10 Things That Made Us Embarrassed To Be Wrestling Fans In 2017

9. HBKFC

Alexa Bliss Bayley
WWE

What the bloody hell was this all about?

Rightfully so and in a way his 'King Of Kings' best mate will never be, Shawn Michaels is wrestling royalty. A career of two separate lives, 'HBK' was as selfishly protective of his act as he possibly could be during his 1990s peak, so assured of his own ability in comparison to nearly every other performer in the game. His post-2002 return was at first joyous celebration of his body of work before becoming about carving a brand new legacy as The Greatest.

Chilling the f*ck out about things was an important aspect of his real and storyline redemption ark, but never had there been such great need for the heat-seeking 'Heartbreak Kid' as when he danced and jigged out to the ring during the SummerSlam pre-show dressed and Colonel B*stard Sanders.

The issues, if not blindingly obvious, were threefold. Firstly, an icon looks like a fool. When did this suddenly become acceptable? Next, the unfortunate decision to deck a known red state right-wing gun enthusiast in bargain bucke...basement gear with origins in Alabama's segregationist movement was problematic to say the least. And finally, though not completely the fault of WWE, it came just days removed from the violent and divisive Charlottesville riots. The whole thing was finger licking bad.

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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