10 Most Offensive WWE Moments Ever

One of WWE's darkest days became a platform for Vince McMahon to cruelly exploit a grieving widow less than 24 hours removed from the death of her husband.

Shortly before their Badd Blood pay-per-view went on the air in October 1997, a sombre Vince McMahon addressed his audience to inform them that 'The Loose Cannon' Brian Pillman had died earlier that day.

The pay-per-view still aired, but broadly approached the tragedy with a quiet dignity that carried over to a sobering ten-bell salute at the start of the following evening's Monday Night Raw.

Then everything turned ghoulish.

Vince McMahon announced that Pillman's wife Melanie would be interviewed later in the broadcast. If that seems inexplicable enough, it was nothing compared to McMahon's candour as he callously burdened the grieving single mother with the plight of her situation.

First looking to dispel the likely press intrusion due to Brian's known spiralling drug problems, McMahon went hunting for a get-out-of-jail free card with Melanie, who predictably could barely manage a cognitive response.

Digging then into how she would cope raising five children and how the children felt upon hearing the devastating news, viewers were given an unrelentingly bleak image of the reality of the situation, with hard close-ups catching every one of Melanie's pained tears.

Naturally, the interview was plugged throughout the show as a certain ratings-winner with multiple teasers. It was abhorrent.