10 Wrestling Segments That Accidentally Filmed Things You Weren't Meant To See

Sh*tty props and humiliated legends - starring Chris Jericho, Steve Austin and more...

Bret Hart Warrior
WWE

Pro wrestling production is a challenge.

Wrestling and all of its chaotic moving parts are filmed live or live-to-tape. There is no fixed location, at least for popular shows that aren't NXT 2.0, so the makeshift set is constructed weekly in a different venue. It's a sophisticated operation that aims to capture the essence of improvised performance art with TV-friendly time cues and camera angles that capture the full majesty of the athleticism.

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WWE's approach is meticulous in the extreme. The commentary team while utterly soulless are very slick; in the absence of organic conversation, every segue while robotic is seamless. Entrances are identikit and fake-feeling as a result, but the effect is (heavily ironic) "perfection". The matches are weirdly sterile. Nothing is called in the ring. Body language is regulated and no expression is spontaneously performed in front of a camera operator primed and trained to capture it.

Backstage interviews are invariably ended with the camera's uncomfortable fixed gaze resting on an unnatural facial expression. This is uncanny, and exposes the mostly rotten acting, but there is no ramshackle vibe to anything WWE does.

...mostly.

Synthetic tedium has long since replaced a feeling of unpredictable energy.

On the following evidence, you can't altogether blame them...

10. Stephanie McMahon's Bizarre New Tron

Bret Hart Warrior
WWE

Steph's actual entrance is bad enough.

Style. Grace. Classy-looking. Hips, lips, hair: all are delicious. Intelligent. Relevant. Self-made. The hottest one. When she stops, dudes and chicks alike stare at her because nobody do her like she do her.

Every single word in the theme is an absolute bean-flicker.

On the January 2, 2017 RAW, Stephanie McMahon made her way to the ring to interrupt an opening segment involving Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, who accused Mick Foley of abusing his power. This of course brought out Steph, who seized upon the opportunity to belittle somebody with the ferocious aggression of a barracuda.

Before she could tell Mick Foley that he was a useless tw*t who couldn't do his job, which she did for a full calendar year before simply not concluding the storyline, a production doofus attempted to log into his Facebook account via Google, and his internet activity appeared on the tron for a moment. It's a good job it wasn't Kevin Dunn.

"Divas titttttttttssssssss" would have appeared in the search bar. That, and "How not to keep moving the camera every one and a half f*cking seconds".

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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!