10 Problematic WWE Storylines That Have Aged HORRIBLY
1. CM Punk Mocks Paul Bearer's Death
There was a weird period just before Twitter tore up the rulebook for online etiquette where being an edgelord was still aspirational despite rational voices being louder than ever about the obvious and naked flaws. During this period, WWE - forever the most try-hard wannabe edgelord brand there was - simply stuck its fingers in its ears and directed you to use Tout instead.
Controversial for the absolute sake of it, CM Punk tipping the recently-departed Paul Bearer's ashes on The Undertaker and himself to build up their WrestleMania 29 show-stealer was a case of nobody really thinking how any of this snackable trash might look in the future.
The family signed off on it - though how often is that a case of hidden duress and pressure rather than real consent - and the furore died down after the match absolutely ruled, but legitimate death still not being so sacred a cow that it couldn't be slaughtered was a reminder of wrestling's rock bottom value system. It won't scan as a cautionary tale either; it might have aged horribly but the 10+ years that have passed since won't have eroded away the promoters' instinct to do something similar should a feud ever theoretically "require" it.