Post by Will on Mar 16, 2017 12:36:51 GMT -5
i read this article on whatculture and thought id share it here.. suprised Kevin Dunn isnt number 1.
10. Kevin Dunn
If you're unfamiliar with the name Kevin Dunn, don't worry, you're probably painfully familiar with his work. He's the Executive Vice President of Television Production for WWE. He's basically the guy who decides what to show - or, sometimes more importantly, what not to show - to the home audience.
He was the "brain" behind Tough Enough and the Divas Search, and is responsible for the constant shaky cam and unnecessary zooming that's overtaken the production lately. Oh, he also hates wrestling.
Kevin Dunn hates "wrestling" so much that, according to Jim Cornette, he would refuse to let people use the word when he was in the room. Cornette called him "one of the biggest enemies of professional wrestling" and "a dangerous behind-the-scenes influence." Jim Ross has echoed some of these sentiments, albeit with a gentler tone.
Even Paul Bearer hated this guy. And it takes a special kind of talent to make Paul Bearer hate you. In an interview with Cornette, he said he could "name on one hand the people I truly hate in this business, and I've always hated Kevin Dunn."
There's also been rumors of a power struggle between Dunn, who fancies himself as Vince's right-hand man, and Triple H, who is undoubtedly next in line to take over the company.
9. Sable
Sable was, without a doubt, an indelible part of the Attitude Era. She single-handedly ushered in the puberty of thousands of little boys and reinvigorated the Women's Division. But, while she was definitely a big draw, it would be ludicrous to compare her popularity and impact to that of, say, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
But Sable very much thought she was at that level. She felt she was the main attraction, a notion that didn't sit well with most of the locker room. It was this unabashed arrogance that earned her so much derision backstage. That, and she didn't want to pay her dues.
Case in point: Luna Vachon basically trained Sable, providing her with a security blanket to work with in the ring while she figured out the nuts and bolts of wrestling. It was this on-the-fly training that led to Sable eventually winning the Women's Championship from Jacqueline. When it came time to drop the belt to Luna, though, Sable refused.
This is the type of stuff that made X-Pac want to take a dump in her duffel bag.
Sunny had a different issue with her altogether. Apparently Sable once said the death of her first husband was "the best thing that ever happened to her" because it allowed her to meet her then-husband, Marc Mero. Sable said this in front of her daughter, whose father was that first husband.
8. Randy Orton
When you're a third-generation wrestler, the Golden Boy of Triple H - who's the boss' son-in-law - you have a quick temper, and you become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history, the odds are greatly against you getting along with most of the locker room.
Randy Orton did not rise above those odds.
Orton, despite receiving one of the most fast and furious pushes any new superstar has gotten in WWE in ages, is routinely unwilling to facilitate the younger guys getting their big breaks. Kofi Kingston, Mr. Kennedy, and Ted DiBiase Jr. have all had their pushes stalled after tangling with Orton in some way or another.
CM Punk has voiced his issues with The Viper, and Kelly Kelly has exposed his bullying tendencies since she left WWE.
There was also a lot of heat coming down on Orton in 2014, when other wrestlers accused him of sabotaging Roman Reigns, killing the crowd with a lazy workrate and stunting Reigns' push. Looking back, it's hard not to see a little bit of Orton's feud rubbing off poorly on some of the fanbase.
Orton has since owned up to being a pretentious dick in his younger years, but it's hard to fully gauge whether or not he's changed his tone for good.
7. JBL
You know that one bully at your school who beat the hell out of anyone who dared to make a joke at his expense? Well, John Layfield was that bully for the WWE. And, by most accounts, ol' JBL was the ultimate example of someone who could dish it out but couldn't take it.
He was infamous for "hazing" new talent, a list that includes Rene Dupree, Brian Christopher, Palmer Canon, and most notoriously, The Miz. And he didn't leave these "antics" of his backstage, either, as he never hesitated to dish out an honest-to-goodness stiff punch (or twelve) if you didn't show him enough respect. Just ask the guys in Public Enemy. Or The Blue Meanie.
But not everyone allows themselves to be JBL's whipping boy. Steve Blackman and Joey Styles, of all people, have fought back - literally - and put the big Texan in his place. Styles' story is especially resonant, since he'd endured several days of bullying before finally laying out Mr. Layfield with a big haymaker, giving him a black eye for his trouble.
The only reason JBL isn't further up on the list is because he seemed to be mostly respected - or at least tolerated - by the veterans. He, along with The Undertaker and Bob Holly, presided over the Wrestler's Court, which settled real-life disputes between the boys backstage.
