History Horrible / WWEGookerAwardWinners

When Wrestling/EddieGuerrero died in 2005, WWE sent him off with a heartfelt tribute... and a nearly two-year angle that handled his legacy so cavalierly, even wrestling pundits thought [[HesJustHiding Eddie it was kayfabe]] to hype Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}'s world title push. Every superstar connected to Latino Heat, from Eddie's best friends to ''[[Wrestling/VickieGuerrero his still-grieving widow]]'', was drug into feud after feud, fight after fight, and promo after promo revolving around Eddie's death. Speaking of the title push: Mysterio frequently implied Eddie's spirit was helping him win from Heaven, which led to such memorable moments as Wrestling/RandyOrton's "Eddie's down there, in Hell." Only Vince [=McMahon=] liked this idea, and it would take Wrestling/ChrisBenoit calling him out (over a planned feud Benoit and Chavo Guerrero over Eddie's "estate") to finally end it. At least Vickie, who got some of the worst moments in the angle, landed a spokesperson/manager career that got her all the way to [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]]. [[https://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/eddiesploitation/ The award page]] [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness doesn't include any soundbites, images or jokes]]--RD Reynolds found it too ''godawful'' to go through it again, never mind joke about.

When Wrestling/EddieGuerrero died in 2005, WWE sent him off with a heartfelt tribute... and a nearly two-year angle that handled his legacy so cavalierly, even wrestling pundits thought [[HesJustHiding Eddie it was kayfabe]] to hype Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}'s world title push. Every superstar connected to Latino Heat, from Eddie's best friends to ''[[Wrestling/VickieGuerrero his still-grieving widow]]'', was drug into feud after feud, fight after fight, and promo after promo revolving around Eddie's death. Speaking of the title push: Mysterio frequently implied Eddie's spirit was helping him win from Heaven, which led to such memorable moments as Wrestling/RandyOrton's "Eddie's down there, in Hell." Only Vince [=McMahon=] liked this idea, and it would take Wrestling/ChrisBenoit calling him out (over a planned feud Benoit and Chavo Guerrero over Eddie's "estate") to finally end it. At least Vickie, who got some of the worost moments in the angle, landed a spokesperson/manager career that got her all the way to [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]]. [[https://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/eddiesploitation/ The award page]] [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness doesn't include any soundbites, images or jokes]]--RD Reynolds found it too ''godawful'' to go through it again, never mind joke about.

When Wrestling/EddieGuerrero died in 2005, WWE sent him off with a heartfelt tribute... and a nearly two-year angle that handled his legacy so cavalierl, even wrestling pundits thought [[HesJustHiding Eddie it was kayfabe]] to hype Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}'s world title push. Every superstar connected to Latino Heat, from Eddie's best friends to ''[[Wrestling/VickieGuerrero his still-grieving widow]]'', was drug into feud after feud, fight after fight, and promo after promo revolving around Eddie's death. Speaking of the title push: Mysterio frequently implied Eddie's spirit was helping him win from Heaven, which led to such memorable moments as Wrestling/RandyOrton's "Eddie's down there, in Hell." Only Vince [=McMahon=] liked this idea, and it would take Wrestling/ChrisBenoit calling him out (over a planned feud Benoit and Chavo Guerrero over Eddie's "estate") to finally end it. At least Vickie, who got some of the worost moments in the angle, landed a spokesperson/manager career that got her all the way to [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]]. [[https://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/eddiesploitation/ The award page]] [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness doesn't include any soundbites, images or jokes]]--RD Reynolds found it too ''godawful'' to go through it again, never mind joke about.

Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's "tribute" to the late Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, a tasteless and disrespectful angle that lasted for over a year starting from 2006, and involved every superstar connected to Latino Heat [[MoneyDearBoy just for the sake of ratings]]. Everyone from Eddie's best friends to ''[[Wrestling/VickieGuerrero his still-grieving widow]]'' was forced to take part in feud after feud, fight after fight, and promo after promo referencing him and his death. Even Rey Mysterio's world title push revolved around Eddie--he was suggested to be receiving spiritual assistance from Eddie's spirit in Heaven, which led to such memorable moments as Wrestling/RandyOrton's "Eddie's down there, in Hell." Only one thing kept it from dragging on even longer: Wrestling/ChrisBenoit finally calling Vince out, after he tried to set up a feud between Benoit and Chavo Guerrero over Eddie's "estate."
According to Wrestling/{{Konnan}}, [=McMahon=] himself was the only person in the company who liked this idea. When Website/WrestleCrap awarded it the [[MedalOfDishonor Gooker]] [[https://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/eddiesploitation/ for 2006]], RD Reynolds [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness didn't include any soundbites, images or jokes]]--it was too ''godawful'' to go through it again, never mind joke about.

In fact, it wasn't believed at first, not even by wrestling pundits, that ''[[HesJustHiding Eddie was actually dead]]''; many expected him to just pop up at [=WrestleMania=] and help his good friend Rey Mysterio win the World Title. Vince evidently learned ''nothing,'' as in 2018, he tried to get heat off of Wrestling/RomanReigns' legit leukemia diagnosis. [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]]'s FaceHeelTurn was all about this, including telling Roman "to respond to the man upstairs." Supposedly, one promo would've lost WWE all business with cancer-related organizations ''and'' required them to fire Dean and the writers to save face, had he not refused to cut it--this was among the reasons [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he left WWE]]. The only good thing to come out of it was Wrestling/VickieGuerrero's spokesperson/manager career, which carried her all the way to [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]].

* The faction ended up being disbanded for good on ''the kickoff show'' of ''Fastlane'' 2021 after Ali's defeat at the hands of Wrestling/MattRiddle, with Ali's [[BadBoss bad treatment]] of Reckoning and Slapjack [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal causing Mace and T-Bar]] [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere to walk out on him]]. The faction tanked essentially all of their members' respective careers: Mercedes Martinez (Retaliation) went back to [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] before eventually being released, joining Wrestling/{{Impact|Wrestling}} and later returning to [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]]; Mia Yim (Reckoning) disappeared due to the creative team having nothing for her, never returning again due to being released in November of that year; Dominik Dijakovic (T-Bar) went from having [[Awesome/WWENXTTakeover stellar matches in NXT]] with Wrestling/KeithLee prior to RETRIBUTION to forming a TagTeam with Dio Maddin (Mace) while still carrying the overall aestethic they had on the group (except for wearing facepaint instead of masks) but did almost nothing of note before being split up in the Draft, after which Dijakovic was ''finally'' allowed to return to NXT as just "Dijak" under a Franchise/{{Terminator}}-esque gimmick[[note]]Interestingly enough, one of video packages hyping up Dijak's return was him burning his T-Bar mask and has also made several jabs at it on Twitter[[/note]], while Mace got roped in the at least campy but entertaining Maximum Male Models tag team with Mansoor[[note]](though the team did get off to a rocky start by casting Wrestling/LAKnight as their manager Max Dupri, shortly after Triple H's takeover of Creative, Max would break off from the group and revert back to his previous persona)[[/note]] before he and Mansoor were released in September 2023; Shane Thorne (Slapjack) was last seen in the André the Giant Memorial Battle of the go-home ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackdown SmackDown]]'' episode before ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' 37, before also being released in November; and Mustafa Ali entered into a feud with Ricochet [[DemotedToExtra on the C-Show]] ''Main Event'', later forming and breaking up a TagTeam with Mansoor before asking for his release in 2022, which the company denied, but he would get one a year later.

Ah, Wrestling/TheInvasionAngle - the greatest feud there ever could have been, and [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot the biggest disappointment there ever was.]]

What should have been a fitting climax for [[Wrestling/WWERealityEra WWE's Reality Era]] instead became a typecast in how not to book a pay-per-view or the night straight after.

