10 Times WWE Wasted HUGE Teases

2. The SmackDown Hacker

Smackdown Hacker
WWE

Right.

Right.

Where to start on this? It seems easier to go to the end and work backwards, but WWE very clearly f*cking don't anymore, and typically put it on their loaded talent roster to do the heavy lifting for them. So let's try that too.

Much to the amusement of many but admittedly the intrigue of all, a "glitch" started appearing during broadcasts of SmackDown in early 2020. Little flashing graphics appeared on the screen leaving behind a pattern of lights that resembled the circle on Mustafa Ali's glove to the point where it was virtually a clue too far.

So far so good though, because if anybody had good reason to f*ck up your sh*t in a less literal sense than GTV, it was Ali. Gradually, the glitches were revealed to be the work of a hacker, who also had a load of cameras set up to catch his colleagues in all sorts of nefarious acts. He struck just before WrestleMania, revealing that Sonya Deville had plotted with Dolph Ziggler against friend Mandy Rose and her new beau Otis.

Then, nothing. Or very little, before there was then nothing. Then, months after switch to Raw and a major heel turn, the former 205 Live regular confirmed it was indeed him operating the controls.

Why, Ali? Why?

Well, because he was hacking yet another abandoned storyline to bits and trying to rebuild it...

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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