10 Controversial Wrestling Matches You'll Never See Again

9. D-Von Dudley & Mass Transit Vs The Gangstas (ECW, November 23rd, 1996)

Maryse Mickie James
VICE

Not on the WWE Network/Peacock thanks to it taking place for fancams rather than ECW's television ones, the infamous "Mass Transit Incident" finds all of pro wrestling's ills converging around one ugly scene that had devastating short and longterm ramifications.

The long story short - and it's been well told at this point - is of an underage and mostly untrained Erich Kulas talking a good game, ECW being in need of a jobber for a Gangstas match, and New Jack allowing everything to spiral out of control from the delicate position it was already in.

Oh, and the blood literally shooting out of Kulas' head like a fountain.

Kulas had told boss Paul Heyman he was 21 and trained by Killer Kowalski when neither were true, and asked Jack to blade him when the controversial figure was far too happy to oblige. Going deep with a surgical scalpel, the cut resulted in the horrifying bloodshed and ECW's pay-per-view plans temporarily going up in smoke. The Kulas family were tied up in legal battles over it for years, further damaging what was ultimately a tragically short life - Erich passed away in 2022 at just 22 due to gastric bypass surgery complications.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett