If you’re a WWE fan, then you’ll know that everything on the show is an act. From the comments to the fights, it’s all scripted. The problem with a script is that things don’t always go according to plan. This would be fine if the episodes were pre-recorded…which they aren’t. When a plan goes wrong in front of a live audience, it can create very embarrassing moments for the stars. Let's take a look at the top 25 - get ready to cringe!
A Wildly Inappropriate Storyline
When thinking about WWE’s worst storyline’s Katie Vick is always at the top of the list. The storyline between Vick, Kane, and Triple H remains one of the most disturbing to this day. During this scene, it wasn’t just disturbing to watch, it was awkward as well.
If you’re unsure which scene we’re talking about, it’s the one where Vick was killed in a car crash, driven by Kane. Triple H then shows footage of Triple H wearing a Kane mask, going up to her body in the casket, and having sexual intercourse with her. Talk about messed up!
A Parade Was Held for Hulk Hogan
It’s safe to say that the world of wrestling was transformed when Hulk Hogan stepped onto the scene in 1977. In fact, many claim that he was the most popular wrestler in the 1980s. His career started with the WWF which is why his switch to the WCW in 1994 was so devastating.
WCW was a relatively new brand whose popularity was growing daily. The newest addition to the wrestling world was a genuine threat to the WWF’s brand. This made Hogan’s switch one of the biggest free-agent jumps in sporting history. Fans may have been outraged, but WCW was so excited that they held a ticker-tape parade for Hogan’s debut.
A Leprechaun Was Added to the Roster
During one of WCW’s lower moments, they created a group of wrestlers known as the Dungeon of Doom. we’re sure that we can all agree that it was not one of their finer moments. Little did we know that it was going to get worse. They started by adding Yeti who came from a block of ice but was a mummy. It was a confusing time…so naturally, they decided to make it even more confusing.
The creators of WCW felt that the character that was missing was a leprechaun. They believed that making DeWayne Bruce the leprechaun would tie the whole piece together. However, we’re not sure how appearing randomly, slobbering, growling, and leaving was meant to do that. Whatever they were trying to do, it didn't work!
A Loss That Went Down in History
Paul Orndorff’s wrestling career started in 1983 when he signed a contract with WWF. He was instantly a fan favorite and even went by the nickname "Mr. Wonderful." When people thought of Orndorff, their minds instantly jumped to his feud with Hulk Hogan. Unfortunately, there was one fight in particular that fans will never forget.
After suffering a loss, Orndorff got a visit from Gary Spivey and on his head was a huge SOS sign. The moment wasn’t funny as much as it was cringy. Not only is it one of the worst moments in WCW Saturday Night history, but of all time!
Standing Out for All the Wrong Reasons
In 1995, WCW introduced fans to a stable called the Dungeon of Doom. The star’s stunts came off as cartoonish and captivated the audience for all the wrong reasons. While the idea was there, the execution was poor. When it flopped, professional wrestler, Kevin Sullivan, tried to explain the intention behind the group.
According to him, the stable was supposed to be the 'monster heels' who Hogan would defeat. Since Hogan had done this so well in the ‘80s, directors were convinced that he would do it again. Unfortunately, neither the idea nor the stars were well received.
The Popularity Was Fading
Wrestling fans back in the day knew to turn their televisions on at 6:05 p.m. Every Saturday. Here they would find the best of the best when it came to wrestling. It had been that way for 25 years when all of a sudden, it changed.
The change seemed to happen in 1995 after Monday Nitro aired and it only went downhill. The WCW was losing popularity and soon Saturday evenings weren’t about wrestling anymore. Instead of showcasing the best, the audience was given both rising and fallen stars. No one on the show was at the top of their game and audiences began to lose interest.
Introducing More Gimmicky Superstars
Wrestling had been a fan favorite for many years when WCW decided to take the brand in a new direction. Instead of continuing the athlete-oriented style of the NWA, they introduced superstars that would gain more attention. Some of these stars included rapper P.N. News, lumberjack Big Josh, and Arachnaman.
Brad Armstrong was the unlucky star who had to portray a number of different characters throughout his career. At one point he was even the 'friendly neighborhood web-slinger.' Sure his character drew attention…from Marvel's lawyers!
Positives and Negatives of NWO
After the bad road that NWA led WCW down, creators revisited the drawing board and came up with a new plan. In 1966, this new plan was implemented and came in the form of NWO. This new direction brought the company a lot of positives…but also a lot of negatives as well.
Some of the negatives were the horrible squash matches, inside jokes commentary, and Nick Patrick in a ski mask. The show seemed to have been heading in the right direction and then all of a sudden took a wrong turn. It wasn’t what the audience wanted to see and WCW didn’t seem to care.
