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The WWE is the biggest name in Pro-Wrestling and presumably will remain that way for years. There's a reason for this: branding. Constantly shifting, the WWE has catered its brand to bring in new audiences, whilst satisfying the current and past ones.
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But even a company that tries to be as family-friendly as WWE, can't escape controversy. In this feature, we look back at four moments in 2018, where the WWE caused a media uproar.
#1 The Greatest Royal Rumble bans women AND Sami Zayn
The Greatest Royal Rumble event was a huge deal for WWE. The first venture into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the lucrative deal between the two is a monumental shift from the conservative, traditional views of the nation.
However, in the weeks leading up to the show, there was a question: Would women Superstars perform at the event?
Sadly, the answer was no, as the strict laws in Saudi Arabia against women forbade it. WWE agreeing to this did not sit well with fans, especially when WWE has been trying to boost their representation of women as truly equal to their male counterparts.
But the female Superstars weren't the only ones affected. Male RAW superstar Sami Zayn was also left off the shows, due to his Syrian heritage.
It really did dirty WWE's (relatively) clean image, that despite their best efforts to be seen as inclusive, they were willing to leave half their roster at home.
In a statement, the company said they hoped to be the start of a change in Saudi Arabia, but whether that change will come, only time will tell...
#2 Enzo Amore's rape allegations
By the end of 2017, Enzo Amore was riding high on 205 Live, as Cruiserweight Champion. But mere weeks later, he was fired from the company and the title vacated.
It turned out in January, Phoenix Police said they were investigating the Certified G after a fan alleged that Amore had raped her. Immediately, Amore was suspended and later fired after it was revealed he had not told the company about this yet.
Whilst Amore was later cleared due to a lack of 'sufficient evidence', the damage had already been done.
WWE had taken a strong hit in the media, the second time in two months a cruiserweight had gotten very bad publicity, after Rich Swann was arrested for Domestic violence in December 2017.
Amore has since said he will never return to WWE, but the ordeal has left both parties reeling.
#3 The Fabulous Moolah WrestleMania Battle Royal
To many, the Fabulous Moolah is a historic figure in wrestling, holding the WWF Women's Championship for nearly 3threedecades, and being a pioneer of women in the profession.
But when the company decided to name a WrestleMania battle royal after her (similar to the Andre The Giant battle royal), many fans welcomed a nasty shock.
According to several reports, Moolah led a horrid life, using and abusing people to get what she wanted.
Whilst some have defended Moolah's legacy, there have been seemingly overwhelming stories of Moolah's mistreatment of other talents to make herself money.
Following the online backlash, as well as a statement from WrestleMania sponsor, Snickers, the title was changed to the Women's WrestleMania battle royal, which was won by Naomi.
#4 Hulk Hogan re-instated into the WWE Hall of Fame
The career of Hulk Hogan is without doubt, Hall of Fame worthy. As a multiple-time world champion, Hogan is arguably the biggest superstar of all time, helping build the WWE to the global entertainment juggernaut it is today.
But in 2015, Hogan was infamously fired from the company, after leaked recordings of Hogan using racist slurs emerged online.
After three years away, Hogan was re-instated into the company's Hall of Fame, with the WWE citing Hogan's consistent admission of wrongdoing and constant charity work.
But the decision to allow the Hulkster's return has been truly divisive, with reports saying that black members of the roster are 50/50 on their feelings about the return.
Hogan is yet to make an on-screen return, but don't expect it to happen anytime soon.
