The relationship between wrestlers and wrestling fans is very important for one’s reputation. Unlike sports, production isn’t what decides how a wrestler will succeed ahead in the wrestling business. Fans pay to see and support the talent they enjoy the most. Wrestling promotions make decisions based off what the fans want to see most of the time. Fans typically enjoy the best performers that go on to have successful careers. That makes it even worse when these stars grow older and start to take the fan base that supported them through their careers for granted.

There have been quite a few wrestlers to reach legend status and keep their ego going despite the careers ending. Older wrestlers typically are forced out of WWE. They keep making money by working on independent wresting shows or appearing at conventions in hopes of getting fans to pay for autographs or pictures. Stories have leaked through the years to expose the following names for being absolute jerks when it comes to fan relations. These wrestlers have shown a lack of appreciation or respect for the role the fans played in their success. We will break down the worst of the worst with fifteen legendary wrestlers that don’t respect their fans.

15. Triple H

Triple H has tried to form a good relationship with the die-hard wrestling fans over the past few years. The success of NXT along with the signing of top free agents and the project of the Cruiserweight Classic has shown Triple H is trying to make money off what the current fan base wants. This wasn’t always the case for Triple H as he has said many disparaging things about wrestling fans during his time as an in-ring performer.

Triple H has chastised fans for being entitled and not knowing what’s best for them. The popular wrestler even insulted the fans in promos with no real reasoning behind it other than getting to vent about their complaints. Various interviews have exposed Triple H’s real views of the fans before his management position forced him to change his ways for the betterment of the company. Now he is trying to be everyone’s favorite wrestling mind which we can’t complain about.

14. Al Snow

The ECW run of Al Snow made him a highly respected name that has remained employed in the wrestling business to this very day. WWE transitioned him out of the ring into a trainer position running their developmental for a few years. Following his eventual departure, TNA hired Snow and he remains an important member of the backstage personnel as an agent and producer.

Despite being respected a legend in the wrestling industry, Snow has no tolerance for wrestling fans and has made some harsh remarks. A recent interview saw him go as far as to say he “hates” wrestling fans for being among the worst people you’ll ever encounter. There have been a few shoot interviews featuring Snow taking digs at fans for overreacting to things they know nothing about. Snow has made it known he doesn’t enjoy wrestling fans as a whole and that makes it hard to enjoy his older work the same.

13. Jake Roberts

Most longtime wrestling fans hold a strong nostalgia towards Jake Roberts as one of the most compelling wrestling characters of the 80s. Roberts was ahead of his time with outstanding in-ring work and promos. The longtime fans to meet him have found disappointment in the former hero being a tough person to deal with. Many stories have come out from fans expressing how rude Roberts was during the process of signing autographs and taking pictures.

Roberts’ past addiction issues with drugs and alcohol added to his negative reputation at various points. Reports suggest he would not be conversational and would talk down to fans that tried to make pleasant talk with him. The steps in cleaning up his life with the help of DDP Yoga have helped Roberts become more tolerable but he is still a pain to deal with depending on the day. Hopefully he continues to progress to the point where all of his future interactions go well.

12. Sycho Sid

The career of Sycho Sid is rather underrated in terms of his overall accomplishments. Sid won the WWE Championship, WCW Championship and main-evented multiple WrestleMania events. Most fans have forgotten about Sid due to WWE not having any use for him in current day returns or projects. Sid however remained a huge name for the entirety of the 90s until he suffered a severe injury towards the end of the Monday Night Wars.

A return to wrestling on the independent circuit saw Sid make appearances to wrestle short matches for a few years. Sid did not have a good reputation for being fun to deal with at the merchandise table. The disrespect grew when Sid started no-showing events on the day of the show not caring about the fans that purchased tickets to see him after he was advertised. Promoters, fellow wrestlers and most importantly the fans have been disappointed by the actions of Sid.

11. Konnan

Konnan is a legend in Mexico for his dominant stretch of time bringing fans into the shows during the early 90s. Wrestling expert Dave Meltzer still argues that Konnan was a bigger draw in Mexico than Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin were for WCW and WWE. Konnan made a bigger name for himself when he moved over to WCW and joined the New World Order. Recent years have seen Konnan become more vocal about his experiences with fans.

The retired star frequently insults fans on his podcast and has talked about some of his meaner moments. Konnan stated he has and will continue to yell at fans that request a picture with him in public if he doesn’t want to be bothered. His wrestling friends will stop to appease the fans but Konnan will keep it moving in between the insults. Unless he is shilling his podcast or a show he promoted, Konnan is not someone that will respect fans.

10. CM Punk

The retirement of CM Punk has seen him become an actual legend in the history of wrestling. Punk had an outstanding stretch towards the end of his career as one of the most popular superstars of all time. Unfortunately for fans, Punk isn’t the best person to deal with. Going all the way back to his independent days, Punk has been involved in heated exchanges with fans that he felt was annoying.

Punk is known for being moody and catching him on the wrong day will lead to awful interactions. The rants of Punk have seen him rant about fans that get on his bad side in public and on social media. In fairness, there have been some pleasant experiences where Punk went out of his way to provide a good time. However, the inconsistency shows he is a sign that Punk doesn’t necessarily care what fans think about him.

9. Kevin Nash

Kevin Nash is a controversial figure in wrestling due to the fact that many consider him to be a jerk. The veteran always looks out for himself first and often threw others under the bus to get ahead in the wrestling business. Nash not only showed a level of disrespect towards wrestlers but it carries over to fans. The social media page of Nash often features him getting into insults being thrown around with him holding nothing back.

There have been a few cases of Nash being difficult to deal with at the merchandise table. Nash has the personality of being sarcastic and snarky towards other. That extends to the fans that meet him. Nash also badmouths fans as a whole in shoot interviews for criticizing his work over the years. Don’t expect anything great to come from meeting or entering an online conversation with Nash.

8. Sunny

Tammy “Sunny” Sytch is a WWE Hall of Famer and had a great career as one of the most charismatic managers in wrestling history. The bombshell was a huge star in the 90s as the most downloaded celebrity in the early days of the internet becoming popular. Sytch has seen her reputation go downhill in recent years with a few tactics coming off rather tacky.

Social media rants have caused her to get exposed as an overall rotten person. Sunny will get into arguments with fans quite often. The worst actions of her recent rants have seen make racist comments towards wrestling fans that actually followed her page. Factor in that Sunny has requested money from the same fans with her crowd-sourcing projects around the time of her controversial cancer scare. Many believe she was faking it which makes it even worse to show just how much she disrespects fans.

7. Bubba Ray Dudley

Anyone that followed Bubba Ray Dudley’s career in ECW knows just how little he cares about the fans’ feelings. Bubba would say absolutely crushing things to fans in the front row as a way to get heat as a heel. ECW almost witnessed many riots due to the promos recited by Bubba. That extended outside of the ring with Dudley often showing his lack of respect for the fans meeting him at conventions.

Bubba is often seen showing no expressions of happiness or enthusiasm in the meet and greet pictures. The twitter use of Bubba also sees him mock the wrestling fan base as a whole for thinking they know everything with chants at live shows and trends on social media. A name change from Bubba Ray to Bully Ray outside of WWE was inspired from his reputation outside of the ring. You know what you’re getting when someone has the nickname of "Bully".

6. Scott Steiner

Another intimidating figure that happens to be a jerk to fans is Scott Steiner. As one of the most terrifying people in wrestling, you can easily predict a meeting with Steiner wouldn’t go as planned. Big Poppa Pump’s reputation on screen is being a loose cannon due to his actual personality. Steiner uses that to his advantage at conventions when looking to get fans to buy autographs and pictures.

