10 Alternative Takes On Hated Wrestling Moments
3. Hornswoggle McMahon
Hornswoggle was one of the most dire creations of the mid-2000s - an era in which WWE returned to "character-based" personalities, which explains why the technically proficient Nick Dinsmore was repackaged as the mentally challenged Eugene upon his promotion from OVW.
It doesn't, but you get the idea.
Hornswoggle, introduced as Little Bastard in 2006, could only have been conceived from the mind of Vince McMahon; he was a foul-mouthed and nefarious little person most likely inspired by Mini Me of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) fame. To be fair to Vince, catching onto a mainstream trend seven years too late is pretty good, by his batting average.
As painfully unfunny as he was, his reputation as the punchline to awful jokes did not extend to his reveal as Vince McMahon's illegitimate son in 2007. An injury to Mr. Kennedy put paid to the first draft of the long term storyline, so WWE's hands were tied. This was no deflating Hornswoggle-as-Anonymous-RAW-GM anticlimax; the reveal segued into a choice Belfast Brawl between JBL and Hornswoggle's "real" father Finlay at WrestleMania XXIV.
Even those less charitable towards a rare WWE attempt at closure at least got to see JBL absolutely brain 'Swoggle with a dustbin in Orlando, so there's that.