8. Jerry Lawler Called Goldust A Very Bad Word On National TelevisionAnd Nothing Happened
As part of Goldusts face turn in 1997 (and an attempt by the WWF to make their gimmicked characters more human), he ran into Jerry Lawler as the main antagonist. Goldusts appeal as a heel was to be androgynous to the point of being homosexual in order to psyche out his opponent. With a face turn looming, the WWF decided fans would get behind him if he was outright straight. The turning point for Goldust as a character was when Lawler outright asked him if he was queer, to which Goldust replied no and punched him. Before Lawler faced Goldust one-on-one, he cut a promo where he called Goldust awellthe British use the term to describe a cigarette. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aWKM-UZD3E Because WWF wasnt corporate yet, and was actively trying to push the boundaries of what they could and couldnt get away with on television in an attempt to draw in viewers, Lawler was not punished in any way for his remark. All that happened was Vince giving an apology on commentary immediately after Lawler uttered the slur. What Lawler did in 1997 would be unheard of in this day and age, and he would have been terminated on the spot. However, it was a sign of the times back then (only 17 years ago), where using that kind of language flippantly wasnt seen as a big deal.
