Mistakes That Made Fans Turn On AEW Wrestlers

During the first three years of AEW's existence, it seemed almost unfathomable that the promotion would find itself in a situation where its fans would turn on any of its wrestlers. Not only did that seem to be more of WWE's thing, but AEW gave off the feel of a promotion that listened to the fans and did their best to cater to them, with the wrestlers all following the same pursuit. And for a time, that's exactly what happened; anyone who goes back to watch the early days of AEW, or looks at the consensus for talents that appeared during that time, will be hard pressed to find any situation that caused fans to turn on the promotion or a particular talent.

Alas, nothing lasts forever, and neither did the idea that fans would never turn on AEW talents. Now six years into AEW's existence, it has happened more than a handful of times, whether it be because fans felt a character wasn't working, real life controversies, or in the case of Sammy Guevara, a combination of real life controversies and his romantic life. So it's pretty telling that Guevera's situation is only a footnote in comparison to some of the other occurrences that will be covered in the next little bit. Here are some instances where fans turned on AEW wrestlers after some pretty bad mistakes.

AEW began in part because of Cody Rhodes, so it's only natural we star there, especially since Rhodes was truly the first AEW wrestler fans rejected. In a way, it's wild to think about given that Rhodes not only was a founding father of AEW but also was the promotion's most beloved babyface for the first year of its existence, with fans rallying behind him for his feuds with Chris Jericho, MJF, and his run as TNT Champion. Even when Rhodes got his now infamous "American Nightmare" logo tattooed on his neck for the MJF match, fans continued to support him. But it all changed in the lead up to Double or Nothing 2021, when Rhodes was feuding with Anthony Ogogo and QT Marshall, and decided to cut a promo that many fans have jokingly suggested was Rhodes claiming he ended racism.

It wasn't immediate, but that promo, followed by a feud with the debuting Malakai Black, seemed to directly lead to Rhodes being booed out of buildings by the fall, regardless of the fact that Rhodes was a babyface or was even going as far to set himself on fire during a street fight with Andrade El Idolo. It only got worse when Rhodes acknowledged the boos, but refused to turn, and proceeded to defeat Guevara to win the TNT Championship a second time, earning even more ire. While the mystery surrounding Rhodes' departure from AEW to WWE remains, many believe at least part of it was because Rhodes had exhausted himself with the AEW audience. And given how hostile they got towards him following that infamous promo, it's easy to understand why some would think that.

Even the most diehard of CM Punk haters could've never predicted things would end the way they did between him and AEW when Punk returned to pro wrestling on August 21, 2021 at "AEW Rampage." Still one of the most electrifying, joyous moments in AEW's history, it seemed impossible that Punk would wind up working anywhere else in his wrestling career at that moment. Exactly one year later, he would be the catalyst in the infamous Brawl Out fiasco between himself, Ace Steel, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks, and a year after that would find himself out of AEW following an altercation at AEW All In between himself and Jack Perry. Legitimately, Punk's AEW tenure began with the highest of highs, before ending with arguably the lowest of lows.

In fairness to Punk, he didn't lose the entire AEW audience throughout this whole ordeal, maintaining plenty of supporters who first blamed the Bucks (and to a lesser extent Omega and "Hangman" Adam Page) for Brawl Out, and especially Perry for All In. In fact, a reasonable argument could be made that Perry belongs in this spot instead of Punk, given the former Jurassic Express member has remained a polarizing figure within the AEW fanbase since that incident. But in the end, it has to be Punk, just given the contrast in emotions AEW fans had towards him at the start and at the end. To many, he was the conquering hero and missing piece to AEW when he arrived. By the time he left, those same fans believed his actions were the biggest reason for the promotion's downturn in 2022 and 2023.

