10 Times Wrestling Changed Due To Fan Backlash
7. Exit Sandman
A fascinating feature of the beloved Rise And Fall Of ECW DVD documentary from 2004, Raven's apology following a hugely controversial crucifixion angle in the ECW Arena may have been painfully, but it didn't reduce the power of seeing a hardcore icon forced to show contrition to his loyalist followers.
It was an absurd idea the company persevered with almost in spite of themselves. The Sandman was hung from the artifice he'd built himself with a barbed crown of thorns, for the pure purpose of creating the shocking visual. But religion-based banter was unexpectedly a step too far for the theoretically unflappable South Philadelphia natives.
For a company that dined out on controversy, Extreme Championship Wrestling didn't want their impending move to pay-per-view sabotaged by stories that could be misconstrued, let alone ones that were all disarmingly true. Recent Olympic success story Kurt Angle infamously demanded that his likeness be nowhere near the broadcast after appearing earlier in the night, with his tone reflecting almost all of the immediate feedback.
As it happened, New Jack slicing an untrained 17-year old wide open just a few months later turned out to void all the crucifiction contrition. "Barely Legal" wasn't just a gimmick.