WrestleMania, WWE’s flagship event, has seen its fair share of unforgettable moments, from jaw-dropping performances to shocking outcomes. However, not all WrestleMania matches have been met with unanimous praise. Here’s a rundown of the top 10 most controversial WrestleMania matches that stirred up the wrestling world:
10) Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock
This match pitted two generations of wrestling icons against each other. The Toronto crowd’s unexpected reaction, cheering for Hogan (the supposed heel) over The Rock (the babyface), turned the match into an unintended display of fan sentiment.
9) Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna
WrestleMania IX concluded with a controversial finish as Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart for the WWE Championship only for Hulk Hogan to intervene immediately and win the title from Yokozuna. This impromptu change left many fans scratching their heads.
8) Triple H vs. Booker T
The storyline leading to this match was laden with racial undertones, with Triple...
10) Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock
This match pitted two generations of wrestling icons against each other. The Toronto crowd’s unexpected reaction, cheering for Hogan (the supposed heel) over The Rock (the babyface), turned the match into an unintended display of fan sentiment.
9) Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna
WrestleMania IX concluded with a controversial finish as Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart for the WWE Championship only for Hulk Hogan to intervene immediately and win the title from Yokozuna. This impromptu change left many fans scratching their heads.
8) Triple H vs. Booker T
The storyline leading to this match was laden with racial undertones, with Triple...
- 4/11/2024
- by George P Thomas
- Nerdly
The WWE 2K24 roster is getting a fan-favorite character added in the form of Bray Wyatt’s The Fiend. Windham Lawrence Rotunda, known by his ring name, Bray Wyatt, sadly passed away on the 24th of August last year, aged just 36, after suffering a heart attack. By the time of his passing, he had already become a fan-favorite wrestler and a common name in WWE.
Wyatt introduced his new, horror-themed character in the ring titled The Fiend back in 2019, and fans can now look forward to playing as the demonic character in the upcoming 2K Games’ title, WWE 2K24, releasing next month.
The Fiend Is the Latest Addition to the WWE 2K24 Roster The Fiend is added to the WWE 2K24 roster, confirmed through a post on X.
WWE 2K24 releases on March 8th, and fans will hope the game releases without any hiccups despite all the controversy outside the ring.
Wyatt introduced his new, horror-themed character in the ring titled The Fiend back in 2019, and fans can now look forward to playing as the demonic character in the upcoming 2K Games’ title, WWE 2K24, releasing next month.
The Fiend Is the Latest Addition to the WWE 2K24 Roster The Fiend is added to the WWE 2K24 roster, confirmed through a post on X.
WWE 2K24 releases on March 8th, and fans will hope the game releases without any hiccups despite all the controversy outside the ring.
- 2/15/2024
- by Ayoub Hassan Adur
- FandomWire
For months now, we've been seeing paparazzi photos of Zac Efron looking extremely beefy with a silly haircut, and hearing reports about "The Bear" star Jeremy Allen White's "gross" diet in preparation for the new A24 film, "The Iron Claw." For outsiders looking in, "The Iron Claw" looks like a wrestling drama, and many are thrilled to see the pair of actors step into the squared circle of muscle ballet. However, the average Joe's opinion of wrestling is rooted in the heyday of Hulkamania, the Attitude Era of the late '90s, or through crossover stars who have since become actors. Here's the thing: It's really cool that Allen and Efron are going to be in a wrestling movie, but if you're anticipating something like the extremely fun "Fighting With My Family" starring Florence Pugh or the deeply moving biopic "Cassandro" starring Gael García Bernal ... you're in for a hell of a rude awakening.
- 10/11/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
You can’t see John Cena and you’ll never see him face off against Hulk Hogan. But we can’t help but wonder what could have been in the squared circle, as Hogan recently revealed his last match was supposed to be against Cena at WrestleMania 25.
As he told Chris Van Vliet (via ComicBook.com), Hulk Hogan said a dream final match against John Cena never came to fruition due to injuries. “Vince [McMahon] had me all hooked up with Cena and I said I’d do it. Vince and I were talking every week and we were putting the plans together, you know, like the old days where I was in the office every day, him and I were talking every day, and all of a sudden I’m on the phone with Vince I was like, ‘Oh my God. Oh, my back.’ My back went out when I was...
As he told Chris Van Vliet (via ComicBook.com), Hulk Hogan said a dream final match against John Cena never came to fruition due to injuries. “Vince [McMahon] had me all hooked up with Cena and I said I’d do it. Vince and I were talking every week and we were putting the plans together, you know, like the old days where I was in the office every day, him and I were talking every day, and all of a sudden I’m on the phone with Vince I was like, ‘Oh my God. Oh, my back.’ My back went out when I was...