Britt Baker's AEW tenure has been a bit of a rollercoaster in regards to how fans have perceived her. Despite being the first woman signed to the promotion, fans were notably disinterested in babyface Baker when AEW first started airing on TNT, and it wasn't until she turned heel in early 2020 that fans began to appreciate her work. By the time she won the AEW Women's Championship at Double or Nothing 2021, Baker was the most over woman on the roster, and seemed to be finally accepted with the fanbase. The cracks began a year later, around the same time as the CM Punk fiasco happened, when reports emerged that Baker and in-ring rival Thunder Rosa had heat. This sparked a split in the fanbase, and while most AEW fans didn't turn on Baker, it added resentment to a corner of the fanbase that believed Baker was pushed too hard, and received opportunities other AEW women deserved instead.

It wouldn't be until Baker returned from a nine month layoff, caused by a mini-stroke, that the fans finally had enough of her. Ironically, Baker returned to heavy cheers from the audience, and her All In match against Mercedes Mone immediately became one of the show's most anticipated matches. But despite a well-received lead up, Baker annoyed many after a report regarding a backstage confrontation with MJF came to light, followed by her match with Mone that left many fans disappointed. Just a couple months later, an on-air segment between Baker and Serena Deeb came across to many as devolving into a shoot, with Baker claiming no one cared about Deeb. She has not been seen on AEW TV since, and unfortunately for Baker, her baggage has left many fans indifferent regarding whether she ever returns.

Former AEW World Champion MJF may be the only wrestler on this list who'd be happy that fans have turned on him. The "Salt of the Earth" has mostly prided himself on being loathed by the wrestling fanbase at large, doing all he could during the first four years of AEW's existence to be hated. Ironically while doing so, he actually got the fans to cheer for him following a scathing rebuke of Tony Khan during a June episode of "AEW Dynamite," positive support that continued even when MJF continued to be the bad guy after. As a result, MJF and AEW eventually had no choice but to embrace the cheers, using a tag team with Adam Cole to do so, before punctuating the face turn at AEW All In, where MJF chose the right way to win, and embraced friendship with Cole after instead of pushing it away.

Of all things, this was the start of AEW fans, or at least a section of AEW fans, turning on MJF, and not in the good way. To be fair, MJF never lost the audience entirely, remaining a wrestler fans in the building loved during that time, or a wrestler fans loved to hate when he reverted back to being a heel in 2024. But the follow up to All In saw some of AEW's most hardcore audience sour on him, believing his storyline with Cole to be too corny/too similar to WWE angles, while others criticized MJF's heel work later as being too derivative from his superior efforts years earlier. The fan resentment has even creeped into MJF's character, with him claiming fans are hypocritical for liking other wrestlers, such as "Hangman" Adam Page, that did similar things MJF did as a babyface, only for fans to turn on him.

After five years of being considered the heart and soul of AEW, fans finally decided they had enough of Jon Moxley shortly after he won the AEW World Championship and took stranglehold of AEW, alongside his Death Rider's stable. Though well received at first, by the time Moxley's AEW Revolution match with Adam Copeland had ended, most were ready for the Death Rider storyline to conclude right then and there. Fans were fed up with the constant run-ins and interference during Moxley's title matches, some thought Moxley's in-ring style as champion regressed, while others labeled it as the worst run of Moxley's otherwise glowing career. It was a remarkable turn of events given Moxley's previously beloved reputation amongst the AEW audience.

Ultimately, Moxley did prove to be different from the others on this list in one major regard; he got the fans back on his side. While there were still some bumps in the road following the Copeland match, Moxley's performances were better received as the months went on, and by the time Moxley dropped the AEW World Title to "Hangman" Adam Page at All In, most fans were back to giving Moxley his due. Some even started re-evaluating the Death Riders storyline, noting that while there were rough patches, business did improve with Moxley as champion, and that his position as the cheating, unbeatable, despicable top heel had made Page's overthrow of him that much sweeter. So in a way, it could be argued that the fans turning on Moxley wound up being a good thing, even though it did take awhile to get there.