6. The Fabulous Moolah
Most of the people on this list were hated because of their backstage politicking or generally dick-ish personalities. But WWE Hall of Famer and 4x Women's Champion, The Fabulous Moolah, has a much darker, seedier reason for being on this list: Sex crimes. Lots and lots of despicable sex crimes.
Moolah has been accused of forcing the girls she was "training" into various forms of prostitution, essentially engaging in human trafficking. Luna Vachon alleged she was taken advantage of by an older man when she was sent to a private photoshoot set up by Moolah. And then there's the horrifying stories recounted by Sweet Georgia Brown, a trainee who was allegedly drugged, beaten, and raped by male wrestlers (with Moolah's knowledge and tacit approval).
A majority of her clients have also accused her of stealing a portion of their payouts for working a show. Compared to her purported sex trafficking, that's small potatoes, but it doesn't paint any rosier of a picture.
The hatred toward Moolah may not be as wide-reaching as some on this list -- which is kind of crazy considering all the heinous things she did -- but most anyone who worked under her would say she deserves all the ill will she's received. And then some.
5. Shawn Michaels
Some people are able to find it within themselves to forgive and forget the past indiscretions of others. Most of those people do not work in the wrestling industry. And so, despite Shawn Michaels' apparent redemption after returning to WWE in 2002 as a "changed man", it's tough to completely set aside the innumerable times he was a complete tool bag in his heyday.
Everyone has heard the stories. We know the Heartbreak Kid didn't play well with others when he was the company's top guy. We know he used his position to hold down performers he disliked while simultaneously making anyone in his crew a made man. That tends to rub hard-working wrestlers the wrong way.
For example, The Undertaker really didn't like Shawn Michaels for a spell. According to Bret Hart's autobiography, 'Taker was the first to question the validity of HBK's knee surgery that required him to vacate the WWF Championship after his infamous "I lost my smile" promo. 'Taker figured it was more likely Michaels just didn't want to do business for Hart, which as you may know, is one of the Dead Man's biggest pet peeves.
While most of the worst stories about Michaels came from his days as a member of The Kliq or DX, more recent heat with Gregory Helms and CM Punk seems to test the theory that HBK is a "new man" as far as backstage politicking is concerned.
4. Vince McMahon
Dating all the way back to the days of Bruno Sammartino, wrestlers have had beefs with Vince McMahon. And really, anyone who's been in control of the business for as long as Vince has is bound to be hated by a long list of people. So it's almost out of sheer perseverance and longevity that he finds himself on this list.
It might be easier to list the people involved in this business who don't have a problem with Vince, but here we go.
Vince has been condemned by Kamala as a racist (an accusation backed by a litany of stereotypical "negro" gimmicks), has been called "out of touch" by Jim Ross, Josh Mathews, and Paul Heyman, called a jerk by pretty much every under-carder to step through the curtain, blamed for killing countless pushes prematurely, and even accused of trying to sexually assault Nailz and being implicit in the deaths of multiple wrestlers via drug distribution.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is one hated man.
Road Warrior Hawk, whose real-life drug problems were exploited for a cheap storyline, once said that he didn't want to outlive Vince McMahon because he knew, if he did, he'd do "some terrible things to his grave." He even went so far as to call him "the most evil man I've ever met in my life."
Oh, and apparently there used to be some heat between Vince and Bret Hart...?
3. Triple H
As much as fans hate on The Game for his supposed "burying" of other superstars - newcomers and established guys alike - most of that burial stuff is all in the eye of the beholder. What's not up for debate, however, is how many folks in the industry hate this guy's guts.
There's obviously the whole nepotism thing to contend with. Marrying the boss' daughter and collecting championship belts like trading cards for almost two decades tends to paint a certain kind of picture for a lot of people, which is a tough hump for anyone to get over in this business.
But Triple H doesn't exactly go out of his way to assuage any concerns people might have about the perks he gets from marrying into the McMahon family. He's been accused of heavy favoritism towards "his guys" like Randy Orton and Batista, while keeping a foot on the heads of CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler.
Punk, Alberto Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez, Goldberg, Ken Shamrock, Randy Savage, Jim Cornette (of course), and even the New Age Outlaws have all expressed some resentment toward Hunter. Scott Steiner once called him "the Kevin Federline of professional wrestling" while Chyna hurled much more serious allegations his way, claiming he assaulted her when they were an item.
A little fan animosity is clearly the least of Triple H's relationship turmoils.
2. Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff deserves plenty of credit for taking a lackluster WCW product and turning it into a flourishing goldmine almost overnight. But he also deserves the blame for turning the WCW locker room against itself, and for ultimately weakening the product to the point of anemia.
Roughly half of the WCW roster has, at one point or another, taken umbrage with Bischoff's booking, personality, and overall management style. Chris Jericho was never shy about blasting Bischoff's inability to utilize anyone who didn't fall under the nWo umbrella, and partially blamed him for his departure from the company.
That same feeling was shared by Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko, who would follow Jericho to WWE shortly thereafter because they were tired of being relegated to the bottom of the WCW heap. Even veterans like Roddy Piper and Ric Flair felt this way.
Mick Foley notoriously held a grudge against Bischoff for telling an announcer to spoil and ridicule his first WWE Championship win on Nitro.
As with most backstage heat, the hottest comes from Bret Hart, who still can't seem to get through most interviews without taking a few shots at his former boss:
"I look back today, I'd like to strangle Eric Bischoff with my own pair of hands and just thank him for doing such a lousy job with my career, and lying about everything he ever said to me."
1. Hulk Hogan
How do you make a list like this without including The Hulkster? You can try very, very hard to come up with excuses for him. It's hard being the top guy with a permanent bullseye on your back, the wrestlers just below you get jealous, not being a total d*ck is hard, etc.
But, at the end of the day, Hogan earned most of the heat he got backstage.
Not only did he refuse to give up the spotlight to other main event performers (The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage), but he metaphorically castrated up-and-coming talent like Bret Hart even as The Hulkster was on his way out of the company.
When he jumped ship to WCW, his politicking only became more pronounced. His run-ins with Vince Russo are well-documented, as is his influence over Eric Bischoff.
The Ultimate Warrior just barely buried the hatchet with Hogan before he passed away, while Randy Savage may or may not have harbored hard feelings until the end. The Iron Sheik still believes Hogan is a "f*cking jabroni" who would be nothing without his help, and needs to acknowledge that fact.
Scott Steiner made death threats toward him. Bret Hart once said Hogan "doesn't give a damn about anyone else" and was actually happy over the fallout of his racist rant. Shawn Michaels infamously tanked their "dream match" in 2005 because of behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
If Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels hate you, that's not a good sign...
thoughts?
10. Kevin Dunn
If you're unfamiliar with the name Kevin Dunn, don't worry, you're probably painfully familiar with his work. He's the Executive Vice President of Television Production for WWE. He's basically the guy who decides what to show - or, sometimes more importantly, what not to show - to the home audience.
He was the "brain" behind Tough Enough and the Divas Search, and is responsible for the constant shaky cam and unnecessary zooming that's overtaken the production lately. Oh, he also hates wrestling.
Kevin Dunn hates "wrestling" so much that, according to Jim Cornette, he would refuse to let people use the word when he was in the room. Cornette called him "one of the biggest enemies of professional wrestling" and "a dangerous behind-the-scenes influence." Jim Ross has echoed some of these sentiments, albeit with a gentler tone.
Even Paul Bearer hated this guy. And it takes a special kind of talent to make Paul Bearer hate you. In an interview with Cornette, he said he could "name on one hand the people I truly hate in this business, and I've always hated Kevin Dunn."
There's also been rumors of a power struggle between Dunn, who fancies himself as Vince's right-hand man, and Triple H, who is undoubtedly next in line to take over the company.
9. Sable
Sable was, without a doubt, an indelible part of the Attitude Era. She single-handedly ushered in the puberty of thousands of little boys and reinvigorated the Women's Division. But, while she was definitely a big draw, it would be ludicrous to compare her popularity and impact to that of, say, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
But Sable very much thought she was at that level. She felt she was the main attraction, a notion that didn't sit well with most of the locker room. It was this unabashed arrogance that earned her so much derision backstage. That, and she didn't want to pay her dues.
Case in point: Luna Vachon basically trained Sable, providing her with a security blanket to work with in the ring while she figured out the nuts and bolts of wrestling. It was this on-the-fly training that led to Sable eventually winning the Women's Championship from Jacqueline. When it came time to drop the belt to Luna, though, Sable refused.
This is the type of stuff that made X-Pac want to take a dump in her duffel bag.
Sunny had a different issue with her altogether. Apparently Sable once said the death of her first husband was "the best thing that ever happened to her" because it allowed her to meet her then-husband, Marc Mero. Sable said this in front of her daughter, whose father was that first husband.
8. Randy Orton
When you're a third-generation wrestler, the Golden Boy of Triple H - who's the boss' son-in-law - you have a quick temper, and you become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history, the odds are greatly against you getting along with most of the locker room.
Randy Orton did not rise above those odds.
Orton, despite receiving one of the most fast and furious pushes any new superstar has gotten in WWE in ages, is routinely unwilling to facilitate the younger guys getting their big breaks. Kofi Kingston, Mr. Kennedy, and Ted DiBiase Jr. have all had their pushes stalled after tangling with Orton in some way or another.
CM Punk has voiced his issues with The Viper, and Kelly Kelly has exposed his bullying tendencies since she left WWE.
There was also a lot of heat coming down on Orton in 2014, when other wrestlers accused him of sabotaging Roman Reigns, killing the crowd with a lazy workrate and stunting Reigns' push. Looking back, it's hard not to see a little bit of Orton's feud rubbing off poorly on some of the fanbase.
Orton has since owned up to being a pretentious dick in his younger years, but it's hard to fully gauge whether or not he's changed his tone for good.
7. JBL
You know that one bully at your school who beat the hell out of anyone who dared to make a joke at his expense? Well, John Layfield was that bully for the WWE. And, by most accounts, ol' JBL was the ultimate example of someone who could dish it out but couldn't take it.
He was infamous for "hazing" new talent, a list that includes Rene Dupree, Brian Christopher, Palmer Canon, and most notoriously, The Miz. And he didn't leave these "antics" of his backstage, either, as he never hesitated to dish out an honest-to-goodness stiff punch (or twelve) if you didn't show him enough respect. Just ask the guys in Public Enemy. Or The Blue Meanie.
But not everyone allows themselves to be JBL's whipping boy. Steve Blackman and Joey Styles, of all people, have fought back - literally - and put the big Texan in his place. Styles' story is especially resonant, since he'd endured several days of bullying before finally laying out Mr. Layfield with a big haymaker, giving him a black eye for his trouble.
The only reason JBL isn't further up on the list is because he seemed to be mostly respected - or at least tolerated - by the veterans. He, along with The Undertaker and Bob Holly, presided over the Wrestler's Court, which settled real-life disputes between the boys backstage.
6. The Fabulous Moolah
Most of the people on this list were hated because of their backstage politicking or generally dick-ish personalities. But WWE Hall of Famer and 4x Women's Champion, The Fabulous Moolah, has a much darker, seedier reason for being on this list: Sex crimes. Lots and lots of despicable sex crimes.
Moolah has been accused of forcing the girls she was "training" into various forms of prostitution, essentially engaging in human trafficking. Luna Vachon alleged she was taken advantage of by an older man when she was sent to a private photoshoot set up by Moolah. And then there's the horrifying stories recounted by Sweet Georgia Brown, a trainee who was allegedly drugged, beaten, and raped by male wrestlers (with Moolah's knowledge and tacit approval).
A majority of her clients have also accused her of stealing a portion of their payouts for working a show. Compared to her purported sex trafficking, that's small potatoes, but it doesn't paint any rosier of a picture.
The hatred toward Moolah may not be as wide-reaching as some on this list -- which is kind of crazy considering all the heinous things she did -- but most anyone who worked under her would say she deserves all the ill will she's received. And then some.
5. Shawn Michaels
Some people are able to find it within themselves to forgive and forget the past indiscretions of others. Most of those people do not work in the wrestling industry. And so, despite Shawn Michaels' apparent redemption after returning to WWE in 2002 as a "changed man", it's tough to completely set aside the innumerable times he was a complete tool bag in his heyday.
Everyone has heard the stories. We know the Heartbreak Kid didn't play well with others when he was the company's top guy. We know he used his position to hold down performers he disliked while simultaneously making anyone in his crew a made man. That tends to rub hard-working wrestlers the wrong way.
For example, The Undertaker really didn't like Shawn Michaels for a spell. According to Bret Hart's autobiography, 'Taker was the first to question the validity of HBK's knee surgery that required him to vacate the WWF Championship after his infamous "I lost my smile" promo. 'Taker figured it was more likely Michaels just didn't want to do business for Hart, which as you may know, is one of the Dead Man's biggest pet peeves.
While most of the worst stories about Michaels came from his days as a member of The Kliq or DX, more recent heat with Gregory Helms and CM Punk seems to test the theory that HBK is a "new man" as far as backstage politicking is concerned.