Most wrestlers attempt to at least laugh and smile with the fans that care enough to meet them. Steiner’s responses are very short and standard adding no fun to the experience. The fact that he is just trying to get money out of those that have supported him through the years without giving back is rather sad. Steiner scaring the fan with one of his infamous nonsensical shoot promos would at least give a memory better than the current tactic he goes with when meeting supporters.

5. Brock Lesnar

The horror stories of fans running into Brock Lesnar tell the tale of someone that clearly doesn’t give a damn about them. In fairness, Lesnar doesn’t care much about wrestling in general, and he is just there because he has a sweet schedule that makes a lot of money. Fans to meet Lesnar have almost always had the same story of Brock attempting to intimidate them while refusing the request to take a photograph.

Lesnar has the reputation of going into his private locker room at WWE shows, waiting to deliver his segment or match and leaving the venue as soon as possible. He clearly isn’t a people person but could at least attempt to appease the fans in the rare cases they meet him. Brock is one of the most famous wrestlers in the world but a lack of care or respect for the fans makes him a legend that just doesn’t return the appreciation.

4. Randy Orton

One of the rare full-time active wrestlers for WWE that is already at legend status is  Randy Orton. WWE invested a lot of money in Orton and it has paid off allowing him to achieve a world of success over the past fourteen years. Orton has one of the coldest personalities in wrestling that has followed him through the years. The reputation is Orton doesn’t care about others and will go out of his way to be a jerk.

Not only did fellow wrestlers experience it but countless fans have been spurned by Orton. The legend killer turned legend often badmouths anyone he feels is crossing the line by approaching him at the wrong time. A recent story surfaced of Orton being rude to someone looking to get a picture with him at a gym. There was another instance of Orton posting a photo with a female fan on his Twitter calling her “Miss Piggy” to insult her looks because his wife didn’t like her.

3. Scott Hall

The majority of wrestling fans in the 90s loved Scott Hall. Whether he was portraying himself in WCW or Razor Ramon in WWE, Hall always came off as the coolest guy in the room. It is a shame that didn’t follow him outside of the squared circle. There have been a few instances of Hall being a complete jerk to his fans that met him. Hall strongly believes in “protecting the business” and often is rude to fans that he feels is trying to get personal information out of him.

All of that could be understandable until you realize he is even horrible to younger fans. A group at a convention attempted to get all of the wrestlers there to film a short video and/or sign a “Get Well” card for a sick child in the hospital battling a rare form of cancer. Every wrestler asked signed aside from Hall who flat out refused. Hall confirmed the story claiming the kid wasn’t there so he didn’t buy the story.

2. Ric Flair

Ric Flair may very well be the first name associated with the word “legend” in the world of professional wrestling. The Nature Boy gave his all to the business with some of the greatest matches and promos you will ever witness. His ego grew due to such and has been unable to come back down to reality. Flair charges massive prices for autographs and photo ops hoping to get every last penny out of fans wanting to meet him.

At one point, Flair listed $500 Skype calls online for a few minutes of conversation with him. Flair’s lack of interest or care during the meeting of the fans is what makes it even worse. Most fans to meet Flair are rushed away and not greeted with much respect. Flair is just trying to hustle money out of fans and will not respond positively unless it is someone famous such as rappers or sports owners that would book him for events.

1. Hulk Hogan

Another old timer that was once a prestigious name that turned out to be a jerk is Hulk Hogan. The star power of Hogan made him the biggest star in the industry for over a decade. Hogan still has die-hard fans that want to meet their former hero but it is completely pointless unless you enjoy being scammed. The reports of Hogan’s official meet and greets at conventions have been new lows for any wrestler.

Hogan charged hundreds of dollars per picture or autograph going all the way up to $500 if you wanted both along with a rushed conversation he doesn’t want to have. To make matters worse, Hogan requested the promoters put up a giant black curtain to block anyone that couldn’t afford meeting from even seeing him. Hogan has always had the reputation of being an egomaniac that didn’t care about others and it has carried over to his experiences with fans.

Sources: WrestlingInc, Uproxx, WrestleZone, RicFlair.com, TheSportster.