- 10/6/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
World Wrestling Entertainment has had plenty of dominant characters over the past 50 years, but Roman Reigns continues to set his own path.
When Reigns faces Cody Rhodes on Sunday in the main event of WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, it will be his 944th consecutive day as champion, the sixth-longest title reign in the company’s history.
“You set goals and have visions of where you view yourself and what you’d like to accomplish. But, I couldn’t have written the past three years any better,” Reigns said during an interview with The Associated Press. “It feels good to come from a wrestling family that has been performers for a long time. To represent such a prestigious title reign at the tippity top of the mountain, there’s no comparison.”
Read More: ‘WWE’ Star Alexa Bliss Reveals She Had Skin Cancer And Tells Fans ‘Always Get Your...
When Reigns faces Cody Rhodes on Sunday in the main event of WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, it will be his 944th consecutive day as champion, the sixth-longest title reign in the company’s history.
“You set goals and have visions of where you view yourself and what you’d like to accomplish. But, I couldn’t have written the past three years any better,” Reigns said during an interview with The Associated Press. “It feels good to come from a wrestling family that has been performers for a long time. To represent such a prestigious title reign at the tippity top of the mountain, there’s no comparison.”
Read More: ‘WWE’ Star Alexa Bliss Reveals She Had Skin Cancer And Tells Fans ‘Always Get Your...
- 3/31/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
WWE 2K23 features quite a few improvements to the franchise formula that will certainly be welcomed by wrestling game fans everywhere. Of course, some things never change, which means that WWE 2K23 still makes you unlock quite a few wrestlers via gameplay accomplishments and by spending both real and virtual currency.
The very good news is that WWE 2K23 makes the various unlock processes fairly painless. The problem is that the game doesn’t always do a great job of telling you exactly how to unlock those wrestlers or the best way to go about acquiring all of them. Hopefully, we can help ease that part of the unlock system just a bit.
How to Unlock Every WWE 2K23 Wrestler With Virtual Currency
The vast majority of wrestlers in WWE 2K23 are unlocked via the game’s Virtual Currency (Vc) system. Every wrestler available via the in-game store costs 1,000 Vc to unlock.
The very good news is that WWE 2K23 makes the various unlock processes fairly painless. The problem is that the game doesn’t always do a great job of telling you exactly how to unlock those wrestlers or the best way to go about acquiring all of them. Hopefully, we can help ease that part of the unlock system just a bit.
How to Unlock Every WWE 2K23 Wrestler With Virtual Currency
The vast majority of wrestlers in WWE 2K23 are unlocked via the game’s Virtual Currency (Vc) system. Every wrestler available via the in-game store costs 1,000 Vc to unlock.
- 3/14/2023
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
To celebrate the Blu-ray release of Royal Rumble 2022, we are giving away a Blu-ray copy.
It’s one of the most exciting nights in the WWE calendar and the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania… Royal Rumble! This year’s event includes Two Royal Rumble matches – with a championship opportunity at WrestleMania on the line – plus stacks of surprises and action from Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Edge, and Becky Lynch!
Match Highlights: 30-Superstar Men’s Royal Rumble Match 30-Superstar Women’s Royal Rumble Match WWE Championship Match – Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley Universal Championship Match – Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins Raw Women’s Championship Match – Becky Lynch vs. Doudrop Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz & Maryse
Plus, even more Superstars including Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Big E, Charlotte Flair, Lita, and Sasha Banks!
Royal Rumble 2022 is available to buy on Blu-ray from 21st March 2022. You can also win a...
It’s one of the most exciting nights in the WWE calendar and the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania… Royal Rumble! This year’s event includes Two Royal Rumble matches – with a championship opportunity at WrestleMania on the line – plus stacks of surprises and action from Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Edge, and Becky Lynch!
Match Highlights: 30-Superstar Men’s Royal Rumble Match 30-Superstar Women’s Royal Rumble Match WWE Championship Match – Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley Universal Championship Match – Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins Raw Women’s Championship Match – Becky Lynch vs. Doudrop Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz & Maryse
Plus, even more Superstars including Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Big E, Charlotte Flair, Lita, and Sasha Banks!
Royal Rumble 2022 is available to buy on Blu-ray from 21st March 2022. You can also win a...
- 3/17/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Yokozuna was a legendary WWF (WWE these days) heel, the professional-wrestling term for a bad guy — but Agatupu Rodney Anoaʻi was a legendary good dude.
