10 Times Impact Wrestling Went Too Far

6. Bubba The Fun Sponge

Mick Foley Bubba The Love Sponge
Impact Wrestling

A toxic influence that reflected the dangerous influence Hulk Hogan was already having on the company, shock-jock Bubba The Love Sponge was gifted a job in 2010 because of his friendship with 'The Hulkster'.

Known amongst wrestling fans for platforming Hogan whenever he had something to promote or was simply trying to get his sh*t in somewhere, his tenure was brief but hugely distructive. Let's review some of what he got up to in the four months he polluted the product:

- He mocked excited fans in his thick-headed role as an obnoxious on-the-scene reporter

- He became so loathed by the rest of the roster that he had to be made an exclusive personal interviewer of nWo knock-off group The Band.

- He brought horrendous press to the company's front door when he tweeted "F*ck Haiti" in response to the relief the earthquake-stricken country was receiving.

- The Haiti comments resulted in a backstage confrontation with Awesome Kong, who he alleged assaulted him during an Impact taping. It later emerged that Kong was suing him for an alleged threatening phone call, ahead of Bubba doubling down on the whole thing on another radio show.

The worst of times.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. 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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.