1. Doing The Nazi Salute In Germany
http://youtu.be/RV9NQnsRAO8 Any time a wrestler does something to earn WWE legitimate heat from the mainstream press it's a bad thing. During a WWE house show in Munich, Germany early in June 2004, JBL gave the crowd several Nazi salutes while goose-stepping around the ring. Those actions are illegal in Germany and the story was picked up all over the world. He ended up losing a job he had with CNBC talking about the stock market. In an interview with
The Washington Post, JBL explained "I'm a bad guy on WWE TV. I'm supposed to incite the crowd. I've done it for decades. I really didn't think anything of (the Nazi salute) - I know how bad it is, I've lived (in Germany). I've been to Dachau, seen those places where they exterminated millions of Jews. I draw the line between me and my character. That's like saying Anthony Hopkins (who portrays Hannibal Lecter) really enjoys cannibalism." He's right in that he was just playing a character and he just did it to get heat, but doing the Nazi salute was going too far. It represents an awful time in history for Germans and the rest of the world. There are other ways of getting heat without resorting to that. Here's how WWE covered it on their website: "WWE and John Layfield deeply regret Mr. Layfield's actions in the ring at our event in Munich and apologize if it has offended or upset our fans. Mr. Layfield has been reprimanded for his actions." He wasn't suspended for his actions. In fact, he went on to win his first and only WWE Championship a few weeks after the incident. Perhaps he was fined. It was not discussed publicly. ---- That's it for this week's things WWE wants us to forget series. Here's a list of who I've written about so far: Undertaker, Kane, Vince McMahon, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Ultimate Warrior, Steve Austin, Batista, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Daniel Bryan, Scott Hall, Edge, Stephanie McMahon, Rob Van Dam, Trish Stratus, Goldust, Lita, Chris Jericho, Booker T, Santino Marella, Paul Heyman, The Rock, Jerry Lawler, Bret Hart, Alberto Del Rio, SummerSlam, Rey Mysterio and Kevin Nash. Who do you want to see next? Let us know in the comments below!