As the first WWE Superstar profiled on the new biographical docuseries “WWE Icons,” Yokozuna’s episode will follow Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on streaming service WWE Network. Pretty good lead-in.
Don’t want to wait until Sunday? Iffy on the SVOD service’s $9.99-per-month price? TheWrap has your first look at WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi talking about his personal memories of Yoko, free of charge.
In our exclusive clip, Rikishi (real name Solofa F. Fatu Jr.) recalls a time in Yoko’s heyday when Rodney Anoa’i was making far more money than he was as a member of The Headshrinkers. While Fatu Jr. could afford a house, he couldn’t swing the money to replace its faulty heating system — but Yoko...
As the first WWE Superstar profiled on the new biographical docuseries “WWE Icons,” Yokozuna’s episode will follow Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on streaming service WWE Network. Pretty good lead-in.
Don’t want to wait until Sunday? Iffy on the SVOD service’s $9.99-per-month price? TheWrap has your first look at WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi talking about his personal memories of Yoko, free of charge.
In our exclusive clip, Rikishi (real name Solofa F. Fatu Jr.) recalls a time in Yoko’s heyday when Rodney Anoa’i was making far more money than he was as a member of The Headshrinkers. While Fatu Jr. could afford a house, he couldn’t swing the money to replace its faulty heating system — but Yoko...
- 1/29/2021
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
So, the WWE Championships, the main titles in the company, are what we all look to as the height of being a star in wrestling. Whether it’s the WWF Championship, the World Championship or the Universal Title, the top of the business hold that belt, and often act as the face of WWE. So, with all the Champions we’ve seen throughout history there have been some that have achieved such legendary status that they would appear on the Mount Rushmore of the greatest Superstars in the business. We’ve also seen a whole bunch of others who have been, shall we say… not so good. Now, I’m not starting this article concept as a way to be cruel or to bury people, but rather to give two sides to the coin. Conversations about good and bad get us talking, discussing, agreeing and disagreeing, and that’s what this is all about.
- 10/6/2020
- by Chris Cummings
- Nerdly
NBC’s “Young Rock” has found its Young Rock — and also two slightly older (but still young) Rocks. The series about the upbringing of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has also cast the roles of dad Rocky Johnson, mom Ata Johnson and grandmother/wrestling promoter Lia Maivia.
Adrian Groulx will play 10-year-old Dwayne, Bradley Constant will play high school Dwayne and Uli Latukefu will play college Dwayne, NBC said on Wednesday.
In college, Dwayne Johnson won the NCAA National Championship in football at the University of Miami. Though his pro football career never really took off, Dwayne followed in his family footsteps to pursue a career in professional wrestling and, eventually, conquered Hollywood.
Joseph Lee Anderson has been cast as second generation pro-wrestler Rocky Johnson, Stacey Leilua will play Ata Johnson and Ana Tuisila will play Lia Maivia.
Dwayne Johnson is considered an honorary member of the famous Anoa’i wrestling family.
Adrian Groulx will play 10-year-old Dwayne, Bradley Constant will play high school Dwayne and Uli Latukefu will play college Dwayne, NBC said on Wednesday.
In college, Dwayne Johnson won the NCAA National Championship in football at the University of Miami. Though his pro football career never really took off, Dwayne followed in his family footsteps to pursue a career in professional wrestling and, eventually, conquered Hollywood.
Joseph Lee Anderson has been cast as second generation pro-wrestler Rocky Johnson, Stacey Leilua will play Ata Johnson and Ana Tuisila will play Lia Maivia.
Dwayne Johnson is considered an honorary member of the famous Anoa’i wrestling family.
- 9/30/2020
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Welcome to this week’s Impact Wrestling review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we’ve got no more Tessa Blanchard or Michael Elgin in Impact, so the main event is drastically altered, like a Hollywood actress who gets a face-lift to look like Betty Boop…boop-doop-be-doop…boop! Madman Fulton has his second main event in two weeks, which is great for his career, but may not be great for the main event (it’s fine…I checked…through the Veil Of The Force…Star Wars!!!). The road to Slammiversary continues, right now.
Match #1: Chris Bey w/ Johnny Swinger def. Suicide The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Chris Bey is looking to take out the masked man en route to his X-Division Title opportunity against Willie Mack at Slammiversary. The action is fast and furious in the early going as Bey traps Suicide in the...
Match #1: Chris Bey w/ Johnny Swinger def. Suicide The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Chris Bey is looking to take out the masked man en route to his X-Division Title opportunity against Willie Mack at Slammiversary. The action is fast and furious in the early going as Bey traps Suicide in the...
