10 Stupidest Things WWE EVER Promoted

8. The WrestleMania Main Event Dark Match

Raw Handshake
WWE

WrestleMania 36 was an impossibly sad time that WWE desperately tried to frame as some sort of heroic and noble pursuit.

A show taped in advance in the empty Performance Center before WWE struck an agreement with Floridian governance that confirmed them as an essential service, the attempts to make the stale silence even slightly more appealing than how it had been on television only made the whole thing sadder.

It wasn't without curious highs (the Firefly Funhouse Match ruled, the Boneyard Match was the Firefly Funhouse match for Undertaker nuts, and Kevin Owens jumping off the big WrestleMania sign for nobody's sake then holds up as a gutsier act now, somehow) but getting away from the reality was about as straightforward as getting out of the house - this was a locked down 'Show Of Shows' and a grim reminder of the grim times.

So grim in fact that the main event...wasn't even the main event? Producing as much content as they could with potential shutdown in mind, WWE booked The Big Show to crash Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship party, turn heel, talk his way into a title match and lose, all so Raw had something for the next night.

Bullsh*t on top of b*llocks and all with an air of tragedy. McIntyre may not be as over as he once was, but he deserves something resembling a WrestleMania moment for being served this.

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