Hart, as recounted by Pro Wrestling Stories, basically sealed his fate as a real-life villain among fans.
3. X-Pac
"X-Pac Heat" isn't just a phrase—it's a phenomenon. While he was talented, fans got so sick of him that his presence alone triggered boos. Unlike other heels, people weren't booing because he was a good villain—they just wanted him gone.
2. Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon may be the most hated figure in wrestling history. Whether it was screwing over Bret Hart in Montreal, pushing talent no one wanted, running ridiculous storylines, or the many real-life controversies, McMahon has done just as much to destroy the WWE as he has to build it—and the fans know it. Though he's not a wrestler first and foremost, he's had enough matches to make this count in our minds.
1. The Great Khali
In an obvious ploy for the Indian audience, WWE's insistence on pushing The Great Khali as a main eventer, despite his horrible matches, wooden promos, and complete lack of mobility, made him the ultimate example of a bad push. Fans hated watching him wrestle—often in woefully boring squash matches because he couldn't really do anything – yet WWE refused to pull the plug for years.
