{"id":161518,"date":"2026-05-15T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=161518"},"modified":"2026-05-15T04:56:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:56:53","slug":"the-unwatchables-ranking-the-five-worst-wwe-segments-in-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/05\/15\/the-unwatchables-ranking-the-five-worst-wwe-segments-in-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unwatchables: Ranking the 5 Worst Segments in WWE History"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout the company&#8217;s history, fans have been treated to many unforgettable WWE segments. The creative team consistently delivers compelling storylines that keep the audience tuning in week after week and ultimately achieve legendary status. Some iconic highlights include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/superstars\/mike-tyson\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Tyson\u2019s 1998 confrontation<\/a> with \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin, the industry-shaking &#8220;Pipe Bomb&#8221; from CM Punk in 2011, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/03\/27\/predicting-every-ple-the-rock-wrestlemania\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the brutal 2024 assault on Cody Rhodes by The Rock<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But while fans have been able to watch incredible television, they have also been subjected to moments that fall completely flat. While the company usually aims for greatness, WWE can sometimes miss the mark entirely, leading to creative disasters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, with that being said, we\u2019re taking a trip down memory lane to rank the top five worst segments in WWE history. It\u2019s a journey through the truly cringeworthy moments where the creative process went completely off the rails. And to give a teaser: one of the entries on this list happened very recently. In fact, fans were forced to endure the torture of what many are already calling the \u201cworst segment in WWE history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The 5 Worst WWE\u00a0 Segments<\/h2>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>\n<h2><b> The Gobbledy Gooker (1990)<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the mystery box storyline and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/28\/danhausen-debuts-at-wwe-elimination-chamber-2026\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danhausen\u2019s debut at Elimination Chamber 2026<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> drew heavy criticism from fans who dubbed it the worst debut in WWE history, the infamous arrival of The Gobbledy Gooker undoubtedly has a compelling case for being far worse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Danhausen mystery box storyline wrapped up in 12 days, WWE spent months hyping up a giant egg set to hatch at Survivor Series 1990. Fans were buzzing with excitement, believing a major star was about to be revealed, only for the company to unveil something significantly worse than anyone could have expected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the egg finally hatched, Hector Guerrero, dressed in a giant turkey costume, popped out and began dancing with \u201cMean\u201d Gene Okerlund, who years later described the segment as \u201cabsurd.\u201d The fans responded with boos so deafening that the company knew immediately that the gimmick was a total failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vince McMahon, who had high hopes for the segment, was described by backstage witnesses as \u201cvisibly confused and upset.\u201d Adding to the disaster was the fact that earlier that same night, The Undertaker made his debut, marking a stark contrast in tone between his legendary arrival and the absurdity of The Gobbledy Gooker.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xh00VNHNB7o?si=1Mp3qBSSjFuL7NYZ\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>\n<h2><b> The \u201cDinner\u201d (1999)<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before discussing the \u201cDinner,\u201d it\u2019s important to provide context on what led to this infamous moment. It all started when the Big Boss Man, leaning heavily into his \u201cevil prison guard\u201d persona, decided to kidnap Al Snow\u2019s Chihuahua, Pepper, in a continuation of their ongoing feud.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the next couple of weeks, Boss Man played mind games with Snow, tormenting him by appearing on the jumbotron and threatening to harm Pepper unless Snow complied with his demands. This all led to September 9, 1999, when the infamous dinner segment took place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big Boss Man invited Snow to his hotel room, claiming he wanted to make peace by finally returning Pepper. He insisted that the two share a meal first, only for Boss Man to reveal the horrifying truth: Snow wasn\u2019t eating beef or pork, but rather his beloved dog, Pepper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What made this segment so absurdly disgusting was the bizarre horror-comedy angle WWE tried to spin regarding the cannibalism of a pet. This paved the way for what is widely considered one of the worst stipulation matches ever conceived, The Kennel from Hell.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two faced off in a Hell in a Cell structure that was surrounded by a traditional steel cage.\u00a0 In between the structures were &#8220;bloodthirsty and sadistic attack dogs,&#8221; which instead spent the duration of the match barking, wagging their tails, and relieving themselves at ringside.\u00a0 Snow eventually escaped the cages to win the match, leaving the crowd largely silent after witnessing such a laughable display.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>\n<h2><b> Katie Vick (2002)<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next on our list is an infamous segment that remains widely regarded by fans as one of the most controversial moments in WWE history. It took place in October 2002 during a heated feud between Triple H and Kane. For context, Triple H was the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, while Kane held the Intercontinental Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To get under Kane\u2019s skin during the feud, Triple H \u201cexposed\u201d a dark secret from Kane\u2019s past: a girl named Katie Vick who had died in a car accident while Kane was driving drunk. This revelation set the stage for two infamous segments that would go down in history for all the wrong reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first occurred when Triple H dressed up as Kane, complete with a mask and wig, visiting a funeral home and climbing into a casket with a mannequin meant to represent Vick, where he performed a series of grotesque acts. This was followed