He Forgot His Moves
Wrestling fans may remember a star by the name of Glenn Gilbertti, better known as Disco Inferno. The wrestler made his WCW debut in 1995 but didn’t receive the praise he had expected. While we can’t be sure, we’re almost certain that it was because of the time that he forgot his moves.
In the middle of a fight, Gilbertti was supposed to get his opponent in a standing leg lock submission. His opponent was ready and so was the audience…only it never happened. All eyes were on him and Gilbertti’s mind hit a blank. Even his successful career that followed couldn’t erase the embarrassment of that!
An Odd Choice of Weapon
In 1996, fans looked forward to watching an exciting fight between Big Bubba Rogers and Mr. J.L. Fans knew that it was going to be action-packed and full of surprises. However, there was one surprise that no one saw coming and it was Big Bubba’s weapon of choice.
While the audience expected him to pull out a table or chair, he surprised them all. Instead of the usual weapons of choice, he pulled out a bicycle and choked out his opponent. The element of surprise was there, but it was more confusing than anything else. If we’re being honest, the only reason fans let it slide was because Dusty Rhodes made up for it with his commentary.
The Shockmaster Was a Joke
In 1993, the world of wrestling welcomed all 384 lb of Fred Ottman, AKA the Shockmaster. His size made him an obvious choice for a main eventer and fans couldn’t wait to see what he could do for the industry. However, his contribution seemed to be making people laugh.
Every time he came on stage, people laughed at him. However, his lowest moment had to be the time he dressed up as Santa Clause and read children Christmas stories. It was a weird transition for fans and not the good kind. It seemed that with each episode, Ottman’s rank was lowered and lowered.
John Cena Had an Accident
Whether you're a wrestling fan or not, we’re sure that you’ve heard the name, John Cena. He’s a legend in the industry, but that’s never stopped embarrassing things from happening to him. At the top of the list is the time that he wore orange trunks while suffering from food poisoning.
Do you see where we’re going with this? Well, according to Cena, “At the end of the contest, the orange had turned into an unflattering Autumn brown." If you ever wondered where the inspiration for his outfit change came from, here’s your answer! This has to be one of the most embarrassing things that can happen to a person on live television.
The Miz Hit a Blank
The Miz stepped onto the wrestling scene in 2003, making his WWE debut. He had the personality and charisma that directors wanted and asked him to host season three of the WWE Diva Search in 2006. In the beginning, he was doing well and the crowd was loving him. Then, it came time for him to help the audience by going through the voting process.
That’s when he got a “kind of knot” in his stomach and “a cold sweat going.” He was supposed to recite the number that fans would use to send through their votes…and he couldn’t remember the number. There were no boards or signs that he could read the number off of and he began to panic. After producers realized and came to his rescue, The Miz apologized to the Chairman. Luckily for all of us, the Chairman accepted his apology!
Randy Orton Was Left Exposed
You can’t have a professional wrestling career as successful as Randy Orton’s without having a few embarrassing moments somewhere in between. In fact, his most embarrassing moment took him 10 years to share! It happened while he was performing in Japan. All of a sudden Orton felt a breeze where he shouldn’t have and realized that his pants were around his ankles.
He recalls the moment during an interview with B-Change where he said, “I was pantsed in the ring at a match in front of 10,000 Japanese fans. My rear end was showing." Unfortunately, his nightmare wasn’t over when he left the ring. The next morning he woke up, only to be greeted by laughs and a copy of that day’s newspaper. In case anyone had missed it the night before, “the front page of the paper was a big picture of me and my rear end.”
Nikki Cross Missed the Mark
While other wrestling stars' embarrassing moments have left fans in hysterics, this wasn’t the case with Nikki Cross. Instead, her most embarrassing moment left them speechless. For Cross, her most embarrassing moment happened in 2016 when she couldn’t perfect a dropkick to the back.
Since it was a prerecorded episode, she was given the opportunity to give it another go. However, by the third attempt Cross remembers that the crowd was “just crickets.” She was both heartbroken and embarrassed..but Cross never let it keep her down for long. Getting back up, Cross is busy taking the wrestling world by storm.
A Wardrobe Malfunction at the Wrong Time
In 2002, WWE's chief brand officer, Stephanie McMahon, decided to step out from behind the desk and into the ring. Crowds gasped when they saw her as one of the fighters that she was up against was her then-boyfriend (and now husband), Triple H. The two were selling it and the audience was loving it…and then disaster struck when McMahon was in the worst position.
Triple H was attempting to put her in the pedigree position, meaning that her head was between his legs and her arms behind her back. There was nothing she could do, which was the exact moment that her top gave in. McMahon was horrified when she looked down and instead of seeing material she saw “my own breasts that are exposed." We’re sure that she never lets her husband live that one down!
