WWE is a company which has always been in the spotlight. Let us look at 5 big WWE controversies that shocked fans
With a big company like WWE, responsibilities are more. They have contributed to a ton of memorable moments in the wrestling world. WWE has to deal with all kinds of controversies over the years. Some were really intense also and generated a lot of debates. Here are the 5 big WWE controversies that shocked the fans.
5. The Saudi Arabian deal
WWE had universally panned for penning a lucrative multi-year deal with Saudi Arabia. The country’s human rights record was questionable especially given the situation in cases like the Jamal Khashoggi assassination. However, everyone understood this deal was more for money than anything else.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been trying to present a positive image of itself to the world with the help of sports. One of the reasons that the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been criticized is this only, and that’s why WWE came under fire for continuing to persist with shows in the region.
4. Hulk Hogan’s racist comments
Hulk Hogan is one of the greatest names ever produced in professional wrestling history. But even though he is a business legend, he has been caught up in numerous controversies, including making racist remarks.
Hogan’s racism-filled comments were against his daughter Brooke’s boyfriend, which caught him massive heat. This resulted in WWE firing him, but the company buried those wounds with time. The Hulkamania was reinstated and put into the Hall of Fame.
This was one of the black marks in the company’s history, and as for Hogan, his image was gone of a toss. Although many people tried to bury it, what he did was not acceptable.
3. The Montreal Screwjob
WWE has always been known for many infamous incidents. However, it is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing infamous unscripted professional wrestling incidents on November 9, 1997.
The incident happened at the Survivor Series PPV at the Molson Centre. Vince McMahon and his employees manipulated the match’s outcome between Bret Hart, the reigning WWF Champion and Shawn Michaels.
Manipulation was called a “shoot screwjob” in professional wrestling terms. It occurred without Hart’s knowledge. As a result, he lost the title to Michaels in his last WWF match before departing for WCW. The “screwjob”: is believed to be an off-screen betrayal of Hart, one of the longest-tenured and most popular performers of all time. However, later McMahon decided that Michaels would win the title at Survivor Series without Hart’s knowledge. The plan was executed when match referee Earl Hebner on direct orders from McMahon, ended the match as Michaels put in the Sharpshooter submission. Even though Hart didn’t tap out, Michaels was declared the winner by submission.
McMahon went too far with that and preserved his company’s top prize.
2. Owen Hart’s death
This is one of the saddest things to have taken place in WWE history. Owen Hart’s fall to his death sent shocks across the wrestling world.
Hart tragically fell down 78 feet while entering Over the Edge 1999. Despite everyone’s efforts, he passed away due to internal bleeding. However, this was the most controversial thing about his tragic incident that the company chose to carry on with the show despite what had happened.
The Hart family sued WWE for the dangerous stunt, and it was won by them, which got them USD 18 million in damages. However, even though WWE did their best to give him tribute, the controversy remains very much among the wrestling fans.
1. Chris Benoit’s double murder and suicide
What Chris Benoit did that night still makes many fans sick. One of the best WWE wrestlers murdered his wife, Nancy Benoit, then suffocated his young son Daniel to death before eventually killing himself.
This news came as a shock with investigations conducted into what had happened. The reports stated that Benoit and his family had a lot of drugs in their system and concluded that he had done all those shocking things he was accused of.
WWE quickly distanced themselves from every bit of Benoit. His name was never mentioned in life or on social media posts. He was one of the most gifted wrestlers of all time, but it is really controversial how his story ended.
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