10 WWE Ideas EVEN Vince McMahon Thought Were Too Sleazy

4. Marlena Smoking Cigars

Goldust Mandy Rose
WWE.com

On the subject of Goldust, to further shroud the character in mystery, fascination - and ratings, it was hoped - the androgynous character, played by a man who displayed overt homosexual tendencies, was flanked to the ring by Marlena. A buxom blonde bombshell patterned after classic film star Marlene Dietrich, she completed an ingenious act precision engineered to spark a grunting, interested frown in middle America.

Her orientation was less difficult to determine, because the hidden subtext of the ever-present cigar she smoked was a c*ck.

Vince McMahon famously loathes smoking, but it's not entirely clear whether his distaste for her smoking cigars in particular was linked to the simmering suggestion of oral sex which, as we've established, is perfectly fine for the son-in-law and not for women, plural. Unless that woman is Candice Michelle, which was fine, but only because she was getting noshed out at the same time as Triple H.

Jerry Lawler was a fan on commentary - no sh*t - telling Vince that you've gotta love a woman who smokes cigars. "No thank you" he said in response to the gentle rib.

Vince hated this sleazy update on Hollywood glamour so much that at first he was reluctant to allow Marlena to light them.

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!