The internet and WWE go together like Steve Austin and beer. Ever since the dawn of the world wide web, there have been people talking about professional wrestling.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the first thing ever written on a message board was, “Hogan Sux LOL.” You can find website after website that covers news, rumors, gossip, and reviews for the sport all over the internet.
For those who don’t have time to read highly detailed musings about wrestling, there are memes. Like just about every other subject matter imaginable, memes have made their way into the world of wrestling. They are quick and to the point images that manage to say a lot with very little.
They can sum up the internet’s thoughts on a specific wrestler, wrestling as a whole, or current events in the industry With the faces these athletes make, they can even be used out of context as legendary macros.
There are too many Facebook groups and Twitter accounts where you can find collections of these memes. So, we decided to collect our favorites here. From internet darlings like AJ Styles and Seth Rollins to the most booed man on the planet, John Cena, there’s something here for every wrestling fan.
Here are 15 Wicked WWE Memes Only True Fans Will Understand.
The Fall Of Andre The Giant
WrestleMania III is one of the most iconic pay-per-views in the history of professional wrestling. In addition to featuring Ricky Steamboat defeat Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship, arguably the greatest match in the history of the sport, the show’s main event was truly larger than life.
Pitting their most popular against their biggest, Hulk Hogan took on Andre the Giant. Fans were in awe when the Hulkster managed to lift the 520-pound Frenchman and body slam him to the mat. It was a WrestleMania moment that was replayed for nearly 30 years.
That is until Hogan’s history was wiped from WWE’s memory like they were Neuralyzed by the Men in Black. After a racial tirade came to light, the billion-dollar company cut ties the former champion. Since then, there have been very few mentions of the man who helped shape the company.
Can You See Me?
It may come as a surprise, but there have been few wrestlers who have been at the top of the mountain as long as John Cena.
The self-proclaimed “Doctor of Thuganomics” (not sure if any accredited universities offer this major) has been one of WWE’s main draws since the early-2000s. One thing that separates Cena from other grapplers is his litany of catchphrases. One of the most infamous being, “You can’t see me!”
The simple image hilariously shows that only those with eagle eyes can spot the difference between an empty box and one filled with Cena. With the way wrestling fans treat Cena, we’re pretty sure most of them would rather stare at an empty box than the poster child of the PG-era.
Brock Lesnar: Your Company’s Computer Guy
Brock Lesnar is one of the most intimidating men to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. He’s a legit tough guy with a history as an NCAA wrestler. When he got tired of hitting people for fake with his patented finisher, The F5, he left for MMA.
Well, he went to the NFL first, but the less said about that, the better. When Lesnar went to UFC, he took to the sport like a fish to water. That type of fish is a great white shark. He even won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his fourth fight ever.
With all of that in mind, take a look at this picture. That’s “The Beast” Brock Lesnar when he was a senior in high school. Sure, he was still a massive, killing machine, but in his shirt and tie, he looks more like an IT specialist than a modern-day gladiator.
The OG: Original Goldberg
Bill Goldberg was a bald brawler with a goatee who wore all black and pummeled his opponents. He was one of WCW’s top draws during the late-'90s and had an unprecedented undefeated streak that saw him go 173-0.
Sure, he was generally considered to be a “Stone Cold” Steve Austin rip-off, but there’s another character that would like a word with ol’ Bill.
That somebody would be Greg Goldberg, the star goalie for the Mighty Ducks. First debuting in 1992, this Goldberg also overcame the odds and became a star athlete in his own right. That was a full four years before Bill set foot in a wrestling ring.
What’s better, toppling Hollywood Hogan for the WCW Championship or helping Team USA defeat Iceland at the Junior Goodwill Games? You tell us.
A Whole Other World
Wrestling doesn’t always have to be filled with hulking bodies punching each other in their underwear. Sure, it’s awesome, but there is much more to wrestling than that.
If you ever get a chance to go to an independent wrestling show, do yourself a favor and buy a ticket. There’s a whole world of colorful characters with wacky gimmicks and a theatrical flair.
The man in the picture goes by the adorable name of Jervis Cottonbelly. Here, we see him performing a modified camel clutch while reading the day’s paper. With all the traveling and exercising wrestlers do, this may be his only time to catch up on what’s happening in the world.
Cottonbelly is referred to as “The World’s Sweetest Man.” That is a wonderful change of pace from nicknames like “The Dead Man,” “The Kingslayer,” and “The Beast.”
The Wrestler We Need
A lot of WWE’s top talent, like John Cena and Roman Reigns, get loads of hate from the audience. They’re seen as the company’s chosen ones, handpicked by the corporate entity rather than the fans. Also, their in-ring abilities and characters leave a lot to be desired.
Then there is Seth Rollins. A few years ago, Rollins was the number one bad guy in the WWE. He destroyed his fan-favorite group, the Shield, in favor of joining the villainous Authority.
However, his ability to put on tremendous matches with just about anyone turned him into fan favorite. Recently, he wrestled for over an hour and managed to pin both Cena and Reigns. This solidified Rollins as a folk hero in the hearts of the WWE Universe.
Bigger Is Better
Back in 2015, there was a meme floating around claiming to showcase “Time Magazine’s definition of a perfect body in 1955.” It was designed to express that society’s idea of a great body has changed drastically in the past 60 years.
The claim proved to be erroneous, as the picture was actually of Aria Giovanni, a model who was born in 1977.
