10 Times Wrestlers Were Embarrassed On Live TV (That You Totally Forgot About)
Gassy gimmicks, demeaning dominations, and other embarrassing wrestling TV moments you forgot exist.
As much as the world of professional wrestling is primarily designed to entertain and elate those who pay their hard-earned cash to watch their favourite stars bump in-between the ropes, it can also be a rather cruel and unusual environment for those putting it all on the line in the ring.
In any other industry, a mistake or blunder in the workplace would usually be addressed or punished in a discreet and/or sensitive manner, whereas a c*ck-up in this larger than life world regularly results in a scenario that sees the perpetrator being made a fool out of for all the world to see.
Because why not squeeze some additional laugh-out-loud entertainment out a real human being's trauma?
But while some of these embarrassing moments live on in infamy and find another life as the starting point for a truly dreadful on-air feud - Mandy Rose's WrestleMania 37 post-storm slip being a recent excruciating example - other humiliating on-air gimmicks, digs, and acts are brushed under the carpet, never to be spoken of again.
Until now that is. So let's get to the humilations...
10. WWE Makes Natalya The Butt Of The Jokes
Though WWE now seemingly can't go a broadcast involving Natalya Neidhart without reminding you how much of a seasoned and decorated veteran the star is, it's worth remembering that there was a time when the company treated the Hart Family member with anything but the respect she deserved.
In a statement which was as baffling then as it is today, WWE decided to burden the future SmackDown Women's Champion with a farting gimmick in early 2012. One of the last active parts of one of wrestling's most iconic dynasties found herself regularly stinking up the joint in numerous lazy/embarrassing segments, with everyone from Eve Torres to Hornswoggle succumbing to her chimed-in wind backstage.
Needless to say, the star was undoubtedly humiliated by this toilet humour, and various other personalities came out in defence of the women's division stalwart. Smith Hart, the eldest son of Stu Hart, claimed he was "appalled" by the gimmick, while Maria Kanellis classed it as "disrespectful to her" and "disrespectful to her family".
WWE may have realised the value she possessed as a talent and backstage presence later down the road, but not before they made her The Queen of Farts.