10 Worst WWE Moments Of 2006
WWE shamefully exploited Eddie Guerrero's death and went love/hate with ECW in 2006.
2006 was a year of mixed emotions.
On one hand, dynamic high-flyer Rey Mysterio achieved what most would've realistically considered the impossible by ascending to WWE main event status and winning the old World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio also bagged a Royal Rumble triumph and paid tribute to his fallen friend Eddie Guerrero. Then, there was the other side, and it proved to be a bitter experience.
The company shamelessly exploited Guerrero's death and left a bad taste in the mouths of many with one specific line by a future great. Elsewhere that year, the revived ECW brand (which proved popular at One Night Stand 2005 and '06) became a standalone third option next to Raw and SmackDown. Sadly, it really didn't take Vince McMahon long to scuff then pull the whole thing apart.
He quickly turned people off by giving them an extreme offering very much unlike the product that seemed so fresh and exciting under Paul Heyman in the 90s. Hardcore fans who had adored ECW's blood, guts and profanity approach were disheartened by some of the things they witnessed from this new version of the brand.
2006 also saw topsy turvy moments for stars like Kurt Angle (what a story), Rob Van Dam, Kane, Lita and The Undertaker. That's before we even get to McMahon's ridiculous religious publicity stunt, his bizarre decision to push an undercard attraction over a headline one, and a gimmick match that was more outright hell than Hell In A Cell.
What a 12 months this was. Let's dig in and examine the worst it served up.
10. The ECW Zombie
As the intro states, both One Night Stand events in 2005 and 2006 proved successful for WWE. The pay-per-views showed that there was still a market for Paul Heyman's claret-soaked product, and DVD units were flying off the shelves faster than distributors could stock them. By mid-2006, Vince McMahon had decided to rubber stamp an ECW comeback. It'd be the third brand next to Raw and SmackDown.
WWE's version of ECW played before a ton of hype, so much so that hardcore hungry eyeballs tuned in on 13 June to see the first slice. It wouldn't be long until those eyeballs were rolling harder than RVD in the back. The episode opened with a hot segment involving Van Dam, Heyman, Edge, Lita and John Cena, but then came time for the first match. What did WWE pick for that spot? Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn, perhaps? Maybe a dazzling lucha-style showcase or a hardcore brawl?
Nah, they debuted "The Zombie".
Seriously. The first bout of this "new ECW era" was some dude shuffling around like he was from Resident Evil 2's sprint to the police station, then The Sandman caned the crap out of him. In total, the match lasted 19 seconds. Nobody's suggesting it should've gone on for 19 minutes, or anything, but this was an insult. It was a clear slap in the face to ECW'ers who thought this weekly would honour the past.
Suddenly, hopes were dashed that Vince understood what ECW should be. Those One Night Stand cards were thunderous and excellently produced, but the TV show? Man, it got rough in a hurry, and things would only get worse for the brand from there.