41 Most Disgusting Promotional Tactics In Wrestling History RANKED

16. 2013 - CM Punk And Paul Heyman Exploit Paul Bearer’s Death

CM Punk once won back-to-back WWE Money In The Bank ladder matches. He also won two consecutive awards that weren’t worth celebrating. Then again, Punk is one of very few 21st century performers to generate earnest, elusive heel heat. He might even think of them as comparable achievements.

William ‘Paul Bearer’ Moody, best remembered as the Undertaker’s on-off manager, died on March 5, 2013, of a heart attack. He was 58 years old. WWE almost immediately used the death to build up the Undertaker’s WrestleMania match against Punk. It was somewhat tame, at first, in that Punk stole Bearer’s urn and played a heartless, mischievous prick in a bid to peck at ‘Taker’s psyche. WWE was saving the most depraved for last; on the WrestleMania 29 go-home Raw, Paul Heyman cosplayed as Paul Bearer as Punk attacked the Undertaker and poured what were purported to be Bearer’s ashes all over him.

Artistically, you could argue that this direction, while utterly classless, was refreshing. The drama surrounding the Undertaker’s Streak had evaporated. In 2013, the selling point underwent a much-needed change. It wasn’t about if Punk could win; it was about creating the hope that the dastardly heel wouldn’t. Moody’s family may not have shared that opinion.

Moody’s sons, Michael and Daniel, took to Facebook to express their disappointment with how the ashes angle - which they were briefed on - played out. They quickly clarified that WWE didn’t pull something unexpected - they just weren’t emotionally equipped to actually endure it. This was bad: a reminder that pro wrestling’s manipulative and crass approach, sometimes handwaved as “It’s wrestling” - even in this very piece - has the capacity to hurt people.

The sons later accepted Moody’s Hall of Fame induction on his behalf.