10 Times WWE Went Too Far

7. Exploiting Reid Flair's Death

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Ric Flair's youngest son, Reid, passed away in March 2013. He was just 25 years old when his body was found in a Charlotte, North Carolina hotel room, with an autopsy revealing he'd died of a heroin overdose, with traces of prescription tranquilizers, clonazepam, and alprazolam also present in his system.

WWE decided to incorporate this into Reid's sister Charlotte's Divas Championship feud with Paige ahead of Survivor Series 2015. A pre-match promo saw the champ dedicate the bout to her departed sibling. Paige's comeback? "Your little baby brother, he didn't have much fight in him, did he?"

Tasteless. Utterly tasteless.

Paige was a picture of extreme discomfort as she forced this terrible scripted line out, and as for the Flairs? They weren't even asked. Reports revealed that WWE hadn't asked the family for permission ahead of time and hadn't even warned the parents, with Ric claiming her burst into tears upon hearing it, stating that the only reason he didn't speak out at the time was that he didn't want to harm Charlotte's career.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter readers would rightly vote this 2015's Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic.

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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.