10 Times KARMA WAS REAL In Wrestling

At long last, it came crashing down and hurt inside for Hulk Hogan...

Shawn Michaels
WWE

Karma didn't bother with pro wrestling for a long old time; like everything else, it just ignored the industry as some freak show you'd have to be thoroughly deranged, and not merely stupid or infantile, to like.

Grim fate had a perverse fondness for wrestling, but karma?

No chance in hell, pal.

Even Vince McMahon, disgraced for his horrific historic sexual misconduct and abuse, is still sat in the gorilla position. Still the controlling shareholder of WWE. Still - in the worst case scenario for him, one in which he doesn't insidiously slip back into the role of head of creative - stands to make billions in the event that he sells the company at the desired price.

On a much, much smaller scale, throughout the 21st century, karma hated wrestling fans as much as most wrestling promoters do.

Your guy never or rarely got to win. When they did win, it was only because Vince was bored of your cry-arsing and needed you to shut up for a while before simply recommencing the original plans that you hated. The bad guy always won, and what's more, Vince was never more successful financially when at his most antagonistic. Writing about pro wrestling between 2016 and 2018 was so much more difficult than it had any right to be. WWE's creative atrocities and commercial success were irreconcilable.

Until...

10. I'm Sorry, How's Your Casket Match Coming?

Shawn Michaels
AEW

Recently on Twitter, a troll buried AEW's Wheeler YUTA, claiming that Steve Austin must be appalled at the idea that comparisons are being drawn between the two men. Kevin Nash - who should be allowed a mean-spirited laugh, given the horrific time he's had of late - replied "Don't worry he ain't watching".

The Undertaker piped up in response to that, tweeting on March 4 "Huge pop!!"

This was such sh*tty form from a good old boy with bad old politics: an unnecessarily cruel jab at someone who by all accounts is a nice young man attempting to make it in the wrestling mainstream.

Brilliantly, 24 hours later, Jack Perry and Christian Cage worked Undertaker's signature Casket gimmick match at AEW Revolution and, in the process, absolutely destroyed his body of work in the genre.

'Taker Vs. Shawn Michaels at Royal Rumble 1998 was a bloody good crack at the stip, but elsewhere, the Undertaker Casket match was a tedious, artless walk-and-brawl. In contrast, Perry Vs. Cage was exquisitely crafted. Cage didn't so much wrestle as scurry like the rat that he is, only gaining momentum with his sly dark arts experience. He could swipe at Perry's legs, and send him back-first into the ring steps, but he could not withstand the vengeance of the just babyface no matter how much dirt he threw in his face. Veering in tone between schlock and hatred but in an impressively seamless way, it really was an incredible piece of business perfect for what it had to be.

The Undertaker and his horrendous line of t-shirts could never.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!