Who had the most OVER WWE run of the last 10 years?

[MTL722]

With all of the complaining and negativity going on in this forum for the last week, I am going to go against the grain here a start an ENTIRELY positive thread. Who, in the last 10 years, had the most over definitive HEEL or FACE run? Name the talent and timeframe or storyline of their run. The following are qualifiers and caveats that I'd like to see in this discussion

1. No 50/50 reactions. Your answer must have been a clear heel or face
2. No Cena. Not for reasons of hate, but for his 50/50 reaction
3. This includes ALL talent. Wrestler, commentator, manager, etc.
4. Finally, NO "part-time" talent. The talent must have been seen LIVE and IN PERSON weekly for at least 4 weeks

Have a nice day!

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I'm not sure about the criteria you use to consider someone "most over" and the time-frame is pretty weird.

Nevertheless, I'd say Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam(2000-2002 I guess?, though he was pretty over in 2006 as well), and Randy Orton come to mind.

But I think Shawn Michaels and CM Punk were even more over. So it would probably come down to them both. And since Punk actually got more over after 2010, and HBK retired, I'd have to go with Punk. CM Punk had the most over run between 2006-2014.

Reasons:-
1)His ECW Debut.
2)Survivor Series 2006, the arena chanting "CM Punk" and NOT for Hardys or DX, arguably two of the most over tag-teams/groups in the WWE ever.
3)July 2011. Punk basically reinvented wrestling. Can you even imagine the rest of 2011 with Cena as champ and CM Punk never happening/rising? The WWE should be thanking Punk. But then assholes are assholes.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

For the faces
Batista was way over from 2005-2007 as a face. He wasn't getting the reaction Cena was getting at least.

Jeff Hardy from 2008-2009 was the most over babyface on the roster, no doubt about it.

CM Punk was also over from 2011-2012 until he turned face, but not as over as the previous two.

My answer haowever is going to be Daniel Bryan. Nobody in the last 10 years came to level of fan reaction he had. Wrestlemania 30 is proof of that. The fans just wanted to see him become the champ. Even in his Team Hell No days, he was insanely over..

For the heels
Edge. Is there anyone else in the past ten years that made every single fan on the planet boo the hell out of him? No. Edge, from 2006-2009 was the company #1 heel. Everybody hated Edge. He had amazing charisma and that face of his, the only thing you wanted to do with that stupid face was to punch it.

Honorable mention here: CM Punk. Punk was a great heel from 2009-2011 and in 2012. But given the fact that in his first heel run he didn't have the success Edge had and during his second he was getting cheered, I give the heel throne to Edge.

Another honorable mention is Orton in his run from 2006-2009. However I always believed that Edge was the better heel, due to his charisma and mic skills, which IMO are far superior to Orton's.

EDIT: How could I forget Chris Jericho? 2008-2010? Universally hated. But still, Edge gets it for me.

 

[MTL722]

I'm not sure about the criteria you use to consider someone "most over" and the time-frame is pretty weird. .

Over is over. Everyone here knows what that is. Who was best at soliciting reactions that they were supposed to get? Time frame is based mostly on this being a new generation. Funny how you went with a 2000-2002 run tho.

For instance, Vickie Guerrero during her GM run got NUCLEAR heat. It was mostly just based on her voice, but she was amazing at getting the entire audience to boo

 

[LionheartY2J]

It has to be Daniel Bryan. This guy went from nothing to icon status overnight. In fact, I'd go as far as to say in terms of peak popularity in my lifetime, he's in a class with Hogan, Undertaker, Stone Cold, The Rock, and Goldberg.

 

[Checkmate]

Babyface:

- The Undertaker: 2005 - 2007

Before he was a part-timer, the Undertaker consistently appeared on Smackdown and was probably the most over babyface on the brand, aside from a select few others, such as Batista. His feuds with Batista and Randy Orton are standout moments.

- Daniel Bryan: 2013 - 2015

The YES Movement is one of the largest fan movements in the history of wrestling. It transcended WWE and made appearances at sports arenas during games. Anytime such a thing happens for a wrestler, they are most certainly over. Injuries aside, Bryan faced top level guys like Cena, Orton, and Triple H en route to winning the WWE title in the main event of Wrestlemania.

- Batista: 2005-2006 (and perhaps even 2007)

People cried when he vacated the title due to injury. Think about that. This guy was over. He had a Daniel Bryan-esque storyline before Daniel Bryan; he was held down by Evolution and the crowd wanted to see him breakout and be the man. Then, he did. His feud with Triple H was great, then he went over to Smackdown and had some solid, if forgettable, matches.


Heel:

- Michael Cole: 2010 - 2012

Talk about nuclear heat. People loved (or hated) to hate Michael Cole. His feud with Jerry Lawler was awful, painful to watch, and so lengthy that people boo'd this guy before he even spoke.

There are plenty of others, but those were the first ones I thought to mention.

 

[kkrulez64]

1. No 50/50 reactions. Your answer must have been a clear heel or face
2. No Cena. Not for reasons of hate, but for his 50/50 reaction
3. This includes ALL talent. Wrestler, commentator, manager, etc.
4. Finally, NO "part-time" talent. The talent must have been seen LIVE and IN PERSON weekly for at least 4 weeks

So which is it?

Talent is talent. Doesn't matter how often that person is there.

 

[YatesA]

I didn't watch wrestling when Cena was over so can't say for sure but wasn't he massive in 2006? CM Punk popped into !y head first as he was the one who kept me watching after The Rock initially got me back. Also Daniel Bryan is a contender. Edge and Jeff Hardy too I guess.

 

[Messiah]

It's gotta be Chris Jericho. He was super over as a heel and can play a babyface at any time and be over as well. Daniel Bryan was very over as a face to, but wasn't a great heel. He tried but couldn't do it, people loved him too much.

Gotta love the people mentioning CM Punk. He was barely over at all, i guess any excuse to mention the guy.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I didn't watch wrestling when Cena was over so can't say for sure but wasn't he massive in 2006? CM Punk popped into !y head first as he was the one who kept me watching after The Rock initially got me back. Also Daniel Bryan is a contender. Edge and Jeff Hardy too I guess.

Yes. That's the stupid part of this thread. He was crazy over in 05 and 06. It's easily the best answer for a face, with the best argument being DB.

 

[Aquaman6686]

For faces - Jeff Hardy from mid 2008 to when he left, Daniel Bryan beginning in summer 2012, CM Punk beginning in summer 2011, Christian from when he returned in 2009 to when they buried him in 2011, and Dolph Ziggler beginning in summer 2012.

For heels - Vickie Guerrero from pretty much the instant she started managing wrestlers, Chris Jericho in his 2008 - 2009 run (which I still don't get to this day; the storyline logic clearly dictated Shawn Michaels was the heel, and yet it was Y2J who got booed and they turned him instead. The biggest mystery in wrestling history to me), Muhammad Hassan in 2005, and, realistically, Michael Cole. That guy is almost universally hated and booed. I'll never get why.

 

[ghost94]

4. John Cena 2009-2012
3. Randy Orton 2008-2011
2. Edge 2006-2008.
1. CM Punk 2011-2013

Not even close. CM Punk brought more eyes to wrestling than anyone since Stone Cold.

Edge hit hall of famer status during 2006-2008.

Randy Orton was carrying the company and everyone knew it.

Cena is Cena, deal with it.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

It has to be Daniel Bryan. This guy went from nothing to icon status overnight. In fact, I'd go as far as to say in terms of peak popularity in my lifetime, he's in a class with Hogan, Undertaker, Stone Cold, The Rock, and Goldberg.

I agree, if it was the best fan reactions boiling down to one wrestler, Daniel Bryan got absolutely fantastic reactions when he gained top face steam. His win over Triple H at Wrestlemania got an epic crowd response, his face turn back against Bray Wyatt in a steel cage was the biggest reaction I've seen on television since Stone Cold showed up and helped his WWE roster fight off an Invasion.

His popularity and story build really pushed the huge YES movement and put the title around his waist. If not DB then the obvious pick is John Cena, but the OP says we can't pick Cena.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, there've been quite a lot of guys who were over, insanely over at that, at various times. Aside from Cena himself, I'd probably have to go with Daniel Bryan. Fans young & old, male & female, hardcore to casual rallied around Daniel Bryan over a steady period from late 2011 and kicked into another level starting around the beginning of the summer of 2013. From then through WrestleMania XXX, Bryan's reactions week in & week out were monstrous, unlike anything seen in quite a long time. Jericho, HBK, Taker, Hardy, Punk, etc. all got huge responses at various times, but the fact that Bryan was so over with fans that it actually forced Vince McMahon to change WrestleMania plans or risk having the entire event become one humongous flop just sets that roughly 8 month period on a different level.