- 7/1/2020
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
So during this whole awful quarantine situation I’ve found myself watching even more wrestling than before. In the midst of all that wrestling has been my revisiting of lots (and lots) of 90s WWE stuff. I started watching pro-wrestling in 1992 with WrestleMania 8 and so I have many delightful wrestling memories of the 90s, from the early cartoon-era stuff that also featured some of the best ever like Bret Hart and Randy Savage to the beloved and creatively incredible Attitude Era. I thought, then, that it would be neat to bring a list to you guys of the ten best matches of the 90s that you should revisit during lockdown. The problem with that is the sheer amount of matches I’d have to go through, so I narrowed it down to WrestleMania matches, because those alone bring a ton of great classics to pick from. I mean, this, like all these lists,...
- 6/16/2020
- by Chris Cummings
- Nerdly
As gamers, we’re always looking for the next big thing, whether it’s a disruptive new way to play (e.g. virtual and augmented reality) or an innovation in what makes games tick (ray tracing). But sometimes we’re so busy pushing forward that we forget to look back. Fortunately, two upcoming documentaries will take us back to the days when arcades were still swallowing our quarters and Nintendo and Sega ruled our living rooms.
Insert Coin, by 25-year game industry veteran and indie filmmaker Josh Tsui, chronicles the history of Midway Games, the legendary studio behind such arcade classics as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and many more. Console Wars, which tells the story of how Sega tried to bring down Nintendo with the Genesis, is the documentary version of the beloved non-fiction book of the same name by Blake J. Harris, who directed the film with documentarian Jonah Tulis.
Insert Coin, by 25-year game industry veteran and indie filmmaker Josh Tsui, chronicles the history of Midway Games, the legendary studio behind such arcade classics as Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and many more. Console Wars, which tells the story of how Sega tried to bring down Nintendo with the Genesis, is the documentary version of the beloved non-fiction book of the same name by Blake J. Harris, who directed the film with documentarian Jonah Tulis.
- 3/19/2020
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
To celebrate the Blu-ray and DVD release of Royal Rumble 2020 (available to buy from 16th March 2020) – we are giving away a Blu-ray copy to one lucky winner.
It’s the first WWE pay-per-view spectacular of the year, including WWE’s most prestigious match and the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania – the Royal Rumble! This year’s event features both men’s and women’s 30-person Royal Rumble matches, with a championship opportunity at WrestleMania on the line! Plus, Daniel Bryan challenges The Fiend for the Universal Championship, Becky Lynch attempts to finally defeat Asuka, and Roman Reigns and King Corbin go to war… and much more!
The Royal Rumble is the most exciting night in the WWE calendar! Not only are the Royal Rumble matches themselves action-packed and full of surprises, but they determine the main event matches at WrestleMania!
And this year’s the men’s Royal...
It’s the first WWE pay-per-view spectacular of the year, including WWE’s most prestigious match and the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania – the Royal Rumble! This year’s event features both men’s and women’s 30-person Royal Rumble matches, with a championship opportunity at WrestleMania on the line! Plus, Daniel Bryan challenges The Fiend for the Universal Championship, Becky Lynch attempts to finally defeat Asuka, and Roman Reigns and King Corbin go to war… and much more!
The Royal Rumble is the most exciting night in the WWE calendar! Not only are the Royal Rumble matches themselves action-packed and full of surprises, but they determine the main event matches at WrestleMania!
And this year’s the men’s Royal...
- 2/25/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Welcome to this week’s Ring Of Honor review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a big Roh World Title Match. Also, have you ever seen that movie “Stay”, directed by Marc Forster? That thing freaked me out. It was cool. Oh, this show is cool too! Okay, I’ll stop before I fall off a cliff. Let’s get right into the action, here on Roh TV.
Match #1: The Kingdom (Tk O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia) defeated The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brawler Milonas) The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Bruiser hit a cannonball off the apron that took out both Kingdom members. Later, The Kingdom isolated Bruiser. Marseglia planted Bruiser with a tornado Ddt for a near fall. Bruiser answered with a double reverse sidewalk slam on Marseglia and O’Ryan. Milonas went for a superplex on O’Ryan, but...
Match #1: The Kingdom (Tk O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia) defeated The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brawler Milonas) The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Bruiser hit a cannonball off the apron that took out both Kingdom members. Later, The Kingdom isolated Bruiser. Marseglia planted Bruiser with a tornado Ddt for a near fall. Bruiser answered with a double reverse sidewalk slam on Marseglia and O’Ryan. Milonas went for a superplex on O’Ryan, but...
