In pro-wrestling, you have the good guys and the bad guys – the cheers and the boos. These reactions from the audience rely on the actions and words of the wrestlers. The juicier, the better. So this is where companies like the WWE go all out, to get the heavy reactions they feed themselves from.
In the case of the heels: sometimes, the cheapest and the quickest jabs are the most effective ways to receive the hate they strive for.
What better way to get the people to boo you than to insult them and where they’re from? WWE loves to bring out the patriotic side of the audience, poking them exactly where they easily get ticked off.
But do you think they go too far, too low, sometimes? Here are 5 instances of flag desecration in wrestling that left people asking “…Did he really just do that?”
#5. The Un-Americans and the American Flag
The Un-Americans were a stable formed in mid-2002, composed of 3 Canadian wrestlers, Lance Storm, Christian and Test, later on joined by British wrestler, William Regal.
These guys made claims that the WWE has discriminated against Canadians, using the Montreal Screwjob as an example. Many would think that they were pro-Canadian, when in fact they were simply anti-American.
They then had not used the Canadian flag for their emblem, but an American flag flown upside down instead which they had also almost burned. The 36 US Code §176 provides: “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” Many were then offended by their actions.
Knowing that it was a risqué gimmick, the stable was short lived due to the fear Christian, Lance and Test had regarding the heat it was and would be receiving.
#4. Shawn Michaels and the Canadian Flag
At the time of the Montreal Screwjob, the storyline between Michaels, Hart and McMahon intensified and drew a lot of anticipation.
Said to be quite professional backstage, there still was undeniable tension between them. It had officials worried about what would happen during their match in the Molson Centre in Montreal, actually acknowledging that real emotion could get the best out of them and lead to unplanned attacks.
Michaels' received loud boos during his entrance as he proceeded to rub the Canadian flag against his crotch, picked his nose with it and then later humped it. The Heartbreak Kid insisted that this flag desecration was actually suggested by Hart as an effective way to draw more heat and emotion from the crowd.
After demeaning the Canadian flag, there were then concerns that Michaels could be attacked during the planned in-crowd brawl by angered and offended fans.
#3. Sgt. Slaughter and the American Flag
The political situation in the Middle East was growing increasingly tense in the early 90s, the decision was made to have Slaughter support the Iraqi cause claiming that Americans have become “soft” and “weak” for accepting Russian Nikolai Volkoff, while appreciating the Iraqi system for being more “strong” and “brutal”.
WWE went all-out with this one, making Sgt. Slaughter wear Arab headdresses to the ring, taking pictures with Hussein, and being accompanied by General Adnan, who was (kayfabe) a high school friend of Saddam Hussein and a member of the Iraqi Armed Forces…
Slaughter defeated the Ultimate Warrior for the World Wrestling Federation Championship at the 1991 Royal Rumble, desecrating the American flag during his off-screen victory celebration with General Adnan. He was then challenged by Hulk Hogan who won the Rumble that year.
This was claimed to have been one of the most disgusting promotional tactics made by the WWE.
#2. Chris Jericho and the Brazilian flag
Chris Jericho is the king of cheap heat and will always take his heel duties very seriously. During an international tour, Y2J kicked the Brazilian flag and cut a promo to gain more boos. However, his actions may have back-lashed in more ways than he had thought it would.
Brazilian government was so offended that they had threatened to arrest Jericho. It was clear that for the WWE to make amends with the Brazilian government, they had decided to suspend the Superstar for 30 days jeopardizing his potential match against Randy Orton at No Way Out.
Co-workers such as JBL spoke about the situation, saying it was unjust and that he had done similar with no repercussions.
The incident sparkled so much debate – was Jericho’s punishment justifiable?
#1. Kurt Angle and the Indian Flag
Kurt Angle’s first day on the job as a WWE Superstar on an episode of Sunday Night Heat was already quite a controversial one.
He took part in a segment with Tiger Ali Singh, blowing his nose on the Indian flag at some point.
The moment was quick and was never really talked about again until 20 years later, when WWE intended to have an international tour in India. There were calls by Hindu group Aadvanshi Veer Sena and some local wrestlers to protest WWE's arrival because of the incident. WWE International President Gerrit Meier then released an apology to the Indian fans, stating:
“This case is about 20-years-ago and we did not deliberately did that. We have a great respect for the country. We are sorry that it happened, but we had no intention of doing it. India is a reputable country and we apologize for this."
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