WWE is known for its shocking moments to bring in fans to glue them to the broadcast and keep them coming back every week, whether it's during wrestling matches, backstage segments, or videos. The company is infamous for various eras where things were quite a bit different than they are now, with sex selling a large portion of the shows, from bra and panties matches to the company's Divas gracing the pages and covers ofPlayboy. The company often also relied on different forms of wild, shocking violence, from people getting set on fire, to vicious blade jobs that left the ring canvas a doused in red and audiences staring on in horror. The then-WWF's Attitude Era blended into its Ruthless Aggression Era, before things went PG on its television broadcasts.
These days, things are still considered PG in the company some performers like Drew McIntyre are pushing the envelope at times but there are some instances of R-rated moments that have never been replicated since they first occurred in WWE. From live sex celebrations, to implied necrophilia, to "HLA" and "Extreme Exposes," there are plenty of R-rated moments in WWE that would never fly today.
Former WWE star Edge lived up to his "Rated R Superstar" nickname in one of the raunchiest angles in WWE history, when he and then-girlfriend Lita celebrated his WWE Championship victory by having sex in a bed set up in the middle of the ring. The segment even leaned X-rated, with Lita having a wardrobe malfunction, while the two were simulating the act in bed. Lita claimed in 2021 that she was uncomfortable and didn't want to do the controversial segment, and said during a stream on her Twitch channel that WWE threatened to fire her if she didn't go through with the segment.Edge and Lita's performance was the first and only "live sex celebration" to take place in WWE, and something that will never be replicated in this day and age.
Former WWE writer Christopher DeJoseph recalled during an appearance on "Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw" in 2022 that he was the one who came up with the angle after Edge cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase and won the title from John Cena. He explained he was in a meeting with Vince McMahon and when asked what he would do if he won the title, he replied, "I would have sex with my girlfriend in the middle of the ring," and McMahon liked the idea so much, they went through with the segment, despite the complaints from all involved.
One of the most disturbing moments in WWE history was also one of its most R-rated, and since it involved the current Chief Content Officer of the company, Paul "Triple H" Levesque simulating sex with a corpse in a coffin, it absolutely wouldn't fly today. In 2002, Triple H was feuding with "The Devil's Favorite Demon," Kane. During the feud, Triple H aired Kane's dirty laundry, telling the world that Kane was drinking and driving and got in an accident with a girlfriend named Katie Vick, who died of her injuries on the scene while Kane survived. He also implied that Kane's DNA was found inside Vick's body during her autopsy, implying "The Big Red Machine" did inappropriate things to her corpse.
The storyline got even worse when Triple H aired a "video" on "WWE Raw" that showed himself entering a funeral home, where a casket sat open. "The Game" arrived in a Kane mask and walked over to the casket, where it was implied Vick's body was laying, though it was really a dummy. Triple H began to talk to the "body" and climbed into the coffin after taking off his clothes to imply the act.
The angle concluded the following week on "Raw" when The Hurricane, who was in a tag team with Kane at the time, showed his own embarrassing video of Triple H to the audience. The entire Katie Vick storyline remains one of the most disturbing pieces of WWE history, one that cannot be erased, and certainly one that can't be repeated today.
D-Generation X, the brain child stable originally featuring Chyna, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H, pushed boundaries in the then-WWF, beginning just before the company's Attitude Area in 1997. The group was a gang of rule-breakers who did whatever they wanted and were best known for their crude, profane pranks and humor, targeting the likes of Vince McMahon, The Rock, and more. Possibly the most controversial group in WWE in history, DX pushed the envelope even further with their mock presidential address, which aired, edited, on "Raw." The story goes that the USA Network sent WWE a letter of demands to be followed due to the group's antics, otherwise the network would kick "Raw" off their airwaves or Triple H and Michaels would be fired. Instead, the degenerates were allowed to perform a parody of the network's requests, which has remained an iconic piece of WWE history.
The video begins with Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna at a podium, explaining the network was "drawing a line" regarding standards, specifically aimed at them. Michaels said the group needed to be careful of what they do in the future, and Triple H gave a list of curse words the group would not be using, which were censored in the segment. The group promised there would be less "d***" references," to which Triple H and Michaels got into a censored cussing battle. To end the video, Michaels addressed the WWE fans, saying he "did not sleep with that young intern," but he was "up all night," referencing then-president Bill Clinton's apology regarding Monica Lewinsky.The R-rated parody would never fly on WWE programming these days, due to how close of a working relationship the company keeps with its media partners.
