Five worst publicity stunts pulled by the WWE
What's the story
WWE is the most popular wrestling promotion in the world, but some publicity stunts it came up with, to promote the shows, were in extremely bad taste. Vince McMahon does not blink an eye to use death, personal tragedy, global crisis, or sometimes even his own family if it reaps him profits. Here are the five worst publicity stunts pulled by WWE.
Trump vs O'Donnell
Donald Trump vs Rosie O'Donnell match
Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell have a long history of bad blood between them, and WWE shamelessly tried to gain ratings at their expense. With WWE and Trump's show, The Apprentice, airing on the same channel, WWE decided to bring in imposters of Trump and O'Donnell and involve them in a comical match. WWE even introduced O'Donnell's impersonator as 'the left-leaning lesbian'.
McMahon's death
Vince McMahon fakes his own death
Vince McMahon is known as someone who can pull off publicity stunts like no other. He eclipsed his own talents when in 2007 McMahon faked his death, with WWE announcing he was killed in a car crash. WWE even held a memorial service in his honor, but tragedy struck when Chris Benoit died soon after. As a result, the idea was dropped soon after.
Million Dollar Mania
Million Dollar Mania is one of the worst stunts ever
The Million Dollar Mania was another stunt, where McMahon enticed viewers with money to increase his ratings. During Raw episodes, McMahon would call up fans to ask them if they knew the 'secret password', but nobody had a clue. It was revealed that McMahon had used this stunt to fake an accident as a structure would fall on him during one of the segments.
Melanie Pillman
The awkward interview with Melanie Pillman was a new low
After Brian Pillman's death, WWE, on an episode of Raw, decided to interview his widow, Melanie Pillman. The recently bereaved woman looked devastated and was hardly able to speak, but WWE carried with on the interview, probably to draw additional ratings. Both this absolute lack of sympathy and the willingness to earn a few extra bucks were extremely cheap on the part of WWE.
Gulf War
WWE did not hesitate to exploit the Gulf Wars
Sgt. Slaughter entered WrestleMania 7 as a heel, as someone who is no more on the side of America, but siding with Iraq. This was during the ongoing Gulf War which was taking the lives of innumerable soldiers and what WWE did was pit him against the 'real' American Hulk Hogan. The event, using a global crisis for profits, was in a bad taste.