10 Faces You Never Thought You'd See On WWE TV
Dixie Carter is just the latest shocking patron to enter McMahonland.
The wrestling world was buzzing Monday night as the former president of TNA Wrestling was shown on WWE programming. Dixie Carter, who had been Vince McMahon’s biggest competition for much of the 21st century, served as a talking head on the Kurt Angle: Homecoming documentary on the WWE Network. Although it wasn’t a live appearance, it’s still mind-blowing because WWE policy has been to ignore its second-rate competition – TNA never gets mentioned on WWE TV.
Perhaps it’s a sign of how far the Jeff Jarrett-founded promotion has fallen, now that McMahon doesn’t mind giving publicity to the struggling entity.
Carter’s appearance is just another example of the adage “never say never in the wrestling business.” There have been many people over the years, from wrestlers to promoters to personalities, that fans have never expected to see under the WWE umbrella. But McMahon has proven that he’ll do whatever is best for business; if the talent in question can make money for the company, then personal grievances be damned.
As for the talent in question, they’ve realized how difficult it is to turn down another payday and one more night in the spotlight.
10. Kota Ibushi
Before the Cruiserweight Classic, there were dozens of talented grapplers from around the world seemingly destined to never step foot in a WWE ring.
It was a combination of their smaller stature and the language barrier that left them off McMahon’s radar. Triple H, on the other hand, believed that American audiences were craving the fast-paced, technical, authentic action happening on the international spectrum.
Kota Ibushi personifies that style. For the past 13 years, the Golden Star has dominated Japan, winning championships in various promotions. As soon as his name was announced for the tournament last summer, Ibushi became the favorite to lead WWE’s new initiative. He lost in the semifinals due to not signing an exclusive contract, a wise decision after seeing the mangled division today.