by a second segment in which Triple H, still dressed as Kane, visited a hospital to depict the aftermath of the tragedy in a bizarrely comedic and gruesome fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 610px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"6dfbdbe8ed6ff2eb8f8e8ee3c2cef8f4\" image-id=\"wennzFXa7FkA\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 2557px; aspect-ratio: 2557\/3000;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What made these segments so disastrous was the fact that not only did fans hate them, but both Triple H and Kane did as well, expressing their disdain for the creative direction years later. The focus on the title unification was lost as the storyline became more about how uncomfortable the content had become. The theme was not only deeply offensive, but the plot itself was so nonsensical that it insulted the audience&#8217;s intelligence and made a mockery of both the performers and WWE creative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h2><b> The Birth of a Hand (2000)\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Continuing with our list, we revisit a notorious segment featuring Mark Henry and Mae Young. The storyline featured an infamous moment remembered for all the wrong reasons titled \u201cBirth of a Hand,\u201d which served as the bizarre conclusion to a months-long romance between the two. It stands as a prime example of a plot being so nonsensical and over-the-top that it remains one of the most baffling creative choices in history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xnko5Mx8CyA?si=rYOm-Ur23e7kDXf_\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For context, Henry was only 28 years old at the time, while the 77-year-old Young claimed she had somehow become pregnant. The moment took place on February 28, 2000, as Young went into \u201clabor,\u201d only to reveal that instead of a baby, she had given birth to a slimy, rubber prosthetic hand covered in liquid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 610px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"6dfbdbe8ed6ff2eb8f8e8ee3c2cef8f4\" image-id=\"wennC593Ct8l\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 2307px; aspect-ratio: 2307\/3000;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of letting the bizarre storyline fade into oblivion, WWE resurrected it during Raw\u2019s 1,000th episode on July 23, 2012. The hand returned, this time as a fully-grown adult, to celebrate Mae Young\u2019s legendary career alongside her.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fans view this segment as the ultimate cringeworthy moment, and it is often described as the gold standard for &#8220;What am I watching?&#8221; There was simply no way to leave it off our list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h2><b> The Gingerbread Funeral (2026)\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 \u201cGingerbread Man.\u201d Following <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/05\/02\/sami-zayn-destroys-gingerbread-man-on-5-1-smackdown\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zayn\u2019s symbolic \u201ckilling\u201d of the character<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after weeks of appearances, WWE bizarrely opted to hold a funeral segment to mark its end.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">United States Champion <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/13\/the-willymania-era-mapping-out-the-next-chapter-for-trick-williams-in-wwe\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trick Williams<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_160841\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-160841\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/11-3.webp\" alt=\"WWE SmackDown graphic featuring Sami Zayn when he was United States Champion.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" class=\"size-full wp-image-160841\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/11-3.webp 1600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/05\/11-3-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-160841\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A WWE SmackDown graphic featuring Sami Zayn when he was United States Champion. (Photo Credit: WWE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While some viewers might have felt this segment was &#8220;fun,&#8221; 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\u2019s most iconic and historical moments. The sight of a cartoon character poorly photoshopped into legendary wrestling milestones felt incredibly cringey and out of place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 610px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"8afcbf7a9ed3fd6bf7763b62addc7cf8\" image-id=\"3He6EK8TWa5L\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3100px; aspect-ratio: 3100\/2325;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/21\/carmelo-hayes-vs-trick-williams-for-the-united-states-title-isnt-just-likely-its-necessary\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">long-time rival, Carmelo Hayes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Reports have since emerged indicating that several members of WWE\u2019s creative team were completely against the segments, describing them as \u201chokey and archaic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 &#8220;Stone Cold&#8221; 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. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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\u2019t going to get them in the fans\u2019 good graces; instead, it serves as a reminder that when WWE fails, they fail on an epic scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1jM2uZjLuo0?si=4CQYskyefpvp6V7p\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout the company&#8217;s history, fans have been treated to many unforgettable WWE segments. The creative team consistently delivers compelling storylines that keep the audience tuning in week after week and ultimately achieve legendary status. Some iconic highlights include Mike Tyson\u2019s 1998 confrontation with \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin, the industry-shaking &#8220;Pipe Bomb&#8221; from CM Punk in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5699,"featured_media":160842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7205,2192,3],"tags":[298,1431,1403,7988,75],"class_list":["post-161518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe-universe","tag-kane","tag-mae-young","tag-mark-henry","tag-trick-williams","tag-triple-h"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5699"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161518"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161526,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161518\/revisions\/161526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}