10 Worst Wrestling Publicity Stunts

David Arquette's name is basically mud amongst wrestling fans. In fact, it's worse than mud: it's wet mud (hell to wash off school clothes). But perhaps that's a little unfair (both to Arquette and mud).

With Jinder Mahal's title victory at Backlash, the spleens of many fans have been vented as 'worst champion ever (!)' diatribes abound. Naturally, memories of Arquette's run as the holder of WCW's premier title have resurfaced, being the unequivocal benchmark for God-awful gold-wearers.

As idiotic as it was, WCW's suicidal decision was based on solid foundations. After the company splurged $24 million in a bid to insult the motion picture industry with their film Ready to Rumble, they were naturally keen to promote their investment, not to mention capitalise on its 'star power'. Logically then, this involved having leading man David Arquette turn up on Thunder to shill the flick.

So far, so not complete sh*t. Had matters ended there, it might not have been, you know, a travesty. But two weeks after his first appearance, the 160lb actor won the WCW Heavyweight Title. Arquette's name was now alongside such esteemed names as Ric Flair and Harley Race in the legacy of pro-wrestling.

Arquette spent just twelve days with the hallowed waist-adornment, in a largely comedic role, but it was twelve days too many. The move got people talking, but not for the right reasons. Fans absolutely detested the angle, and for many it was the final straw in breaking their Nitro viewing habit.

The Hollywood 'star' himself agreed; Arquette was reluctant to claim the title knowing full-well it was a disgrace to the profession, and to his great credit donated every penny he earned from his run to the families of Owen Hart, Darren Drozdov, and Brian Pillman. Perhaps it was worth it after all?