Disturbing Wrestling Moments That Can Never Be Erased

There are moments within every wrestling fan's life that stick with them forever, no matter what era they began watching in. Some moments are fond, happy memories, but more often than not, there are disturbing nightmares that can never be erased from one's mind — and it's not just limited to one promotion. WWE has had its far share of disturbing moments throughout its history, but AEW, in its much shorter lifespan, has pushed the envelope into the uncomfortable, and TNA Wrestling has its glaring, disturbing history as well.

Sometimes, these disturbing moments happen when a company tries to invoke horrible situations that could happen to anyone in real-life into its storylines, like miscarriages, kidnappings, and funerals. Disturbing moments can also happen in matches, and not just with ordinary thumbtacks or table spots, but blood-drinking, light tubes, pizza cutters, and use of other awful weapons you may have around the house, but never thought would end up in a wrestling ring — and these are just a few examples of disturbing moments wrestling companies wish they could forget.

It's up for debate whether a disturbing moment can translate to an iconic one in wrestling history, but there are things that can never be forgotten. From the borderline necrophiliac to sad instances of intoxication to giving birth to limbs and surfing on coffins, here are a few moments throughout wrestling history that are too disturbing, and can never be erased.

In 2002, WWE's current head of creative, Paul Levesque, was known as Triple H, and he simulated fornicating with a corpse in a coffin on live television in what many consider the most distasteful angle in company history. The storyline involved Kane and his deceased girlfriend, Katie Vick. Triple H brought up the previously unknown dead woman, who was said to have died in a car accident in a vehicle driven by Kane, during his Intercontinental Championship feud with "The Big Red Machine." Triple H also implied that Kane did inappropriate things to Vick's body after her death, as his DNA was found during her autopsy.

To further try and get into Kane's head, "The Game" showed a video on an episode of "WWE Raw" that depicted an open casket in a funeral parlor. Triple H then appeared in the video, sporting a Kane mask, and walked over to the casket, where Vick's body (which was really a dummy) lay. Triple H began to talk to the "body" and climbed into the coffin to perform an inappropriate act. 

The angle concluded the following week with Kane's then-tag team partner, The Hurricane, embarrassing Triple H with a video of his own involving sledgehammers. However, the Katie Vick storyline remains one of the most disturbing, yet unerasable, moments in WWE history that is still talked about today.

Kane was involved in yet another disturbing angle in WWE history, this time alongside Lita and her then-real-life, as well as storyline, boyfriend, Matt Hardy. Hardy and Kane were feuding in 2004, and Kane kidnapped his rival's girlfriend. It was revealed Lita was kayfabe pregnant, with the star even carrying a pregnancy test into a restroom on-screen. Hardy was initially thrilled, before Kane revealed to the world that Lita's baby was his. Lita, unsure exactly who the father of her child was, claimed she let Kane do what he wanted to her to protect Hardy. Lita and Kane got married in the ring after Hardy lost a "'Till Death Do Us Part" match to "The Big Red Machine."

As if things couldn't get more disturbing than kidnapping, implied rape, and forced marriage, Gene Snitsky fell on top of Lita during a match against Kane, causing a miscarriage. Afterward, WWE cameras rolled in Lita's hospital room, with the star looking heartbroken, staring off into the distance, and Kane despondent at her side. This would lead to a wild angle where Snitsky punt-kicked a baby doll into the audience in the weeks that followed, mocking Lita and Kane for losing their child. Chalk this one up as another moment WWE would like to forget.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

AEW is known for its brutality, from its Blood & Guts matches to its Texas Deathmatches, and a moment one from the latter bouts caused a lot of controversy. Swerve Strickland faced arch-nemesis "Hangman" Adam Page in a Texas Deathmatch at Full Gear 2023. The match featured everything from barbed wire to staples to glass — everything you may expect in a deathmatch in AEW — but it got worse.

At one point, Page was positioned beneath Strickland, who was dripping blood, in the middle of the ring. Page grabbed Strickland's head and opened up his mouth to basically drink the crimson liquid, then spat it up into the air, similar to Triple H's water-focused ring entrance. The spot happened toward the beginning of the match, leaving fans shocked, and many disgusted and disturbed, by the action for the rest of the bloody, brutal bout. 