- 7/11/2019
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
WWE’s stable of performers are on the road more than 200 nights a year, told when and where to perform, and sign exclusive contracts that bar them from appearing on any other wrestling company’s programming. In spite of all that, they aren’t granted full-time-employee status by Vince McMahon’s publicly traded company — rather, they’re independent contractors who must provide their own health insurance.
That — and the overall well-being of WWE wrestlers, a startling number of whom have died early — was the subject of a deep dive on last night’s episode of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.” Oliver pulled no punches during the 23-minute segment, beginning with this opening salvo: “While the character Vince [McMahon] is an asshole, it’s important to know that the real Vince is also an asshole,” he said, “and many fans legitimately hate him because, while the WWE has made him a billionaire,...
That — and the overall well-being of WWE wrestlers, a startling number of whom have died early — was the subject of a deep dive on last night’s episode of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.” Oliver pulled no punches during the 23-minute segment, beginning with this opening salvo: “While the character Vince [McMahon] is an asshole, it’s important to know that the real Vince is also an asshole,” he said, “and many fans legitimately hate him because, while the WWE has made him a billionaire,...
- 4/1/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Welcome to this week’s Ring of Honor review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and this is a few days late due to being abnormally busy during the earlier part of the week. Fortunately, that was a temporary thing and my life is back to normal, so I can jump right in and get back to work. So, as the Amish always say… “I wanna play X-Box… damn it!”
Match #1: “Hangman” Adam Page defeated Scorpio Sky The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Page took the fight outside the ring early in the contest and rammed Sky into the barricade twice before lawn-darting him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Page set up for a move off the top rope, but Sky caught him with a leaping hurricanrana for a near fall. Sky had two more near falls before Page connected with a lariat.
Match #1: “Hangman” Adam Page defeated Scorpio Sky The following is courtesy of rohwrestling.com:
Page took the fight outside the ring early in the contest and rammed Sky into the barricade twice before lawn-darting him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Page set up for a move off the top rope, but Sky caught him with a leaping hurricanrana for a near fall. Sky had two more near falls before Page connected with a lariat.
- 11/2/2018
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
Welcome to this week’s Impact Wrestling review here on Nerdly! I’m Nathan Favel and we’ve got lots to get to right now, so let’s do so! Look at all of the exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow! We really blew the budget on those. I’m fired. Any-way, here comes Impact Wrestling!
Match #1: Fenix beat Rich Swann
My Take: This was the best match on the card. It’s probably not a great sign when the show peaks after the first bout, but these two guys can’t help but steal the show, I would imagine. Swann is so good at every-thing and Fenix is so dynamic. These two were so fluid with each other that you would wonder if Don Callis and Scott D’Amore were going to give these two a few extra opportunities to wrestle each other in the future. Swann and Fenix moved from strength to strength tonight,...
Match #1: Fenix beat Rich Swann
My Take: This was the best match on the card. It’s probably not a great sign when the show peaks after the first bout, but these two guys can’t help but steal the show, I would imagine. Swann is so good at every-thing and Fenix is so dynamic. These two were so fluid with each other that you would wonder if Don Callis and Scott D’Amore were going to give these two a few extra opportunities to wrestle each other in the future. Swann and Fenix moved from strength to strength tonight,...
- 7/6/2018
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
Gavin Jasper Jan 18, 2020
Many don't win the one-way ticket to WrestleMania's main event at the WWE Royal Rumble, but they can still make a lasting impression.
The Royal Rumble is not only one of the most entertaining gimmick matches WWE has to offer, but it’s a bit of a rite of passage to win. Considering how the winner is supposed to get a title opportunity at WrestleMania, it makes sense that it’s supposed to be yet another way to paint wrestlers as a big deal. It’s an exclusive club, won by just a couple of dozen wrestlers.
There are some wrestlers who never get to win, but they do pretty damn well for themselves. Maybe they last a long time or eliminate a ton of opponents or make it to the very end. Maybe all of the above! This list is about celebrating the Royal Rumble participants...
Many don't win the one-way ticket to WrestleMania's main event at the WWE Royal Rumble, but they can still make a lasting impression.
The Royal Rumble is not only one of the most entertaining gimmick matches WWE has to offer, but it’s a bit of a rite of passage to win. Considering how the winner is supposed to get a title opportunity at WrestleMania, it makes sense that it’s supposed to be yet another way to paint wrestlers as a big deal. It’s an exclusive club, won by just a couple of dozen wrestlers.
There are some wrestlers who never get to win, but they do pretty damn well for themselves. Maybe they last a long time or eliminate a ton of opponents or make it to the very end. Maybe all of the above! This list is about celebrating the Royal Rumble participants...
- 1/11/2017
- Den of Geek
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