WWE continued to push the envelope with R-rated, raunchier content as it moved into its "Ruthless Aggression" era and a particular angle involving Dawn Marie, Torrie Wilson, and Wilson's father, Al, is a prime example of that. Dawn Marie began her feud with Wilson in 2002, and developed a relationship with Wilson's father during the angle to get closer to her nemesis. Dawn Marie and Al Wilson got engaged on a November episode of "SmackDown," but Dawn Marie attempted to bribe his daughter by inviting her to a hotel to spend the night. If Torrie arrived, Dawn Marie would break off the engagement to her father. Raunchy footage of Dawn Marie and Wilson's time in the hotel room would be shown during the Armageddon pay-per-view.
Despite getting her way with her betrothed's daughter, Dawn Marie didn't break off the engagement, and the pair were married on a January 2003 episode of "SmackDown." The storyline only got more ridiculous from there, as in kayfabe, Al was said to have died of a heart attack after having rigorous intercourse with Dawn Marie on their honeymoon.The feud would culminate in a "Stepmother vs. Stepdaughter" match at the Royal Rumble in 2003, which Wilson won. The pair continued to feud until Dawn Marie took a hiatus from WWE TV, with Wilson getting numerous victories over her foe. The R-rated angle is something that wouldn't fly in WWE today, for its obvious, overtly sexual nature.
When WWE attempted to revive ECW in 2006, the company attempted to capture the "extreme" aspect of the brand that fans held so dearly. The company also relied on a method it knew best from its own Attitude Era the fact that sex sells. WWE hired amodel named Barbie Blank, who was initially spotted by former WWE official John Laurinaitis, who sent the model an invite to Ohio Valley Wrestling for a tryout. Despite having no wrestling experience, Blank was signed to the company, and debuted for ECW as Kelly Kelly at just 19 years old. Kelly Kelly's character was an exhibitionist, who was introduced to perform a striptease in the ring for the crowd on most episodes of WWE's new, more extreme brand. She was continuously be interrupted by her on-screen boyfriend, Mike Knox, who would cover her up and take her backstage. "Kelly's Expose" followed the same routine, week after week, including the involvement of Knox, to the "boos" of the crowd, until the pair broke up.
Kelly Kelly actually did "flash" the crowd at one point during her segment, but she was turned away from the camera and only her back was shown to the audience at home, with others in the live crowd reported the young starlet was also still partially covered, wearing pasties. An "exhibitionist" gimmick is something WWE would stay away from in this day and age, with even implied nudity being a "no" on TV.
As the then-WWF began (at first) unknowingly moving into what would be known as the "Attitude Era," "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Brian Pillman were locked in a bitter feud at the end of 1996. What happened during what was supposed to be an interview segment at Pillman's home was R-rated in terms of violence, and the implications of someone being shot live on air to the horror of the audience would never be replicated today.
At one point during the feud, the "Texas Rattlesnake" claimed he was going to interrupt the interview at Pillman's home. In the segment, alongside interviewer Kevin Kelly, "The Loose Cannon" brandished a gun in front of WWE cameras and said he was ready for Austin. Austin showed up, broke a window, and stormed over to Pillman, who pointed the gun at him. Pillman dropped an F-bomb on air, and the video feed to the audience in the arena and fans at home went black, with gunshots ringing out.
The viewers, left in a horrible cliffhanger, were so upset, some began to contact the network, voicing their concerns. WWE eventually had to apologize for the angle, but commentator Jim Ross' exclamation of "Pillman's got a gun!" became an iconic moment in the company's history, for it's R-rated reasons.
"The Devil's Favorite Demon," Kane, was the centered of many R-rated storylines throughout his time with WWE, from the previously mentioned Katie Vick fiasco, to a pregnancy miscarriage line (along with implied kidnapping and assault) with Lita. In 2003, Kane was at the center of another questionable storyline that wouldn't fly in WWE today when he attacked Jim Ross and set the legendary commentator on fire. In the backstage segment, JR told Kane he "saw a man who needs help" following the star's unmasking, to which Kane initially seemed open, and JR gave the "Big Red Machine" some heartfelt advice.
Kane then became enraged and got in JR's face, telling him he warned him to "not make fun of him." "Stone Cold's' music then hit in the arena, and the star went down to the ring to address Kane on the tron and tell him to settle down. Things continued to go sideways, with Kane attacking the commentator and dousing him in gasoline before lighting a match and sitting JR on fire. Ross burned from his back down his legs and was screaming for help before the backstage crew could use a fire extinguisher to douse the flames. While WWE continues to be violent in some of its action, lighting a man on fire backstage is some R-rated violence that WWE shies away from today.