This image swaps Giovanni out for Happy Humphrey, a massive wrestler from the 1950s. Double H claimed to stand at 6-foot-1-inch and weigh over 800-pounds. Making him one of, if not the heaviest man to ever wrestler professionally.
Although Humphrey does indeed match the timeframe written in the meme, we’re pretty sure this one is doctored as well.
Triple H’s Pants Aren’t Going Anywhere
Behind the scenes, Triple H is a well-respected Vice President in charge of talent, live events, and creative for WWE.
In front of the camera, he is a vindictive, power-hungry, madman who buries young talent for his own personal gain. It’s safe to say that this image depicts the latter more so than the former.
Adorned in just about every championship imaginable, this shows what it would be like if Triple H had his way. He’s carrying main titles like the WWE and World Heavyweight, midcard belts like the US, ones that don’t even exist anymore, titles for women, and championships from other companies.
The comical number of belts is what we imagine it would look like if artist Rob Liefeld designed a wrestler.
Introspectively Savage
“Macho Man” Randy Savage is known for being one of the most explosively entertaining wrestlers of all time. His promos are legendary for being both high energy and outrageous. They say echoes of “Oh Yea!” and “Dig it!” can still be heard in the halls of many arenas to this very day.
However, nobody, not even Savage, can keep up a persona like that all the time. There had to have been times outside of the ring where he looked into himself.
For some reason, Savage took part in a photo shoot that saw him sitting on rocks by the water, wistfully looking off into the distance. The added caption is pitch-perfect. You can totally hear the former World Champion pensively contemplating his lot in life in his famous gravelly voice.
The Hair That Runs The Place
AJ Styles may refer to himself as “The Face that Runs the Place,” but homeboy should really be leading with his hair. That glorious mane on the top of the Phenomenal One dome is a thing of beauty.
Perfectly feathered and with tons of volume, it’s a hairdo that is too exquisite to be on a professional wrestler. The best burn would have to be when Style’s haircut was compared to that of a soccer mom. It’s funny because it’s true.
Things are taken up a notch when you look at the picture from over a decade ago. The piercings, the necklace, and bangs for days all made Styles truly look like a rich kid with a chip on his shoulder.
One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan. Heath Slater vs. Roman Reigns? Besides not including the Immortal Hulkster. The bottom image doesn’t quite have the star power of the other two. It is definitely not a match we’ll be seeing at WrestleMania anytime soon.
What makes this image even better is if it were to be shown to a die-hard wrestling fan, nine times out of ten, they’d be rooting for Slater.
A perineal underdog, Heath Slater has become a lovable loser throughout his eight years within the WWE. More often than not, Slater is on the losing end of his matches. However, when the West Virginia redhead is able to squeak out a victory, the crowd goes nuts.
Reigns Bae
For the past six years, WWE has pegged Roman Reigns as the company’s next big thing. He’s already a multi-time WWE Champion and has won just about every other title they have to offer. This year, he is set to main event his fourth WrestleMania in a row. A feat that has only ever been accomplished by Hulk Hogan.
Despite telling the audience that Reigns is the biggest, strongest, and most handsome man, fans have been rightfully trepidations. His biggest wins have been met with a chorus of boos from the crowd.
They would rather have seen the likes of Daniel Bryan or Seth Rollins in his position. However, that has yet to deter WWE’s CEO Vince McMahon from sprinkling an overwhelming dose of Reigns into every big show.
Harvey Dent Was Right
Taking a page from the Dark Knight, this meme shows us that even the most beloved wrestlers can become outcasts. We already mentioned the reason Hogan has become WWE’s persona non-grata, but we wouldn’t be surprised if things were to change if he were to pass away.
“Macho Man” Randy Savage had been ostracized by the company for nearly two decades after leaving in the mid-'90s. However, once he died, they acted like nothing happened.
Ultimate Warrior and Roddy Piper are both men who definitely have some skeletons in their closet. Warrior was outspoken against a lot of his fellow wrestlers, Hogan included, and various performers called Piper out for racial comments.
However, since the three are no longer with us, they are treated as a trio of pro-wrestling saints.
Waiting On The Dead Man
So far 2018 has been a pretty wild year for John Cena. His story has been all about getting a match at WrestleMania by any means necessary. He forcefully tried to insert himself into matches for the WWE Championship and Universal Championship, but neither panned out.
As a last-ditch effort, Big Match John called out the legendary Undertaker for a match at WWE’s biggest show of the year. The internet had been rumbling that the match was going to happen, but it wasn’t until the March 12 episode of Raw that Cena threw down the gauntlet.
Many folks were suspecting the Undertaker’s infamous *GONG* to hit, the lights to dim, and the Dead Man to accept. However, nothing happened. Yet. 'Taker definitely saw the challenge. Maybe he didn’t want to seem too eager?
The Mind Of A Wrestling Fan
Despite what you may think, there are a lot of nuances when it comes to WWE. First, you have the story they wrestlers are telling inside the ring. The scripted tale of good battling evil. Then, you have what is going on backstage-- the politics that run the sport.
These are real men and women vying for the top spots, working with writers and producers, all in the name of the billion-dollar company.
This can lead fans to do deep dives about why exactly certain storylines happen the way they do, why certain wrestlers win, and others lose, and where the company is going.
The internet is filled with behind the scenes musings, gossip, and hypothesizing. For the uninitiated, these can definitely be seen as the ramblings of an insane person.
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Do you know of any other wild WWE memes that we need to see? Let us know in the comments!