It was reported that the spot was planned between the two men and not something Page did on the fly, and it was also approved by the match producer. Despite being the victim of a vampire-esque Page, Strickland went on to defeat him in the match. As of August 2024, the pair are still locked, though not currently directly, in a bitter feud, most recently going face-to-face after Page blindsided Strickland during Blood & Guts.

TNA Wrestling boasts one disturbing, unerasable moment that is sad and difficult to watch for very different reasons than others on this list. Jeff Hardy was set to take on Sting in the main event of Victory Road in 2011. However, Hardy ended up battling his demons instead, coming out to the match noticeably intoxicated. Hardy's addiction troubles were well documented at the time, but this was the first time they disrupted an event. 

Hardy's music hit and it took a while for him to appear from behind the curtain. Sting made his way down to the ring and was noticeably upset. Eric Bischoff made an unplanned move before the match and headed down to the ring and cut a promo, but also lowkey gave the men, specifically Sting, instructions on how the match should quickly play out. Hardy played to the crowd for far too long, visibly annoying Sting further, who hit his Scorpion Death Drop for the finish immediately, though Hardy attempted to kick out. 

The entire ordeal lasted less than five minutes on pay-per-view, but remains one of TNA's most disturbing incidents, for its real-life implications rather than anything in storyline. Hardy would not be seen in a TNA ring again for another six months, and his issues battling his demons continued throughout the years. Hardy was arrested during his most recent AEW run, though he appears to be healthy again, and he's even returned to TNA.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

AEW doesn't always save its shock moments for pay-per-views. Oftentimes, the company uses its television specials to shock viewers and create controversy. In July 2021, during the "AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen" special, Chris Jericho fought Nick Gage in a deathmatch, something the latter is a veteran of, and the bout quickly became one of the most graphic in the promotion's brief history at that point.

If the use of staples and light tubes wasn't disturbing enough to regular Wednesday night "Dynamite" viewers, Gage used a pizza cutter to slice up Jericho, first on his biceps and later on in the match, his forehead. The spot happened during a picture-in-picture break and was featured alongside an advertisement for Domino's Pizza, not necessarily a pleasant, appetizing image for the pizza brand. Gage later apologized to Domino's for the spot in his match with Jericho.

It was reported that Domino's threatened to pull its advertising from AEW programming, but nothing happened between AEW and the pizza company. While many fans may not remember the 2021 spot, those who do may be disturbed to think back on the pizza cutter moment while enjoying a pie during an AEW show. While maybe more ironic than disturbing, it's something that can never be erased from AEW history.

One of the most controversial angles in WWE history happened in November 1996, as the company began transitioning into its infamous Attitude Era. During "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Brian Pillman's feud, there was a storyline where "The Texas Rattlesnake" said he was going to interrupt an interview at Pillman's home. However, "The Loose Cannon" said he was ready and showed interviewer Kevin Kelly a gun. When Austin actually showed up and broke a window to get in, he walked over to Pillman, who pointed the gun at the intruder. He then dropped an F bomb, and the feed ended with gunshots ringing out, leaving the fans with a cliffhanger, wondering if Austin had been shot.

The angle led to upset viewers contacting the network to voice their concerns, and WWE eventually had to apologize. However, the "Pillman's got a gun!" angle remains one of the most disturbing moments in WWE that just won't go away or be erased, in part, due to the cutting of the feed as fans heard shots, not knowing what happened to their beloved "Stone Cold."

Pillman's son, Brian Pillman Jr., who is now known as Lexis King in "WWE NXT," recalled being in the house that night as crews were broadcasting. He said he and his sister were freaking out over Austin circling the house, and saw the angle play out on TV.

There are some things that have happened in the history of WWE that are just so downright strange, they're disturbing. Mae Young giving birth to a hand is one of those moments that's emblazed into the memories of wrestling fans for all the wrong reasons. Young, who didn't debut for WWE until she was in her 70s, started a romantic relationship with Mark Henry, who was in his "Sexual Chocolate" gimmick era. Henry was revealed to be a sex addict, with deeply disturbing origins, and started to show interest in the elderly Young. The pair hit it off, and it was soon revealed that Young was pregnant. 

The already ridiculous pregnancy didn't go as planned, however, as Young decided to deliver a splash to Crash Holly during one of Henry's matches, causing her to go into labor. Accompanied by Henry and Fabulous Moolah to the hospital, all that emerged as Young gave birth was a bloody hand. It was an odd scene, with no explanation on WWE's part, that will disturb fans all over again as they relive the moment. 

