10 Alternative Takes On Hated Wrestling Moments

5. Sacrilegious Fun!

Nexus II
WWE.com

Vince McMahon spent much (most) of 2006 feuding with Shawn Michaels in a programme best remembered for a match at WrestleMania 22 better than it had any right to be. It's less fondly remembered for the addition of both God and the Spirit Squad to its rotating cast - and while there was probably little need to bury five legitimately talented developmental prospects all at once, the role played by the Supreme Being was taken far too seriously by some.

Total blasphemy was a perfect extension of the Mr. McMahon character, and it was hard to be morally offended at anything WWE presented by 2006. The company had already glamourised attempted murder, incest, necrophilia, rape, and arson on international television.

Sacrilege wasn't really beyond the pale - and the whole thing was handled with a breezy enough tone. Vince teamed with son Shane (before he fancied himself as the best wrestler on the planet) in a Backlash rematch. Shawn's opponent on the night was God - and the Man Upstairs even got his own entrance, complete with harp music and spotlight. Hilariously, McMahon sold it with his trademark wide eyes and exaggerated gulp.

All's well that ended well; the McMahons won the match (which was actually fairly entertaining), but he was covered in excrement not long afterwards.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!