10 Times WWE Were Shamelessly Exploitative

WWE's reaction to Brian Pillman's sudden passing just hours before he was due to compete at the Badd Blood pay-per-view was bizarre, to say the least.

On the night, a stony-faced Vince McMahon imparted the tragic news, but it was billed more like an apology to disappointed viewers than an announcement of an employee's death. To make up for Pillman's match being necessarily cut from the card, out trotted Mexican minis Mosaic and Tarantula to compete a totally tone-deaf comedy match.

An understandably shaken Vince was in a bind, so perhaps the bungled handling could be excused. What couldn't, was his decision to subject Pillman's griefing wife Melanie to a live grilling the very next night on Monday Night Raw as though it was simply the next beat in a wrestling angle.

McMahon turned Martin Bashir for the night with the implicit objective of absolving WWE from any responsibility for Pillman's death, the widow badgered into admitting her late husband did not abuse steroids. But it also served another purpose: McMahon gradually ratcheted the screw throughout the interview, cranking up Melanie's emotions - and, he hoped, the ratings.

The sordid stunt attracted widespread criticism, but McMahon refused to repent, insisting the grief-stricken exposure had benefited the family. How, he did not mention.