10 Weird Times TV Shows Had Wrestling Storylines

2. Baywatch

Vader Basketball
NBC

A blend of slow-motion action, awful celebrity cameos and blonde women with massive, heaving t*tties, Baywatch wasn't too dissimilar to the WWE of 2009.

In this wrestling crossover event, Pamela Anderson's CJ Parker rescues Hulk Hogan from drowning. The Hulkster, distracted by a buxom blonde, had flown off his jet ski, faring better than his old pal Brutus Beefcake. He is compelled to stay on the beach scene because the Venice Boys Beach Center is in danger of closure, and he stands up for the rights of every man and every early '90s trope alike. The Venice Boys Beach Center is under new management - new management in the form of Ric Flair, for some f*cking reason.

Hulk challenges Flair in a No Holds Barred battle to determine its fate in the thinnest possible pretext to promote a WCW pay-per-view. Brilliantly, Flair stipulates that this must be a "team match". Guy gave so little of a sh*t that he didn't even bother to tell the script consultant about the actual concept of tag team wrestling.

Vader crushes a basketball during this challenge. This episode of glorified softcore pornography is obviously a cash-in joke, and WWE still saw fit to rip it off years later to get the Great Khali over.

The same hack probably wrote it.

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!