10 Insane WWE Stunts That Were Totally Pointless

7. InShane Things

The introduction to this very article spoke glowingly of the bumps Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley took to glorify both themselves and the Hell in a Cell gimmick in 1997 and 1998. Those were the polar opposites of their logical-yet-terrifying plunges that took place when Shane McMahon put an exclamation mark on his 2016 return with a needless and undramatic fall only powerful for the height of the drop.

A bump this big shouldn't be forgettable, and yet the only purpose it served (beyond helping fans forget the wretched match that preceded it) was to remind fans that 'Shane-O-Mac' is the toughest athlete in the world - nay - WWE Universe. Thus, yet again, no real purpose at all.

Worse still, McMahon was ostensibly taking the risk in order to wrestle control of Monday Night Raw away from his oppressive father. The same father that simply gave him the reigns to the flagship show the next night anyway. The stunt fits this list better than most - it was literally pointless within 24 hours of occurring. A repeat performance a year later against Kevin Owens even rendered it irrelevant in replays.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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