These days, WWE uses its instances of blood sparingly, with wrestlers rarely "blading" (or cutting themselves on purpose) in matches, unless it's a big angle in an even larger storyline. One of the reasons this R-rated practice is rarely used could be in part to the late Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero had an infamous blade job that left him sporting a crimson mask in a match against John Bradshaw Layfield at the company's Judgement Day pay-per-view in 2004.
The feud between JBL and Guerrero had gotten very personal, after the former caused Guerrero's mother to have a kayfabe heart attack at an event in Guerrero's native Texas. The issues between the men led to the match and Guerrero's infamous blade job. With the referee taken out of the match at one point, JBL hit Guerrero with a chair, and Guerrero took time to sell the shot, but took a blade to his own forehead in the process, cutting too deep, and causing one of the most gory scenes in WWE history.
As Guerrero bled to the point of concern, covering the ring apron, he and JBL continued the match. Even Guerrero getting himself disqualified didn't stop the brawl; the pair continued to fight as Judgement Day went off the air. Following the event, Guerrero was taken to the hospital due to blood loss, and sold the effects on the following week's "WWE SmackDown." The sheer brutality of the match and the real blood that poured from Guerrero's veins onto the ring canvas is something we haven't seen replicated in WWE.
WWE doesn't go for R-rated shock factors much anymore, but back in September 2002, the arrival of former WCW executive Eric Bischoff to "Raw" as its general manager had the company going back into its "Attitude Era" playbook. One of Bischoff's more risqu gimmicks for the show was "HLA," which stood for "Hot Lesbian Action." While these days, LGBTWIA+ storylines are more accepted in the wrestling sphere amongst fans, "HLA" was more for its R-rated shock value than a tasteful storyline, as well as a ratings play, as "Raw" was going up against the NFL that Monday.
Bischoff introduced the two women, only referred to as "The Lesbians" and not-to-subtly suggested they take off their shirts and strip each other down. The women were told to kiss, which they did, looking rather uncomfortable and faking the kiss, their faces hidden by their hair, so the camera was unable to catch any real "action." When it looked like one of the women was about to further strip down the other, Bischoff called for an end to the segment, saying it had gone on about "three minutes" too long.
This brought out 3 Minute Warning to jump into the ring and beat down "The Lesbians," delivering a stiff kick, a Samoan Drop, and a Superfly Splash to the women. The shameless segment officially came to an end, and "The Lesbians" were never seen on "Raw" again. The seedy segment crossed the line into R-rated for WWE, and the ridiculousness of it all is something that wouldn't fly in the company today.
One of the most uncomfortable segments in WWE involved legendary announcer Michael Cole, and a not-as-memorable talent known as Heidenreich. One particular angle between the two became infamously known as "Heidenrape," and it's a moment that WWE wouldn't even dream of putting on its programming today. On a September 2004 edition of "SmackDown," Heidenreich kidnapped Cole from his place at the commentary desk. Later on in the show, it was shown that the wrestler had taken Cole to a dark room somewhere within the arena.
Heidenreich told Cole that he had been "studying him" and they "had the same desires," and Heidenreich was "going to give him what he wanted." Heidenreich locked the door behind him and seemingly thrusted against Cole, insinuating Cole was being sexually assaulted, while Heidenreich shared a poem with Cole, before letting him go free and thanking him. Heidenreich revealed in an interview with ProWrestling.net the segment was Vince McMahon's idea, which apparently came to him in a dream. The angle was cringey and uncomfortable, the likes of which would never been seen in the company today.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
WWF kicked off its "Shotgun Saturday Night" show in a raunchy way, with the "Original Diva" Sunny getting hot and heavy with another popular television star. That star, however, was children's show character Elmo, the puppet. On the show's debut episode, Sunny declared she was going to air her "sex tape" the following week, to upstage Marlena. The entire next episode of "Shotgun Saturday Night" seemed to air around just who Sunny's partner was in her home movie, but what fans saw in the R-rated segment was slightly disturbing and very cringey.
The clip started off with Sunny in bed with a Tickle Me Elmo doll, the popular children's toy at the time. Sunny called in her lover, who ended up being the toy's "big, strong, bad" older brother, someone dressed head-to-toe in an Elmo costume, who even spoke using the character's voice. "Fondle Me Elmo" got into bed with Sunny, the lights went off, and ridiculous sound effects rang out. The implied sex and the cringey aspect of the segment is something WWE has not repeated since on any of the networks its programming has aired on, and it's a segment the company would likely want fans to forget.