Mae Gave Birth on Live Television
With this next one, we’re not sure if WWE was trying something new or if they just ran out of content. But either way, it was strange and awkward to watch. The episode took place in 2000 when 77-year-old Mae Young was dating Mark Henry. They were an odd match from the start but we can appreciate the message that love knows no age. However, then they took it too far.
Mae announced that she was pregnant and after diving onto another fighter claimed to be going into labor. The cameras take you backstage with the doctors and show her giving birth…to a rubber hand. If you’re lost, don’t worry because you’re not the only one!
Attempting to Recreate Old Content
The New Day stable on WWE consists of three fighters named Kofi Kingston, King Woods, and Big E. We have to admit that they’re responsible for some pretty good content since their start in 2014. However, in true WWE fashion, they took something great and made it awkward.
Fans were left feeling confused after random guys dressed up as old versions of The New Day. The scene took place during their feud with the aim of provoking the fighters and leaving the audience in stitches. Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t well-received, and instead, WWE ended up with another embarrassing moment on their list.
Women Everywhere Were Uncomfortable
In 2001, a WWE scene with Trish Stratus managed to both enrage and upset women everywhere. During a time when women were still trying to prove that they were equal to men, WWE directors thought that it would be funny to humiliate her. What they didn’t realize was that by doing so, they humiliated women all over the world.
The scene starts with Vince McMahon telling Stratus to strip down to her underwear. Then, she was ordered to bark like a dog while he screamed terrible things at her. While we’re sure that WWE didn’t mean to offend anyone, we just can’t see how they thought it would be received as funny.
There Wasn’t Enough Action
In 2017, fans looked forward to a battle between Alexa Bliss and Bayley. Fans knew that this fight was for the title, meaning that it was going to be action-packed and full of drama. First came the trash talk to try and get into each other’s heads. However, that seemed to go on longer than the actual fight.
After a while, fans started to feel awkward. As Bliss belittled Bayley for what seemed like an eternity, Bayley kept quiet. It was a strange and uncomfortable situation that fans wished they could fast forward. When the action finally came, it was a great episode.
Accusations Thrown at Sheamus
In 2012, WWE introduced a new stable called The Shield. In it were members Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins…all of which have had their embarrassing moments on television. One that comes to mind is the awkward moment shared between Roman Reigns and Sheamus.
When Reigns came into the fight, he wasn’t at the top of his game. Having taken part in some promos that backfired, he was the laugh of the town. In an attempt to take the spotlight off of himself, Romans accused Sheamus of smuggling tater tots. Why, you ask? Well, because he’s Irish! Talk about lashing out!
Dean Ambrose Pulled Down His Pants
Believe it or not, Reigns wasn’t the only member of The Shield who had some embarrassing moments. The problem was that these moments weren’t mistakes, they were scripted. While there are too many embarrassing scenes to mention, the time he got shots from the doctor has to be at the top of the list.
During one of the episodes, Ambrose had to get vaccinated from whatever fans may be carrying. Not only did that offend fans, but then Ambrose pulled his pants down to get his second shot. As it turned out, the audience wasn’t the only ones upset by the wrestler’s character…Ambrose wasn’t happy either. In fact, at the end of that season, Ambrose decided not to renew his contract with WWE because of how his character had evolved. Instead, he went over to AEW and goes by Jon Moxley.
A Guest Appearance That Flopped
In 2009, WWE started to use guest hosts in an attempt to gain more traction. At the time, it seemed like a win-win with the guest promoting whatever they wanted and the show getting a bigger audience because of the host. Unfortunately, it turned out to be more of a win-lose situation.
The channel would give the host a platform to promote whatever they wanted, however, more often than not, the guests knew nothing about wrestling. A great example would be the time that Jeremy Piven told The Miz that he could be banned from the SummerFest. That comment made it clear that Piven had no idea what he was talking about and left the audience cringing.
WWE Found a Way to Ruin Christmas
WWE was lucky enough to have their show air on Christmas eve in 2012. Their character was handed to them and it was obviously going to involve Santa Clause. As fans prepped for the excitement of the following day, they couldn’t think of a better way to spend their evening…until they started watching it.
Fans were expecting it to be the usual 'Miracle On 34th Street Fight,’ filled with festivities. However that year, WWE took it too far. The scene started with the jolly man handing out gifts and all of a sudden, being run over by Alberto Del Rio’s car. Not only did the camera angles make it look even more staged than it was, but WWE ruined Christmas.
There Was No Clear Plan
As we near the end of the list, we’re sure that you may be wondering whether or not we forgot to add Edge. We can assure you that we didn't, we were just saving one of the worst for last! The scene we’re talking about involves Edge, a laptop, and a confused audience.
During the scene, Edge loses his temper with the robotic voice coming from the laptop. In a fit of rage, he grabs a chair and begins to smash the electronic device. Not only is it random, but it left the audience feeling awkward. His anger wasn’t scary as it was meant to be, instead, it was unnecessary.