4. Vince McMahon
Dating all the way back to the days of Bruno Sammartino, wrestlers have had beefs with Vince McMahon. And really, anyone who's been in control of the business for as long as Vince has is bound to be hated by a long list of people. So it's almost out of sheer perseverance and longevity that he finds himself on this list.
It might be easier to list the people involved in this business who don't have a problem with Vince, but here we go.
Vince has been condemned by Kamala as a racist (an accusation backed by a litany of stereotypical "negro" gimmicks), has been called "out of touch" by Jim Ross, Josh Mathews, and Paul Heyman, called a jerk by pretty much every under-carder to step through the curtain, blamed for killing countless pushes prematurely, and even accused of trying to sexually assault Nailz and being implicit in the deaths of multiple wrestlers via drug distribution.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is one hated man.
Road Warrior Hawk, whose real-life drug problems were exploited for a cheap storyline, once said that he didn't want to outlive Vince McMahon because he knew, if he did, he'd do "some terrible things to his grave." He even went so far as to call him "the most evil man I've ever met in my life."
Oh, and apparently there used to be some heat between Vince and Bret Hart...?
3. Triple H
As much as fans hate on The Game for his supposed "burying" of other superstars - newcomers and established guys alike - most of that burial stuff is all in the eye of the beholder. What's not up for debate, however, is how many folks in the industry hate this guy's guts.
There's obviously the whole nepotism thing to contend with. Marrying the boss' daughter and collecting championship belts like trading cards for almost two decades tends to paint a certain kind of picture for a lot of people, which is a tough hump for anyone to get over in this business.
But Triple H doesn't exactly go out of his way to assuage any concerns people might have about the perks he gets from marrying into the McMahon family. He's been accused of heavy favoritism towards "his guys" like Randy Orton and Batista, while keeping a foot on the heads of CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler.
Punk, Alberto Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez, Goldberg, Ken Shamrock, Randy Savage, Jim Cornette (of course), and even the New Age Outlaws have all expressed some resentment toward Hunter. Scott Steiner once called him "the Kevin Federline of professional wrestling" while Chyna hurled much more serious allegations his way, claiming he assaulted her when they were an item.
A little fan animosity is clearly the least of Triple H's relationship turmoils.
2. Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff deserves plenty of credit for taking a lackluster WCW product and turning it into a flourishing goldmine almost overnight. But he also deserves the blame for turning the WCW locker room against itself, and for ultimately weakening the product to the point of anemia.
Roughly half of the WCW roster has, at one point or another, taken umbrage with Bischoff's booking, personality, and overall management style. Chris Jericho was never shy about blasting Bischoff's inability to utilize anyone who didn't fall under the nWo umbrella, and partially blamed him for his departure from the company.
That same feeling was shared by Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko, who would follow Jericho to WWE shortly thereafter because they were tired of being relegated to the bottom of the WCW heap. Even veterans like Roddy Piper and Ric Flair felt this way.
Mick Foley notoriously held a grudge against Bischoff for telling an announcer to spoil and ridicule his first WWE Championship win on Nitro.
As with most backstage heat, the hottest comes from Bret Hart, who still can't seem to get through most interviews without taking a few shots at his former boss:
"I look back today, I'd like to strangle Eric Bischoff with my own pair of hands and just thank him for doing such a lousy job with my career, and lying about everything he ever said to me."
1. Hulk Hogan
How do you make a list like this without including The Hulkster? You can try very, very hard to come up with excuses for him. It's hard being the top guy with a permanent bullseye on your back, the wrestlers just below you get jealous, not being a total d*ck is hard, etc.
But, at the end of the day, Hogan earned most of the heat he got backstage.
Not only did he refuse to give up the spotlight to other main event performers (The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage), but he metaphorically castrated up-and-coming talent like Bret Hart even as The Hulkster was on his way out of the company.
When he jumped ship to WCW, his politicking only became more pronounced. His run-ins with Vince Russo are well-documented, as is his influence over Eric Bischoff.
The Ultimate Warrior just barely buried the hatchet with Hogan before he passed away, while Randy Savage may or may not have harbored hard feelings until the end. The Iron Sheik still believes Hogan is a "f*cking jabroni" who would be nothing without his help, and needs to acknowledge that fact.
Scott Steiner made death threats toward him. Bret Hart once said Hogan "doesn't give a damn about anyone else" and was actually happy over the fallout of his racist rant. Shawn Michaels infamously tanked their "dream match" in 2005 because of behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
If Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels hate you, that's not a good sign...
thoughts?