Following the segment, Dave Meltzer reported in the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" that the object was a popular sex toy in the 70s and 80s, making the implications of the birth all the more disturbing. In recalling one of the most infamous moments of his career, Henry explained the birth of the hand angle was a Vince McMahon idea.

One of WWE's more disturbing moments that can't be erased from history was difficult to watch due to its lifelike scenario, even though it was just a storyline. The Big Boss Man was feuding with Big Show at the end of 1999, and the former kept obsessively throwing jabs at Big Show about the recent death of his father (something that thankfully hadn't happened in real life.) On a November episode of "WWE SmackDown," Boss Man crashed the funeral, which was disturbing in and of itself, and the footage was aired on television in another cringey act. Big Boss Man arrived in a police car with a giant megaphone, from which he shouted insults to Big Show and his family.

Boss Man went completely over the top and attached the coffin to his car with a chain in an attempt to steal Big Show's father's body. Big Show ran to the coffin and jumped on top of it, basically surfing on it as Boss Man began to drive away. Big Show surfed on the coffin until Boss Man sped up enough to send him flying off, ending the uncomfortable segment. 

On his "Something to Wrestle" podcast, Bruce Pritchard said the segment was filmed in a real cemetery, where real services were ongoing. Knowing that fact makes this segment all the more disturbing.

Another disturbing moment at the hands of Big Boss Man came at the expense of Al Snow and his little dog, Pepper, once again during the time of the Attitude Era. Snow and Boss Man were feuding in late 1999 after Snow replaced his mannequin head, known as "Head," with a little chihuahua. During their feud, Boss Man kidnapped Pepper, and the pair even had a match over the dog, where if Snow won, he would get Pepper back.

Snow lost the match and was invited to dinner by his nemesis. The dinner that Snow ate turned out to be his own dog, something that animal lovers and all fans alike found extremely disturbing. 

The horrible angle led to the even more horrible Kennel from Hell match between the foes at WWE Unforgiven in 1999, where the ring was supposed to be surrounded by vicious dogs, but the pups turned out to be anything but. The match is so iconic, albeit for all the wrong reasons, that when it's mentioned, the inerasable moment of Snow eating Pepper immediately springs to mind. 

In his third appearance on this list, Big Boss Man was actually the victim of a highly disturbing situation that WWE has tried, but failed, to erase from its history. Expectations for The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell matches were extremely high during the Attitude Era, but Boss Man didn't exactly meet them alongside "The Deadman" at WrestleMania 15, as the two didn't exactly have chemistry together in the ring. 

The match didn't connect with the audience, as it was much less violent than Undertaker's previous bouts in the cell, which included memorable showdowns with Shawn Michaels and Mankind. It lacked the bloody, brutal aspect that fans had come to associate with Hell in a Cell matches, but it became infamous for other reasons.

The post-match, segment upped the level of brutality to straight-up disturbing. The Undertaker won the bout, and proceeded to wrap a noose around Big Boss Man's neck, which hung from the cell structure. As the cell raised up following the match, Boss Man was essentially hanged in the middle of the ring — a disturbing and violent scene for the live audience and those watching on pay-per-view at home.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing WWE characters of all time, The Boogeyman would do creepy things like eat live worms on the stage and smash a clock over his head, sometimes all while crawling on the ramp. It's his involvement with Jillian Hall when the former Diva was being portrayed as a beautiful woman with a hideous growth on her face, however, that is one of Boogeyman's most disturbing moments of all time. 

Jillian Hall debuted as a public relations employee of MNM in July 2005, but soon began working for John Bradshaw Layfield. She had a mole on her face, which was designed to look like a huge growth, which she would constantly be mocked for by commentary and others in the locker room.

When then-United States Champion JBL began feuding with The Boogeyman in early 2006, Hall was constantly terrorized by the scary character. He'd put worms down her clothes, and even more disturbingly, he ate the growth off her face. The Boogeyman began licking Hall's face, as she stood frozen, and bit the mole clean off, chewing it up and swallowing it. Hall returned shortly after with her face completely uninjured, with WWE probably hoping that fans forgot all about her chilling ordeal with Boogeyman.