10 Times WWE Tried (And Failed) To Be Edgy

7. Mark Henry Slept With His Sister

The Undertaker Tommy Dreamer
WWE

Speaking of grim.

The reality TV boom of the early-2000s is still keenly felt. Seeing and hearing what real people get up to has changed television forever, and arguably not for the better. Now, instead of producing tightly-scripted fantasy dramas, execs are green-lighting Kev from Essex being a "proper lad", and it's often nauseating.

In 1999, the WWF decided to start injecting some "reality" of their own by revealing that Mark Henry had a sex addiction. This wasn't a new thing either, apparently. No, Mark confessed during therapy sessions that he'd lost his virginity when he just eight years old. To his own sister.

Casually, the future 'Sexual Chocolate' then admitted that he'd bumped uglies with sis just days before turning up for that week's Raw. Some folks choose to look back on this gimmick with misty-eyed nostalgia goggles, but it was just another bid to look shocking, edgy and controversial for the sake of it.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.