Wrestling Observer's most disgusting promotion tactics awards (Linda McMahon related)

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From Feb. 1 2010 Observer Newsletter. Written by Dave Melter.

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC


1. PIGGY JAMES ANGLE 166 votes (Sidenote: this was when WWE management, displeased with with Mickie's (slight) weight gain, created a story where her opponent Michelle would call her a pig to shame/embarrass her into losing weight. A work/shoot thing.)

2. Vickie Guerrero being called a pig 109 votes (another work/shoot, it was reported Vince was mad she was leaving after all the company had done for her, so he got WWE writers to spitefully script a segement where she was called a pig)

3. Using the death of Jeff Hardy’s dog in the Hardy Boys angle 46 votes

4. WWE not acknowledging the death of Umaga on TV 19 votes

PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1981 - LeBelle promotions usage of The Monster claiming he was built in a laboratory; 1982 - Bob Backlund as WWF champion; 1983 - WWF pretending Eddie Gilbert had re-broken his neck after original legit injury in an auto accident; 1984 - Blackjack Mulligan fake heart attack by Championship Wrestling from Florida; 1985 - Usage of Mike Von Erich's near fatal illness to sell Cotton Bowl tickets by World Class; 1986 - Equating an angle of Chris Adams' blindness with the real death of Gino Hernandez; 1987 - World Class' handling of the death of Mike Von Erich; 1988 - Fritz Von Erich's fake brush with death; 1989 - Jose Gonzalez's babyface push by WWC; 1990 - Atsushi Onita stabbing angle with Jose Gonzalez; 1991 - WWF exploiting the Persian Gulf war; 1992 - WCW push of Erik Watts; 1993 - WCW Cactus Jack amnesia angle; 1994 - WCW retiring Ric Flair; 1995 - WCW Gene Okerlund 900 line come-ons and lies; 1996 - WWF teases and usage of fake Razor Ramon, Diesel and Double J; 1997 - WWF Melanie Pillman interview on Raw the day after Brian's death; 1998 - WCW exploiting Scott Hall's drinking problems for angles; 1999 - WWF continuing Over the Edge PPV after the death of Owen Hart; 2000 - WCW making David Arquette world champion; 2001 - Stephanie McMahon interview on 9/13 TV equating the bombing of the World Trade Center to her father's steroid trial; 2002 - WWE Katie Vick necrophilia angle; 2003 - McMahon family all over television; 2004 - Kane/Lita pregnancy/wedding/miscarriage angle; 2005 - WWE not editing off the show its terrorists angle the day of bombing in England; 2006 - WWE exploiting the death of Eddy Guerrero; 2007 - TNA signing Pacman Jones and having him do the Making it Rain on television when his doing that at a strip club led to the paralysis of a wrestler; 2007 - WWE teasing a Jeff Hardy drug overdose on the Internet to try and garner late interest in a PPV show.

The Jeff Hardy tease was particularly bad because he has a history of drug problems, and it got a lot of people worried. Stephanie McMahon's 9/11 comments are legendary in wrestling (gist of it is: "if we survived my dad getting put on trial for steroid charges, America can survive 9/11" Check it out youtube.)

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1. One of my guilty pleasures is wrestling

I watched it with my dad when I was a kid and will tune in every now and then, but they do really go overboard with it. I'm surprised the using Legion of Doom Hawk's alcoholism (after he had sobered up) as a storyline didn't make it.

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2. More than anything the Muhammed Hassan storyline will bury her

To explain to the unfamilar: the storyline is you had a middle eastern wrestler (he was actually an Italian American) complain that since 9/11 everyone thinks he's a terrorist, but he's just a normal law abiding citizen. Sounds sensitive and relevant doesn't it?

Then they do an angle (shown on the same day as London bombings) wherehe tries to strangle another wrestler with piano wire, 5 masked accomplices come out as well, then they do some weird ritual thing where they carry him around, like a Martyr or something.

Basically: he was the terrorist cliche he insisted he wasn't.

After that angle, UPN told McMahon to get rid of the character because they thought he was promoting racism and xenophobia. He was.