5 Times WWE used real-life events in a storyline

#1 Randy Orton goes too far during his feud with Rey Mysterio following Royal Rumble loss

Eddie Guerrero's untimely death left the WWE in a state of utter disbelief. WWE held full-fledged tribute shows in memory of the fallen legend on RAW and SmackDown, and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. On the road to WrestleMania 22, Randy Orton came close to winning the Royal Rumble match, but Rey Mysterio eventually eliminated him to bag a shot at the World title at The Show of Shows.

Randy Orton is one of the most despised WWE heels in history

Orton began playing mind games with Mysterio on SmackDown, leading to the infamous segment where he stated that Eddie Guerrero is in hell. The segment was poorly received by the WWE Universe, with fans calling out the company for taking it too far by involving Eddie Guerrero in the angle. Eventually, Rey Mysterio won the World title in a Triple Threat match against Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 22, and dedicated it to his best friend who was looking down on him with nothing but pride.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

Know More

Real-life controversies forced WWE to change a storyline? Check out 10 such cases!

Edited by Kaushik Das