7 Cruelest Wrestling Ironies
5. Paul Bearer Has Death Expoited Then Is Honoured By WWE Hall Of Fame
The WWE Hall Of Fame is something those in power at the organisation claim is the single most prestigious honour it can bestow upon former talent. There's no denying that it's a cool award for those who have dedicated their lives to pro wrestling, but there have been occasions when WWE itself have confused everyone by treating entrants in weird ways.
Instantly, Paul Bearer springs to mind as a classic example.
One year before being inducted, the legendary wrestling manager passed away in March, 2013. Instead of handling the situation sensitively, WWE decided to incorporate his passing into the ongoing feud between The Undertaker and CM Punk. The whole thing seemed more than a little crass, especially when Heyman dressed up as Bearer and Punk gave the visual of pouring his ashes from the trademark urn he carried.
The storyline could have done without such controversy, it felt misplaced. This wasn't simply a character who had 'died', a real person had passed on.
In 2014, management elected to induct Paul Bearer into the WWE Hall Of Fame. The whole ordeal felt a little bizarre, why would officials write television content which belittled Bearer so shortly after his death, then present an entirely serious honouring just 12 months later? The way WWE treated the idea of the famous manager passing was in stark contrast to how they later tried to back pedal on the idea, simply to put him in the Hall Of Fame.