10 Most Damaging Figures In The History Of Wrestling

3. Dixie Carter

Tripel H Stephanie McMahon Wrestlemania 33
ImpactWrestling.com

Most of the figures on this list transitioned or were born into positions of influence, their subsequent destruction mitigated by prior success. Not so Dixie Carter.

Carter had no qualifications to run a professional wrestling outfit and was only able to do so because her parents are mega-rich. Her disastrous spell at the helm of TNA is worthy of its own list. Here, we need only present exhibit A: her address to the locker room in 2009.

Carter essentially treated her roster of combat athletes as if they were temps d*cking around in a call centre. Hilariously, she began her missive with the words "Since I was named president six years ago, I've had a lot of people tell me how to run a wrestling company." The last thing one should do when running a wrestling company is convey to the public that the talent isn't worth paying to see. That's what Dixie did in spectacularly counterproductive fashion here, as the stars we were meant to perceive as powerful were stranded in the rafters looking sheepish.

"When you question things about this company, you're questioning me. And I cannot allow that to happen." This was Carter playing the role of Stephanie McMahon without even the faintest hint of fiction. "It's time for us to swing for the fences. It really is," she followed, ostensibly accusing everybody of not trying hard enough. Yes, Dixie. AJ Styles was the problem.

The segment was the perfect representation of how inept Carter was.

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!