10 Times WWE Leaked Top Secret Information
7. The Rehearsal Of Paul Bearer's Storyline Death
WWE was completely on its arse in 2004, which until very recently was the most wretched year in its history.
1995 is up there, of course, but WWE had no excuse nine years later. They had monopolised all of North America. They had access to virtually every single talent on the continent and the resources with which to promote them.
And they stuck the Undertaker Vs. the Dudley Boyz in a handicap match as the main event of a pay-per-view.
At least they had the self-awareness to realise how sh*te that prospect was, if not the creativity to actually make it any better: the one-off 'Concrete Crypt' stipulation was basically Vince McMahon thinking you'd be swayed by alliteration. It was also a euphemism for "Look, we don't really want to see Bubba Ray Dudley work without a table either, so we'll sell you on it under the promise of a live execution".
If 'Taker refused to lose, Paul Heyman would have killed his manager Paul Bearer. 'Taker won, killed him anyway and remained a babyface (!). The footage of the rehearsed/pre-taped crime scene was eventually leaked, showing the Undertaker break character, which was verboten at the time.
He'll moan about disgracing his own legacy for a Peacock sob story now of course, but it was verboten at the time.