10 Times WWE Went Too Far

9. Piggy James

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Remember when Vince McMahon randomly decreed Mickie James overweight and decided to mock her on-air for it? 2009 was wild.

It began on an October episode of SmackDown, with Michelle McCool and Layla ripping into Mickie for her supposed weight problems. The first segment saw James flee the scene in tears. Fat suits, bad Photoshops, and LayCool trying to shove cake down Mickie's throat were incorporated as the creative department went all-in on a body-shaming storyline aimed at a woman whom anyone with a working set of eyes could see wasn't overweight. Complete nonsense, and quite hilarious considering WWE were just two years away from launching their Be A STAR anti-bullying initiative.

Talking to WrestlingNews.com in 2013, James claimed the storyline was "an attempt to address bullying and tell a story with it," adding that "you're going to have sympathy for the character and understand where she's coming from, impacted from the perils of bullying."

A fine explanation if that was what the feud achieved. It didn't, though. It put heat on the writers, not LayCool, and likely came straight from the mind of the WWE Chairman.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.