10 Biggest Wrestling Scandals Of The 2020s So Far
The end of Vince McMahon, and the beginning of the end for CM Punk in AEW.
When the clock struck midnight on January 1st 2020, planet Earth had no idea what was just around the corner. Just look at the world of modern wrestling. Could anyone have predicted even half of what has happened since that fateful day? If you think you did, then you're lying to yourself and to Jesus.
There have been a lot of great moments this decade so far. CM Punk's wrestling return(s); Cody Rhodes winning the title at WWE WrestleMania XL; more thrilling matches than you could shake a copy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at. Unfortunately, it hasn't all been fun and games.
Wrestling is a scandalous business at the best times, but in the 2020s, it kicked into overdrive. Some of the most shocking stories to ever hit the industry have happened in the past few years - and we're here to revisit them all in gory detail.
This isn't just a list of 'bad things that happened in wrestling'. John Cena's rubbish heel turn wasn't a 'scandal'. Instead, we're looking at the backstage goings on that sent the wrestling sphere into a collective gasp.
10. Matt Hardy’s Fall
At Fyter Fest 2019, AEW's second-ever show, Shawn Spears hit Cody Rhodes in the head with a chair. The subsequent injury resulted in one of the first major scandals in the company's history. The following year, there would be another case of head trauma that blew this moment out of the water.
All Out 2020 saw Matt Hardy take on Sammy Guevara in a 'Broken Rules' match. A spot occurred where both men plunged off the top of a scissor lift and through some tables. Something went wrong, however. Hardy overshot the tables and hit his head hard on the concrete floor.
Astonishingly, AEW officials decreed that Hardy was fit enough to continue, despite the fact that he had turned purple and was obviously groggy on his feet. The match ended with the Attitude Era icon climbing atop some scaffolding, which he was lucky not to fall from in his bleary state.
Somehow, Hardy escaped this incident. Still, it was deeply uncomfortable to watch him staggering around after such a horrendous accident. AEW were criticised for not stopping the match, and rightly so.