WWE’s Craziest Fan Theories And Urban Legends

From oversized characters to over-the-top storylines, professional wrestling has always been a fertile ground for fan theories and urban legends. WWE, being the industry’s flagship promotion, has cranked out a good deal of speculation and mythos among its fan base. From secretive backstage dealings to bizarre storylines, it seems like the WWE universe is full of stories that blur the lines between reality and fiction. That’s not all, though; this article presents some of the most outrageous—with a kind of mysterious allure—fan theories and urban legends that expect years of captivation from WWE fans.

The Montreal Screwjob: Work or Shoot?
The Montreal Screwjob is the most infamous real-life incident in wrestling history. At Survivor Series 1997, Bret Hart was supposed to defend his WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels. What Hart didn’t know was that Vince McMahon and Michaels would change the finish of that very match, with Michaels emerging as the champion in what were very controversial circumstances. Hart looked visibly stunned and spat on McMahon before leaving the ring.

Fan Theory: Many fans believe that the Montreal Screwjob was a work or an ongoing storyline, as opposed to a shoot, which means it happened. Those supporting the theory point to evidence that includes how smoothly the screwjob had been executed; it had to be staged, and added to that are the immense publicity for events around WWE and roundly cementing Vince McMahon’s on-screen character of the evil Mr. McMahon.

Counterpoint: While this is an interesting theory, it’s highly debatable. All the key participants, including Bret Hart himself, have vehemently denied for years that the screwjob was real. His next step to WCW and the actual acrimony between all parties involved further cementing the shoot narrative element.

The Ultimate Warrior: One Man or Many?
Another elusive WWE character was the Ultimate Warrior, who could pump up an audience like no other with his high-energy ring entrances and chilling promos. That was not made clear, however, especially in light of rumors and speculation surrounding his sudden departure in 1991 and subsequent return in 1992.

Fan Theory: Many of the fans, however, honestly believe that when Ultimate Warrior made his return to WWE in 1992, it was not him. The roots of this theory can be found in the discernible differences attributed to Warrior during those two instances of his career. The theory holds that the original Warrior, Jim Hellwig, died or left WWE, and the wrestling promoters replaced him with his lookalike.

Counterpoint: This theory has been widely disregarded. Jim Hellwig, who legally changed his name to Warrior, confirmed that he was the only one to portray the character. Appearance differences are explained away due to changes in training and general life circumstances.

Randy Savage and Stephanie McMahon: The Forbidden Affair
Randy “Macho Man” Savage was one of the massive stars of the WWF—at that period in time—throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, following his shocking WWF exodus in 1994 and Vince McMahon seemingly not wanting to bring him back, rumors began to swirl around.

Fan Theory: One of the most persistent fan theories is that Savage had an extramarital affair with Vince’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon. She would have been underage, which makes many say this was the basis for McMahon holding such a deep grudge against Savage and his ensuing exclusion from WWE history for so many years.

Counterpoint: There is no physical evidence to support this theory, and neither of the parties has ever commented on this charge. During Savage’s run in the WWE, Stephanie McMahon was still a teenager, so such a theory is highly speculative at best and controversially damaging.

Vince McMahon’s Death: A Storyline Gone Wrong
2007 saw WWE run a storyline with the explosion of Vince McMahon’s limousine, supposedly killing the billionaire. The angle was to go for months on end before it abruptly ended.

Fan theory: Many believe that this storyline was written to keep McMahon off TV—either because of his real-life issues or to give the company a big shake-up. Others feel this angle would have finished with a shocking reveal—possibly a new power figure in WWE.

Counterpoint: Yes, it was meant to be a major plotline, but due to Chris Benoit’s real-life death a mere few weeks into the development of that storyline, most everything concerning it was axed. Quite understandably, then, WWE shifted focus to deal with this tragedy and its repercussions, rendering the storyline’s intended direction irrelevant.

The Katie Vick Storyline: A Hidden Message?
WWE’s more controversial storylines would feature Triple H accusing Kane of murdering a woman named Katie Vick. There was also another part of the storyline where Triple H, dressed as Kane, simulated necrophilia with a mannequin in a coffin.

