10 Most Shocking WWE Revelations Ever

9. Hornswoggle?!

Undertaker 2
WWE

WWE were creatively up against it in 2007 after the string of Wellness Policy violations that followed the Signature Pharmacy scandal - itself a byproduct of the Benoit family tragedy ripping away of any internal innocence still present within the organisation.

The organisation were years removed from their Attitude Era peak yet several months away from embracing a sponsor-friendly PG aesthetic, and the lost months of late-07 contained numerous angles and storylines that tiptoed on a tightrope over both. In this particularly "Vince McMahon: Epic Shagger & Surprise Dad" was the frustrating callback, whilst the payoff was the futile future echo.

Initially killed off to sell the illegitimate son patter, McMahon's murderer and money-grabbing heir was supposed to be Mr Kennedy before his mouth ran faster in daytime television defences of the organisation than it did on Raw. As they'd do several more times as the years passed, WWE took the low road.

Utilising a giant game of "Guess Who?" to stage a reveal apparently "in accordance with my client's wishes" (so said Hornswoggle's lawyer), WWE delivered a punchline instead of a payoff.

What is it about this organisation and illegitimate children anyway? Ignoring the abject failures of the last major attempt at the gimmick, McMahon had another one lined up a decade later...

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