20 Greatest WWE SmackDown Moments Ever

6. Face Off

WWE were all over the shop in 2002 trying to work their way out of a gay wedding angle that had - until its execution - been praised by campaign crew GLAAD (formerly Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation before the long-form element was dropped to expand inclusivity to other marginalised groups).

Though Billy and Chuck's panicked "publicity stunt" back-out wasn't ideal, the reveal of Eric Bischoff as the withered Justice Of The Peace was utterly sublime. Using the wedding in league with Gunn and Palumbo's stylist Rico, Bischoff snuck onto the blue brand during the peak of his inter-show rivalry with Stephanie McMahon. She was decked as part of the ruse, adding even more to the spectacular drama of the scene.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett