10 Things Deleted From WWE History

8. Hornswoggle McMahon

Chris Benoit
WWE

The 'Vince McMahon's illegitimate son' storyline was supposed to unveil Mr. Kennedy as the Chairman's offspring, propelling him to a major push as a WWE main eventer, but those plans were scrapped when Ken fell foul of the company's Wellness Police.

WWE decided to run with the angle regardless, and, in one of the lamest storyline conclusions of all time, they named Hornswoggle as Vince's son. It was a dismal conclusion to a long-running plot, and the duo endured a difficult relationship, with McMahon frequently booking the leprechaun against monsters like The Great Khali to show some "tough love."

This went on for five full months before WWE realised the ridiculousness of the whole situation, and abandoned the charade. The changed the narrative to state that Finlay (whom 'Swoggle had originally debuted alongside in 2006) was Hornswoggle's father, not McMahon, and the illegitimate son angle was never mentioned again.

The new father/son combo stayed together until April 2009, when they were split as part of the Supplemental Draft. Though relatively minor, this retcon effectively rendered the initial reveal pointless, and marked the months spent building it up as a colossal waste of time.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.