10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Rhyno

2. Bad Santa

Rhyno WWE
WWE.com

The decision to dress Rhyno up as Santa for a December 2016 episode of Talking Smack was, for the most part, a spot of harmless fun. Everyone was in on the act, from 'The Man-Beast' to host Renee Young, and the online response was largely light-hearted, with most fans seeing the funny side. Regardless, the sight of Rhyno Claus stripping away his robe, exposing his nipple, and hitting on Renee still prompted outrage from some sects of the fanbase, who saw the 'joke' as being far too problematic for a PG product.

There was talk that Rhyno had gone rogue, and that the segment had landed him in hot water with management, but this wasn't the case. He was back on television the very next week. Nothing came of his Santa act, because while slightly tasteless, it was done with a managerial 'okay.'

Still, it's not exactly something WWE will go back to anytime soon. Protecting what they perceive to be their squeaky-clean image is of the utmost importance to the company, and while they were smart to host it on Talking Smack rather than SmackDown itself, they'll keep pretending it didn't happen.

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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.