10 Times WWE SmackDown Went Too Far

9. John B*stard Layfield...

Dawn Marie
WWE

...was the sound many made as they switched off SmackDown and WWE forever when the former APA man became WWE Champion in 2004. And it somehow got even worse before it got better.

We should have expected it to turn out this way. His instant repackaging as a Mr McMahon avatar was a major clue of things to come after all. We shouldn't have expected him to literally (and giddily) boot Mexicans over the US border to build heat with Eddie Guerrero. At some point, this sh*t's on the company rather than us.

Built into an angle that feasted on old school heat and low-hanging fruit, the big Texan was also made responsible for 'Latino Heat's mother having a heart attack in the ring before bludgeoning the Champion in their first bout for the belt.

It really was as much about content as delivery - 'The Wrestling God' just looked so f*cking happy to be himself. Brilliant if what you're doing doesn't reek of the type of jingoistic terror that divides nations. Less so if your outspoken political and personal views seem to skew in that direction too.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but 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 in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. 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 sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett