30 Most INSANE Things Wrestlers Have EVER Said On Live TV
2. Vince McMahon Grills A Grieving Widow
One of WWE’s darkest days became yet another stage for Vince McMahon’s ruthless exploitation, as he callously used a grieving widow for a live television let-off just 24 hours after her husband’s death.
On October 5th, 1997, just before Badd Blood: In Your House went live, a sombre McMahon informed the audience that Brian Pillman had tragically passed away earlier that day. The pay-per-view proceeded, handling the tragedy with something quiet dignity for the era, and it was a sentiment that carried over to the following night’s Monday Night Raw with a traditional ten-bell salute.
Then, everything turned utterly, impossibly grotesque.
McMahon announced that Pillman’s wife, Melanie, would be interviewed live later in the broadcast. As tasteless as that was, it paled in comparison to what followed. With cold detachment, McMahon forced a grieving mother-of-five to process her unimaginable loss on air, while fishing for a get-out-of-jail free card regarding Brian’s well-documented struggles with drugs. Melanie, understandably in shock, struggled to form coherent responses as McMahon pried into how she would cope financially and how the children had reacted to their father’s death. Hard close-ups captured every tear, offering viewers an unfiltered, harrowing look at real grief, and all for semantic bail-outs and cheap ratings.
To make it even more appalling, WWE shamelessly promoted the interview throughout the show like a must-see segment. It was pro wrestling viewer-bait at its most vile.