Fan Theory: Many fans seem to believe that the Katie Vick storyline was some kind of backstage punitive action or hidden message. It was tailor-made; the story went around to humiliate some wrestlers or even send a veiled signal to some insiders in the industry.

Counterpoint: Many trashed the storyline for much of its tastelessness and a generally poor execution. While it can be said that perhaps there are some deeper angles to things, the evidence simply isn’t enough to say Katie Vick served any purpose other than being another misguided attempt at shock value.

The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak: A Controlled Outcome?
Undertaker’s undefeated streak during WrestleMania had been one of the most sacrosanct traditions in the WWE. Over more than two decades, there have been 21 consecutive victories for Undertaker at WWE’s biggest extravaganza.

Fan Theory: Many fans think that this ending of his streak was etched in stone right from its inception. The theory is that Vince McMahon and The Undertaker worked out, years in advance, the caveat to create the streak as a legendary storyline with its eventual demise at WrestleMania 30.

Counterpoint: While it became apparent that WWE recognized and valued the importance of the streak as it went on, it’s unlikely it was conceptualized to perform such a feat from its outset. Professional wrestling is, outright, one of the most unpredictable forms of sports entertainment because of the possible risks of papas and biscuits and contract negotiations, each of which is an influencing factor in booking a wrestler for their respective programs. A claim that has been going around is that the decision to end the streak was made only weeks before WrestleMania 30, so its longevity isn’t premeditated.

CM Punk Pipe Bomb: A Workout in Scripted Shoot?
In 2011, CM Punk dropped the now-legendary “pipe bomb” promo, where he busted out of the fourth wall to express his vitriol toward WWE and its management. Done with minimal gimmicks, it blurred the lines between reality and fiction and became mesmerizingly honest for fans.

Fan Theory: Some believe this pipe bomb was a work, or at least a scripted shoot. That means WWE would have planned it out but then executed it in a manner that made it seem real. According to this theory, WWE and Punk worked together to create a moment to create a frenzy and breathe life back into his character.

Counterpoint: Where Punk’s promo was without a doubt hugely influential, at least partially scripted, the man himself has claimed he had much leeway to say what he wanted. What that did create, though, was a decisive moment that felt real—there, the blend of real-life frustrations with elements from within the storyline came in.

The Death of Mr. McMahon: An Alternative Reality
In 2007, WWE revamped a storyline where Vince McMahon was noticeably presumed dead as a result of his limousine exploding. The storyline was dropped abruptly due to the real-life tragedy of Chris Benoit’s murder-suicide.

Fan Theory: There’s a particular fan theory that suggests the entire Mr. McMahon death storyline opened up the door to some alternate dimension in WWE. The theory goes on to imply that following this “death” of Mr. McMahon, some storylines and character arcs became part of an alternate narrative timeline.

Counterpoint: This theory is much more on the side of speculation and fantasy than most. The truth is, yes, due to real-life events, this storyline got canceled, and WWE Creative changed course. There is no proof that an alternate reality-type storyline was planned.

The Double Turn: Bret Hart and Stone Cold at WrestleMania 13
WrestleMania 13 is renowned for probably one of the greatest matches in WWE history: Bret Hart against Stone Cold Steve Austin. In the match above, there happened to be a rare double turn where Hart turned heel and Austin turned babyface.

Fan Theory: Some of the fans feel this wasn’t a planned turn and evolved organically through the match due to real-time changes on account of crowd reactions and wrestlers’ performances.

Counterpoint: Although it cannot be denied that crowd reactions are always involved in wrestling, the double turn at WrestleMania 13 was, in reality, a well-thought-out storyline. Both Hart and Austin address the planning of the match. Furthermore, both show clearly how the turn came off to a tee because of their storytelling and in-ring chemistry.

Vince McMahon vs. Ted Turner: The Real Monday Night War
The Monday Night War between WWE and WCW is well documented, but some of the fans think that things went beyond in-ring action.

