10 Most Divisive WWE Match Outcomes Ever
3. Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Orton - SummerSlam 2016
At which point does wrestling get taken too far?
Some applauded Mankind's Hell In A Cell fall at King Of The Ring 1998. Others decried it as the ultimate transgression of logic within a business predicated on using pretend violence to draw money.
At SummerSlam 2016, Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Orton by TKO to enhance the hard man aura that had been tarnished by the USADA doping violation he incurred after his UFC 200 vacation. The MMA-influenced finish went some way towards accomplishing that - but for all its novelty and visceral appeal, many felt it went too far.
In bludgeoning and scraping Orton's skull in such gory fashion, many fans (and seasoned veteran Chris Jericho) were aghast at both the gore in itself and the head-scratching practise behind it. WWE had outlawed blading because its PG rating could not withstand any association with old-timey carny wrasslin'. That relatively safe practise was out, and the very real risk of concussion was in.
It was, to some, an injection of much-needed realism. But couldn't - and shouldn't - have they just used the blade?