8 Wrestling Moments That Went Off The Rails (& Fans Loved It)

In a wrestling storyline, there is usually an obvious path to take. More often than not, the good guy wins, and the bad guy receives a major humbling. Otherwise, the bad guy wins to cement his status as A top star, if not THE top star.

But sometimes circumstances conspire to throw everything off the rails. Whether it be caused by injury or not, sometimes sticking to the script can be hard to do. And when it does, the fans will usually be left asking themselves why it happened. And then there are the examples below, the ones that the fans fully embraced across WWE and the rest of the world, regardless of the logic behind them.

8 The 2022 WWE Women's Tag Title Tournament

Aliyah Raquel Rodriquez Women's Tag Team Champions

When WWE announced the field for the Women's Tag Team Championship tournament in August 2022, there was only one logical outcome: Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky, Bayley's newfound allies, cutting a swathe of destruction on their way to gold. But for many, it made way too much sense for them to stomach.

So when (gasp!) Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah won the gold instead, quite a good number of fans rejoiced. Here, they said, was the proof that Triple H was capable of properly deviating from the norm.

7 KofiMania

Kofi Kingston was not supposed to become a main-eventer, let alone WWE Champion - that is fact. He was supposed to be forever a midcard guy, one capable of being Intercontinental, United States, or Tag Team Champion, but nothing more.

Then Mustafa Ali got hurt around the Elimination Chamber, necessitating a change. Enter Kofi, who had a massive performance in the titular match. Fans immediately demanded that he enter the upper card, and after a long road that involved a gauntlet tag match and meddling by none other than Vince McMahon, they finally got their wish - him defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35.

6 Giulia's Delayed Red Belt Coronation

If there is anything that the Joshi promotion Stardom loves, it is showing the fans who its top stars are or will be. Back in 2021, Giulia was the talk of the Joshi world. Having already established herself as one of the best Wonder of Stardom (white belt) titleholders, she seemed destined to become the next World of Stardom (red belt) Champion, and the 5 Star (its G1 equivalent) was the perfect way to set up the inevitable.

Unfortunately, a concussion forced Stardom to postpone the plan, but luckily it had a backup: Syuri, who had gone to a draw with Utami Hayashishita back in June. That made their pair of meetings in 2022 more fitting - Syuri would break away from their faction Donna Del Mondo during her reign, and it was now up to Giulia to get the red belt there.

5 Cody Rhodes Vs. Brodie Lee, Part 1

Seeing Cody Rhodes fail to defeat Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear was somewhat traumatizing to watch, but on the bright side, he did put his focus on getting as many aspiring talents over as possible as TNT champion.

But his first reign ended with a shocking bang. It was mid-August. The late Brodie Lee had risen through the ranks as the Exalted One, and failed challenge against Jon Moxley notwithstanding, he was still presented as a formidable heel. This match, to everyone's shock, turned out to be a total mismatch in Lee's favor. Cody barely put up a fight, and audiences just sat (or) stood in stunned amazement.

4 Bobby Roode's Heel Turn

As a face, Bobby Roode was decent, but he did not really find his footing until he turned heel. It was 2011. Each half of Beer Money, Inc. fared differently when challenging Kurt Angle. Roode lost at Bound For Glory, but James Storm won the title soon after. Wanting redemption, Roode became the number one contender and challenged his partner.

So everyone was going to see a clean and fair fight between tag partners, right? Wrong. As the referee was reeling from an apparent injury, Roode grabbed a beer bottle, then smashed it over Storm's head. That was the end of Beer Money and the beginning of Roode's record-breaking first reign.

3 Batista and John Cena Eliminate Each Other

By the beginning of 2005, Batista and John Cena were well on their way to becoming the faces of WWE. But executives had a dilemma - would they go with the brutally built Animal or the fiery Doctor of Thuganomics?

That question came to a head at the Royal Rumble, when they were the last two men left standing. Originally, Batista was supposed to win the entire thing clean, but he lost his footing while attempting to powerbomb Cena out of the ring, and they went crashing out simultaneously. After much confusion, Vince McMahon (who memorably slipped and tore his quads as he was walking down the ramp) ordered the match restarted. Batista won the match as planned, but Cena also proved a winner as well, as they would both become world champions at WrestleMania 21.

2 TLC 2017

This is a two-in-one offer that many fans can be grateful for.

First, The Shield was supposed to reunite for the first time in more than three years against The Miz, The Bar, Kane, and Braun Strowman. One problem: Roman Reigns contracted mumps and thus would be too ill to compete. Enter Kurt Angle - in his first WWE match in years. Everyone rejoiced.

Then there was the "Demon" Finn Balor-Bray Wyatt feud. To be frank, no one cared about it. Then Bray contracted mumps as well, and he was replaced by SmackDown's AJ Styles, coming off an international tour. The two former Bullet Club leaders proceeded to steal the show, and the Phenomenal One soon got rewarded for his efforts by winning the WWE Title off Jinder Mahal.

1 The Yes Movement

Possibly the greatest example of fans sending a storyline off the rails, the Yes Movement helped to turn Daniel Bryan into one of the most popular wrestlers in the world and became a blueprint for how WWE would handle unexpected character windfalls (Becky Lynch, Kofi Kingston, and Sami Zayn to name a few).

In essence, this could be construed as multiple moments going off the rails. 18 seconds? Team Hell No? Batista winning the Rumble? Fans could not wait for the inevitable sweet triumph, and their reactions told the tale. But the best moment was probably Bryan and his fans literally amassing inside the Raw ring and doing an occupation until the man's demands were fulfilled.