 

[Navi]

I've never seen a response to a wrestler like the popularity of Daniel Bryant. He is like as JH said, liked by almost everyone. From kids to adults, men and women of all ages, just adore the guy. I put it down to the fact that he's the guy next door. The type of person you see on the street everyday, in the stores or the malls. There is nothing outstanding about him, but in the ring he is fantastic. And if the backstage reports are true, he's the nicest guy in the locker room, very down to earth and kind.

He can get a dead crowd going just by jumping sideways down the ramp and throwing his hands in the air. His journey to the title at Wrestlemania 30 was was of the best hero's journey's the WWE have ever created. No matter what they threw in his path, he beat them all and walked away with his head held high. When Lesnar broke Taker's streak I've never seen so many people just sit there in stunned silence. Daniel Bryant's match against Orton and Batista, overcame that shadow and his win brought that stunned crowd back to life. I'm afraid I will never see another like Daniel Bryan in my lifetime, so I'm glad I got to see him at his best.

As for heels, there was none greater than Vickie Guerrero. She never failed with her "Excuse Me" to draw nuclear heat from the audience. They hated her, and she reviled in it. For someone who rarely got into the ring, the heat she got was greater than most of the active wrestling heels on the roster.

It's a testament to what she brought to the WWE, when on her last night, they let her come out to Eddie's music and throw Stephanie McMahon into a pit of slime. Her going out on a high note to the cheers of the crowd was a sight I won't soon forget. I think the audience realized that night just what an asset she had been and how much we were all going to miss her. I still miss her today.

 

[yourdamnluck]

vicky even though she's the ex wife of one of the most over and beloved face she chose to not use the sympathy and be the best heel non wrestler ever. I don't think anyone can surpass her unless they look like Osama.
HHH got massive cheers as face and massive unanimous boos as heel/authority.
Jerico from the day he stepped foot in wwe till today there is no body who can control people the way he did the way he transitions from heel to face and back again, only The Great One himself can do it better.
C M Punk I don't like him but lets face it the guy has work hard and was over both as heel and face.
Edge His finishing move may look like a hug but the guy compensated that with his innovations in the ring. He has given us some of the most unforgettable spots spear to foley on the burning table,on jeff hardy hanging on to the belt, AA through 2 tables and being choke slammed to hell.

Undertaker and Daniel Bryan surpassed all of them as far as being over goes.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

Didn't the OP say pick ONE talent that was the most over in the last 10 years? Seems like people here can't read. Anyways my choice is Daniel Bryan for sure

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I've never seen a response to a wrestler like the popularity of Daniel Bryant.

You more than likely didn't watch wrestling in the 80's and 90's. Hogan and Austin, at the very least, had hotter runs.

People need to keep in mind that "over" doesn't just mean popular among internet fans. John Cena, boos and cheers, and The Undertaker are the most over wrestlers of the last 10 years, overall. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk had really hot runs, but they didn't last very long. I would say Daniel Bryan, though, had the most red hot run of all. Fans went crazy for him, some of that in opposition to WWE and who they usually like to push.

 

[Navi]

You more than likely didn't watch wrestling in the 80's and 90's. Hogan and Austin, at the very least, had hotter runs.
.

I took frequent breaks from the sport. You know getting married having kids so on and so forth. I think there was a time I didn't watch for a good 5 years, and missed a lot. So just going by what I've seen personally.

And just realized I misspelled Daniel Bryan's name wrong. UGH.

 

[Rayne]

I took frequent breaks from the sport. You know getting married having kids so on and so forth. I think there was a time I didn't watch for a good 5 years, and missed a lot. So just going by what I've seen personally.

And just realized I misspelled Daniel Bryan's name wrong. UGH.

I think Daniel Bryant is a college in Rhode Island where rich parents send their idiot kids to fuck off for four years and still be able to get a respectable job afterwards.

 

[OYDK]

Close between Daniel Bryan and C.M. Punk. Punk had fantastic runs as both a face and a heel, either of which could be listed as the best run of the past decade. But I too have to go with Daniel Bryan and the YES Movement. 99% of fans loved this guy, and they showed it every single week. I would honestly say that we hadn't seen that type of fan reaction for a wrestler since Hogan's 2002 run, and for this era of fans, that's pretty incredible.