Fan Theory: A theory is that Monday Night War had less to do with wrestling promotions and was more an area of personal vendetta between Vince McMahon and media mogul Ted Turner. Turner, wanting to dominate television, used WCW as a weapon under this theory to undermine McMahon and WWE.

Counterpoint: While most certainly there was a competitive rivalry between WWE and WCW, to say that it was strictly due to a personal vendetta simplifies the complex business dynamics underway. The bottom line is that what each of those promotions did was milk the wrestling craze for everything it was worth—to stake their claim in the marketplace. This battle between the two wrestling promotions spawned some of the most inspiring and exciting shows.

The Four Horsewomen Conspiracy
With the rise of the Four Horsewomen—Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Bayley—came a reformative period for women’s wrestling. Therefore, it begs the question of how they became internationally recognized wrestlers. 

Fan Theory: Many fans believe that the Four Horsewomen were just used as pawns in a WWE long-term scheme to redesign women’s wrestling. Their rise was planned when society was changing towards gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Counterpoint: While WWE did realize the untapped talent and potential that the Four Horsewomen brought to the table, it is still essentially a thing that credits to them just how much work, charisma, and in-ring ability they had. The women’s revolution within WWE was based on fan demand for better representation and quality wrestling, which the Four Horsemen led at the forefront.

The Montreal Screwjob Redux: Survivor Series 2017
What looked like a highly foreordained contest at Survivor Series 2017, Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles, made for quite the surprise ending—a result many equated to the Montreal Screwjob.

Fan Theory: Some fans believe this was a re-creation, performed as a modern-day version of the Screwjob from Montreal. The theory states that the finish was designed to mirror the infamous event, complete with last-minute changes and behind-the-scenes machinations.

Counterpoint: But the way that Lesnar versus Styles was booked was to get over how dominant Lesnar is, while simultaneously allowing for multiple options in the future. While it did have elements of the Screwjob about it, there is no evidence to support that it was deliberate.

The “Future Endeavored” Curse 
The releases of specific talent by WWE would certainly seem to open that floodgate area of speculating what truly stands ahead in their future. This looks shapeable when one keeps considering the endemic “Future Endeavored” curse, where eventually released wrestlers mostly fail to assure precisely the same success outside WWE. 

Fan Theory: The so-called “Future Endeavored” curse is the idea that wrestlers, upon release from WWE, will have a hard time trying to get their careers back on track. The theory asserts that WWE does various things, potentially through its influence and relationships, to minimize what talent has to work with following their release. 

Counterpoint: As much as some wrestlers get released and often struggle, many others are experiencing success in AEW, NJPW, and Impact Wrestling. This will be tough because of the high competitiveness of professional wrestling; career trajectories reflect individual differences. Thus, a WWE release allows for both setbacks and opportunities toward gains in reinvention by the talent. 

The death of Chris Benoit
The tragic death of Chris Benoit and his family in 2007 shook the wrestling world to its core. Officially, he was ruled guilty of murder-suicide, but since then, several conspiracy theories have been thrown up regarding this event. 

Fan Theory: Many others in the fan base still firmly believe that the death of Benoit was not such a clear-cut case of murder-suicide but rather something much more complex. These can range from being framed to somebody outside wanting him to finally shut up. 

Counterpoint: It was concluded that Benoit was the perpetrator of the crimes after lengthy and thorough investigations by various law enforcement agencies. Although this case would be the subject of much speculation, evidence has supported the official ruling. Many conspiracy theories have been raised in incidents like this one, but with no substantial proof. 

Conclusion 
It’s a maze of stories and characters inside the world of WWE, with behind-the-scenes drama worth much fuel for fan theories and urban legends. Although some are rooted in grains of truth, many others are simply conjectures. That is what perpetually fuels the engagement, passion, and creativity of the WWE fanbase in continuing to drive discourse and debate around mysteries and mythos within professional wrestling. Whether these theories and legends are true or not, they add a different dimension to an intriguing industry. These remind us that when it comes down to wrestling, there is so much more than what goes on inside the ring. Instead, it simply concerns the stories created and ultimately shared between fans. As WWE continues to forge its new way, new legends will rise, and this circle that brought in both speculation and wonder will once again ebb.