10 Most Mind-Blowing Wrestling Secrets Of 2023

5. Tapping Up Allegations

Vince McMahon triple h mask
AEW

Partly down to wrestling existing in a grey area in how talents are paid/contracted and also because allegations of tampering or tapping up in any industry can be taken very seriously, it's possible this minor scandal that broke late in 2023 might come to nothing. But break it did.

Emerging from the embers of Tony Khan's post-Tuesday Night Wars posts on X in October, further information about talent apparently involved in the murky situation was revealed.

Swerve Strickland and William Regal were allegedly wrestlers WWE had shown more than a passive interest in despite both being on AEW deals, and to make matters worse, the whole thing had gone down while Khan was at the side of his ill mother. The furore died down as they typically do, but it brought back into focus just how seriously both sides take all of this in spite of multiple public cries to the contrary.

Wrestlers and promoters alike can tell you there's no war. Bad faith critics can tell you it's bad form to favour one company over another. But that's not how they really see it, and definitely not how they want it.

Contributor
Contributor

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