Cena's 2005 run is up there too as people were going absolutely nuts for him at this time, but I'll stick with Bryan simply because he was able to capture the fans' hearts like nobody we've ever seen in this era (other than maybe Punk as mentioned). Kids, adults, teens, women, everybody loved Daniel Bryan.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Lmao at asking who had the most over run of the last decade then eliminate the man who steered the ship for the entire decade sigh. John Cena is the answer no matter what reaction he gets (he was the most over face by a mile in 2005 which is why he was moved to RAW and made the guy in the first place)but since you want a different answer;
DX in 2006
Jericho as a heel in 2008
JEFF hardy as a face in 08 (#2 could be #1...could have passed Cena if he stayed clean)
Punk in 2011 (HOTTEST IMO)
Bryan in 2013
Lesnar before losing to Taker

 

[SSJPhenom]

It has to be Daniel Bryan.

Let me add some perspective for those who seem to have forgotten just what this guy did. First, he had a red hot run with Kane as a part of Team Hell No. They were so over that for the first time in a long time, a tag team was given the most important and prominent time slots on television and were more often than not a part of the most important storyline of that particular night. I mean come on; Bryan was able to make Kane important again. The only other person that’s been able to do that in the last few years has been ‘Taker and even he struggles to do it. Then, when Team Hell No broke up, Daniel Bryan started his historic run to Wrestlemania 30. He was so over and so loved by the fans that WWE was forced to change their plans for WM 30 and they had to add Bryan to the main event. He was so over that a guy like the Big Show was able to piggy back off of him and get a little mini face run of his own. Bryan’s Yes movement was so over that it was appearing on television outside of wrestling. The Yes chant was seen during sporting events, on talk shows, and other things. It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen someone as genuinely loved by the fans as Daniel Bryan is. He’s an instant hit whenever he’s in the ring. This is why I don’t understand for the life of me why the WWE are dragging their feet in allowing Daniel Bryan to come back. It can’t just be because he’s injury prone. Austin was injury prone, ‘Taker is injury prone, and Orton is injury prone, and so on. So many guys are prone to injury and the WWE has no apprehension in bringing them back. So something else is going on with the Daniel Bryan situation. I just hope that it’s not as simple as Vince or Trips or someone being so petty that they are holding him back just to spite him and the fans because they didn’t hand pick him.

 

[JoeMallard]

It has to be Daniel Bryan.

Let me add some perspective for those who seem to have forgotten just what this guy did. First, he had a red hot run with Kane as a part of Team Hell No. They were so over that for the first time in a long time, a tag team was given the most important and prominent time slots on television and were more often than not a part of the most important storyline of that particular night. I mean come on; Bryan was able to make Kane important again. The only other person that’s been able to do that in the last few years has been ‘Taker and even he struggles to do it. Then, when Team Hell No broke up, Daniel Bryan started his historic run to Wrestlemania 30. He was so over and so loved by the fans that WWE was forced to change their plans for WM 30 and they had to add Bryan to the main event. He was so over that a guy like the Big Show was able to piggy back off of him and get a little mini face run of his own. Bryan’s Yes movement was so over that it was appearing on television outside of wrestling. The Yes chant was seen during sporting events, on talk shows, and other things. It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen someone as genuinely loved by the fans as Daniel Bryan is. He’s an instant hit whenever he’s in the ring. This is why I don’t understand for the life of me why the WWE are dragging their feet in allowing Daniel Bryan to come back. It can’t just be because he’s injury prone. Austin was injury prone, ‘Taker is injury prone, and Orton is injury prone, and so on. So many guys are prone to injury and the WWE has no apprehension in bringing them back. So something else is going on with the Daniel Bryan situation. I just hope that it’s not as simple as Vince or Trips or someone being so petty that they are holding him back just to spite him and the fans because they didn’t hand pick him.

He'd make Reigns look like some random midcarder, we know Vince doesn't want that to happen. God forbid someone without big muscles or related to Dwayne gets the majority of the audience behind them. SMH

Back to the thread, the two hottest properties in the company in the past 10 years, other than Cena, were Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Punk was the biggest heel during the SES and the biggest face during the summer of 2011 to early/mid 2012. Bryan's YES Movement slowly began at Mania 28 and kept growing from there.

 

[rmp0012002]

I have to go with Bryan and Punk but mainly Bryan. He was the ultimate underdog and crowds went absolutely crazy. He also has a character where the fans could be part of the show. Punk's main attribute was that he was great on the mic but having to lose to The Rock killed him inside. He might be back but Bryan no.