10 Weird Times TV Shows Had Wrestling Storylines

4. Married... With Children

Married With Children
Sony Pictures Television

A soul-sapped man, relentlessly nagged by his awfully-voiced wife, is consistently foiled by poor luck.

No, not Triple H and the inevitable failure his NXT signees face on the main roster, but the central premise of the lowbrow sitcom Married... With Children.

The show was the longest-running live-action sitcom on Fox, a distinction it doesn't share with WWE Monday Night RAW, because that belongs to Portland Wrestling. Married... With Children did however run a pro wrestling storyline once, so there's that. The creators were actually big fans of this great sport, naming the titular family after King Kong Bundy and their neighbours after Dusty Rhodes. And, via the formation of NO MA'AM in this wrestling-themed episode - a proto-men's rights activist organisation - they doffed the cap to TJP.

Al's son Bud, seeking entry to the group, sneaks backstage at a show as an initiation ceremony; if he can snap a picture of King Kong Bundy, he's in. Wearing a bumblebee outfit made for him by his sister, Bud somehow inserts himself into a match, and again, it's not that unbelievable. Mass Transit worked Paul Heyman once.

The stinger on his bee outfit finds itself in Bundy's ar*e. The women on the show get as horny watching the wrestling as Vince McMahon did watching Shawn Michaels in his prime. Bundy calls spots louder than John Cena. Bud gets his tooth knocked out at the finish. That's about it.

The cast is dumber than the fans, at least. So that's true-to-life and inoffensive.

Contributor
Contributor

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!