10 Most Controversial Storylines Of WWE's PG Era

Today's WWE loves to tout its PG product. 

It labels itself family-friendly entertainment, enabling parents to feel comfortable taking their young children to live events, spending boatloads on merchandise every year, tuning into Raw and SmackDown every week and subscribing to the WWE Network. It is a smart business model, one that allows the company to maximise its dollars.

But the company's product is not always as all cupcakes and rainbows as it portrays itself as being. Since 2008 and the unofficial kickoff of WWE's decision to alter its programming, it has been home to some fairly controversial storylines that flirted with exceeding the PG television rating.

Some were born in ignorance and a lack of sympathy for very real issues. Others had lasting effects far beyond what WWE Creative could have ever imagined. Still others just flat-out lacked good taste.

In at least one case, the controversy propelled a certain competitor to superstardom.

Regardless of how they have come about and the consequences of them making it to air, these 10 stories will forever live in PG Era infamy. 

The initial arrival of The Nexus was WWE television done at its best. It was unpredictable, wildly chaotic and surprisingly violent for the PG Era. It came from out of nowhere and instantly had the wrestling world buzzing, this young group of rebels avenging their treatment during the inaugural season of NXT (back when it was a glorified gameshow).

Vengeance coursing through their veins, they demolished not only John Cena and CM Punk, but Wade Barrett and Company also tore the ring apart. No one was safe. Cameramen and ring announcer Justin Roberts took unapologetic !*$%-kickings, the latter choked nearly unconscious by Daniel Bryan.

That isolated incident cost Bryan his job, intensifying the controversy of the moment, but that is not the sole reason for The Nexus invasion making this list.

Equally as controversial was the way the storyline fizzled to a limp conclusion.

So desperate were WWE creative to remind fans of how great Cena was that it booked the resident superhero to overcome the numbers advantage just two months into the rivalry, essentially rendering all of the work that went into the initial debut meaningless.

After a monumental moment in Raw history, all the company had to show for it was a stronger franchise player than they had before and no credible heels to oppose him.