10 Most Tone-Deaf WWE Moments

9. CM Punk Pinned In The Elimination Chamber

Triple H Shawn Michaels
WWE.com

Paul Heyman had pitched a plan that revolved entirely around the crown jewel of his revived ECW product, even if he didn't expect to be there to experience the glory himself.

With one foot already out the door before Vince McMahon's stubbornness lifted his whole body right out of the industry after the disastrous December To Dismember 2006 pay-per-view, Heyman's hope was that his pet project's undefeated streak continuing through the Extreme Elimination Chamber would keep the brand alive long beyond his enthusiasm completely dying.

Blinded by his love of Bobby Lashley, The Chairman killed his golden goose and his only other babyface hope in the process.

Seeing the match completely differently, Punk was pinned by Rob Van Dam as per McMahon directives, before he was rapidly despatched to clear the way for Lashley to be the conquering hero over monster heels Test and The Big Show. That finale was as sh*te as it sounded, with Bobby anointed the Champion of a murdered brand.

ECW as it was took years to recover from such a shambles, as did 'The Straight Edge Superstar' himself.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett