25 Most OUT OF POCKET WWE Attitude Era Moments

4. Jerry Lawler Finds Gruesome Injury Hilarious

WWE Royal Rumble 2000 Taka Michinoku
WWE.com

Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia: none of these things are funny. A great satirist can use the themes to create comedy, provided they punch up at the correct target, but the WWE at the time of the Attitude Era was not exactly interested in doing that. 

In the specific context of pro wrestling, certain things should not be laughed at. A head injury is one of them. The classic slapstick of a tame botch is obviously fair game, but you’re a bad person if you laugh at a bump gone very awry. So why did each and every one of you piss yourself when Taka Michinoku landed splat on his face when he was dumped out of the 2000 Royal Rumble match? Seriously, what the f*ck is wrong with you? 

Well. Firstly, this was 2000. If you watched this stuff as a teenager, you had no idea what ‘CTE’ meant, much less its dire significance. Also, you actively enjoyed the violence, you sick son of a bitch. The business was hot when Mick Foley was thrown off Hell In A Cell, not when Bret Hart was working scientific matches with Hakushi. 

And of course, Jerry Lawler found Taka’s busted face so amusing with his high-pitched giggle that, with medical staff presumably tending to Taka, Lawler demanded replay after replay of the spot. He even added his own sound effects!

It’s fine to laugh at this now - Taka at 52 years old and as of June 19, 2026 has worked 45 matches this year already - but you laughed back then too. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!