* And then there's the main event, the very first match announced for the PPV: Wrestling/DGenerationX vs the Brothers of Destruction. This would've been a must-see... twenty years prior, during the Wrestling/AttitudeEra. Now, [[DentedIron all four of them are past their prime and over their physical peak]], with their wrestling careers otherwise far behind. Taker and HHH did have a good match at ''Super Show-Down'' weeks earlier, but the promos for this match were beyond the level of the match itself. It started with Triple H tearing his pectoral muscle, and from there it [[FromBadToWorse delved]] into a comedic botch fest. Not that it stopped Hunter, as only a chokeslam upon the announcers' desk would put him out of the match. As for Shawn, his ring rust had showed up too much during the match itself. At one point, both Kane and Shawn were setting up a spot from one of the corners, but Shawn forgot that Kane was wearing a wig and threw it. Then there's the botched moonsault, which broke Michaels' nose and forehead. The match mercifully ended with Hunter pedigreeing Kane.[[note]]This match was meant as a tryout for a possible Michaels comeback, with a match against Wrestling/AJStyles planned for the following ''[=WrestleMania=]''. Predictably, those plans were thrown out as soon as this was over: Shawn has said he will never return to the ring, and the match is an OldShame for all four participants.[[/note]]

WWE is, by far, the biggest pro wrestling company in the world... and also the most concurrent winner of Website/{{WrestleCrap}}'s [[MedalOfDishonor Gooker Award]]. Hell, they are named after one of the company's most infamous bombs! Here are the [[SarcasmMode winners]]!

* The faction ended up being disbanded for good on ''the kickoff show'' of ''Fastlane'' 2021 after Ali's defeat at the hands of Wrestling/MattRiddle, with Ali's [[BadBoss bad treatment]] of Reckoning and Slapjack [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal causing Mace and T-Bar]] [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere to walk out on him]]. The faction tanked essentially all of their members' respective careers: Mercedes Martinez (Retaliation) went back to [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] before eventually being released, joining Wrestling/{{Impact|Wrestling}} and later returning to [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]]; Mia Yim (Reckoning) disappeared due to the creative team having nothing for her, never returning again due to being released in November of that year; Dominik Dijakovic (T-Bar) went from having [[Awesome/WWENXTTakeover stellar matches in NXT]] with Wrestling/KeithLee prior to RETRIBUTION to forming a TagTeam with Dio Maddin (Mace) while still carrying the overall aestethic they had on the group (except for wearing facepaint instead of masks) but did almost nothing of note before being split up in the Draft, after which Dijakovic was ''finally'' allowed to return to NXT as just "Dijak" under a Franchise/{{Terminator}}-esque gimmick[[note]]Interestingly enough, one of video packages hyping up Dijak's return was him burning his T-Bar mask and has also made several jabs at it on Twitter[[/note]], while Mace got roped in the at least campy but entertaining Maximum Male Models tag team with Mansoor[[note]]Though the team did get off to a rocky start by casting Wrestling/LAKnight as their manager, Max Dupri. Shortly after Triple H's takeover of Creative, Max would break off from the group and revert back to his previous persona.[[/note]]; Shane Thorne (Slapjack) was last seen in the André the Giant Memorial Battle of the go-home ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackdown SmackDown]]'' episode before ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' 37, before also being released in November; and Mustafa Ali entered into a feud with Ricochet [[DemotedToExtra on the C-Show]] ''Main Event'', later forming and breaking up a TagTeam with Mansoor before asking for his release in 2022, which the company denied, but he would get one a year later.

It actually started in 2010, when Wrestling/MichaelCole was in NXT. There, he developed three of the run's defining traits: an affinity for The Miz, a hatred for Daniel Bryan, and the urge to bury everything and everyone, demonstrated no better than when he ''loudly took a phone call'' during a poor showing between Wrestling/{{Kaitlyn}} and Wrestling/{{Maxine}}. But 2011 was when he brought this act to Raw and [=SmackDown=] -- and started putting down all of the top guys, including fellow announcers, in favor of himself. He became the offficial spokesman of the Anonymous Raw General Manager, and a [[MouthOfSauron mouthpiece]] for Vince [=McMahon=]'s inexplicable [[EvilIsPetty hatred for Jim Ross]]. He feuded with both Ross and Jerry Lawler, culminating in some of the absolute worst moments in WWE history: his feud with Lawler included mocking his (then ''very'' recently) deceased mother and bringing out Brian Christopher [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeaVMffAi8M (to no reaction at all)]] to insult his father, a [=WrestleMania=] match in which Cole gave an absolutely wretched performance while Lawler's victory was overturned by the Anonymous General Manager himself, and a shorter match on Raw that nevertheless ended the exact same way. Meanwhile, Ross was subjected to a HumiliationConga which included the "Country Whipping" match at Extreme Rules, a [[HumiliatingWager Kiss My Foot]] match that Cole lost, [[KarmaHoudini to no real effect]], the "Michael Cole Challenge", where Ross could only keep his job if he beat Cole in an arm wrestle, a dance-off, and a weigh-in (which, to make matters worse, he lost), and a rap battle which Ross called "worst segment of TV ever". This run would continue into 2012, as he buried every the pushe of every babyface and made the show about himself--only when Lawler had a legit heart attack at the desk, on September 2012, did the run end for good.

In 2017, WWE decided to give the WWE Championship to Wrestling/JinderMahal. The end result was a total disgrace to the company that completely derailed Jinder's career and tarnished the once-proud championship.

** After this run, Jinder did win at least two other titles but aside from the obligatory rematch with Styles, which he lost, Jinder was kept far away from the WWE Championship, never to sully its legacy again. However in January 2024, whether due to AesopAmnesia or because it's someone's idea of a joke, Jinder was booked into in a match with Wrestling/SethRollins... [[HereWeGoAgain for the World Heavyweight Championship]] to help kill time until that year's Royal Rumble. Jinder was soundly defeated and wouldn't appear on television again until the Wrestling/AndreTheGiant memorial battle royal the night before ''[=WrestleMania=] XL'', later being suddenly but inevitably released in April 2024.

* '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' While WWE's management of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic has been deemed questionable at best, it doesn't count as an example, as it doesn't pertain to anything {{Kayfabe}} but rather a RealLife situation. '''This also disqualifies Vince [=McMahon's=] "brass rings" comment, which was a half of the 2014 winner entries.'''

%% Despite being the 2014 winner, Vince [=McMahon's=] "Brass Rings" comment should not be added to this page due to Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease.

* '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease''' While WWE's management of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic has been deemed questionable at best, it doesn't count as an example, as it doesn't pertain to anything {{Kayfabe}} but rather a RealLife situation. '''It also disqualifies Vince [=McMahon's=] distasteful "brass rings" comment, which was a half of the 2014 winner entries.'''

* Their goofy mannerisms, confusing metaphor-riddled promos, and ridiculous presentation [[DullSurprise undermined their credibility]]. They also never did anything particularly dangerous that would indicate this was truly an 'invasion', and instead just jumped around and screamed a lot like a bunch of teenagers. In particular, they never damaged ''anything'' that cost actual money; when they "invaded" the first ''[=SmackDown=]'' to use the Thunderdome, the group completely, carefully avoided ever risking causing harm to any of those very expensive video screens. The most they ever did was cut a few ring ropes with a chainsaw. Compare that to Wrestling/TheNexus assaulting officials, beating the utter tar out of Wrestling/JohnCena and absolutely trashing the ring on their debut.

** After this run, Jinder did win at least two other titles but aside from the obligatory rematch with Styles, which he lost, Jinder was kept far away from the WWE Championship, never to sully its legacy again. However, whether due to AesopAmnesia or because it's someone's idea of a joke, in 2024 Jinder was booked into in a match with Wrestling/SethRollins... [[HereWeGoAgain for the World Heavyweight Championship]] to help kill time until that year's Royal Rumble. Jinder was soundly defeated and wouldn't appear on television again until the Wrestling/AndreTheGiant memorial battle royal the night before ''WrestleMania XL'' before his sudden but inevitable release in April 2024.

** After this run, Jinder did win at least two other titles but aside from the obligatory rematch with Styles, which he lost, Jinder was kept far away from the WWE Championship, never to sully its legacy again. However, whether due to AesopAmnesia or because it's someone's idea of a joke, in 2024 Jinder was booked into in a match with Wrestling/SethRollins... [[HereWeGoAgain for the World Heavyweight Championship]] to help kill time until that year's Royal Rumble. Jinder was soundly defeated, hopefully knocking him out of the running for the 2024 Gooker Award.