Which Mid-90s WWE Angle Was Deemed 'Too Hardcore'?
Turn your heads, kids. This ain't wholesome family entertainment!
Former WWE man Duke 'Dumpster' Droese revealed during an interview with WrestleZone's Bill Pritchard that company officials were left reeling following an angle with Jerry Lawler in the summer of 1994.
On the 20 June '94 episode of Monday Night Raw, Droese was a guest on Lawler's 'King's Court' talk show segment, and ended up being bashed over the head with his own trash can several times. The spot is credited as being one of the first major instances of 'hardcore wrestling' on WWF TV.
WWF cameras cut away after the first weapon shot, and announcers Gorilla Monsoon and Randy Savage promised viewers would never see anything as brutal again. Then, the next week, Lawler was forced to apologise for his vile actions.
It was all very 'Sports Entertainment', but here's the thing: Duke and Jerry never cleared the spot with Vince McMahon. Instead, they cleared it with road agent Jack Lanza, who told them to ask for forgiveness rather than permission because they were on live television.
According to Droese, McMahon got cold feet on any follow up and worried that the angle might be 'too hardcore' for his family friendly programming.