10 Times WWE Completely Misunderstood Sexuality
5. Billy & Chuck
A decade-and-a-half on from the Billy and Chuck angle, and it's hard to assess if WWE is really that much more progressive on matters of male homosexuality. Though it's unlikely that the company would ever pay off a gay wedding angle in the same way as they did then (if they were even to run one), it does still seem plausible that the group would be narrow-minded enough to present the characters as effeminate and inferior heels should they happen to be attracted to other men.
Perhaps the biggest compliment that can be paid to 2017's WWE is that at no point have they attempted to utilise Darren Young in such a manner since he came out in 2013. Straying far from the ills of the past, the company chose neither to deride, champion nor acknowledge the revelation on television, instead only supporting his decision and noting correctly that he was the first active roster member ever to do so.
Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo were lost singles souls when their union quickly became laden with innuendo, with their close-knit relations projected into the firing line of alpha babyfaces in storylines that highlighted how woefully behind the times the company was at reflecting widespread societal changes.
Revealing the whole thing just to be a 'publicity stunt' as they stood nervously at the altar was a reductive conclusion to a story almost saved by the genuine acknowledgment of love that followed months of pantomime camp. Simply scripting them as happily married partners would have offered such greater reward.