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The Gingerbread Funeral (2026)
The top spot belongs to a segment that aired just a week ago on SmackDown. As a way to bait Sami Zayn and poke fun at his red hair, Trick Williams began calling him the “Gingerbread Man.” Following Zayn’s symbolic “killing” of the character after weeks of appearances, WWE bizarrely opted to hold a funeral segment to mark its end.
United States Champion Trick Williams played a starring role by delivering a eulogy for the Gingerbread Man, followed by a musical tribute with a gospel choir that was so off-key, it perhaps made some fans feel like their ears were bleeding.
The performance shifted from comedic to cringeworthy, leaving the audience feeling largely uncomfortable. Some fans were even seen leaving the arena before the segment ended, a clear signal that the moment had completely missed its mark.
The episode ended with Zayn crashing the funeral, only for Lil Yachty, dressed as the Gingerbread Man, to rise from the casket in a manner similar to the Undertaker and attack him.
While some viewers might have felt this segment was “fun,” many others disagreed for a number of reasons. First, the tribute utilized a series of AI-generated images to insert the Gingerbread Man into some of WWE’s most iconic and historical moments. The sight of a cartoon character poorly photoshopped into legendary wrestling milestones felt incredibly cringey and out of place.
Second is the fact that the company is undermining one of its hottest rising stars, Trick Williams, by involving him in such a foolish storyline rather than a program with his long-time rival, Carmelo Hayes. Reports have since emerged indicating that several members of WWE’s creative team were completely against the segments, describing them as “hokey and archaic.”
Wrestling history is a constant balance of triumphs and disasters across every decade. While we fondly remember the Attitude Era for the iconic rise of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, we often choose to forget times like when a dog was served for dinner. The reality is that WWE consistently gets its storylines right, but when things go off the rails, they do so in truly epic fashion.
The problem with segments like the Gingerbread Man funeral is that WWE creative is already on the hot seat with fans. This kind of programming isn’t going to get them in the fans’ good graces; instead, it serves as a reminder that when WWE fails, they fail on an epic scale.
