10 Times WWE's PG Era Went Too Far

4. Equal Opportunity Offender

Paige Natalya
WWE

Have you ever got what you thought you wanted, and noted with a wry smile that, maybe, it wasn't worth torturing yourself on the long journey to get there?

There was an awful, WWE poetry to this scene, held just ahead of the 2015 Survivor Series pay-per-view. The women, Paige and Charlotte, were given the "opportunity" - such benevolence! - to sell their match in the main event slot on RAW. If you want to emulate fighting like a man, you must prepare to...

...say despicable things to the other man in an artless and ugly attempt to hoodwink those slack-jawed marks into believing that you actually hate him. Paige, in an attempt to unsettle her opponent/desperately flog a few last minute Network subscriptions, remarked to Charlotte that "Your little brother didn't have much fight in him, did he?"

Reid Flair had died of an overdose two years prior.

Reprehensible carny stuff by all involved, but really, Charlotte wasn't in a position to reject the material. This perversely was a sign, at least, of true progress.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!