The Most Embarrassing WWE Moment Every Year Of The 1990s

In the 1990s, WWE ascended to incredible heights of popularity. With Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock as the figureheads of the Attitude Era, Vince McMahon's wrestling empire swept across the globe as the 20th century came to a close.

RELATED: 10 Best WWE Moments Of The 1990s (That Had Nothing To Do With Wrestling)

This glorious conquest, however, is not the full story of that decade. The '90s, it should be remembered, had plenty of cringeworthy episodes inside and outside the ring. These matches, segments, and anecdotes will make any wrestling fan bury their face in their hands as the embarrassment sinks in.

10 1990: The Gobbledy Gooker Emerges

A mystery reveal turns out to be... a bird mascot

Pro wrestling has a long history of TV vignettes teasing some surprise at a later date. In 1990, fans were intrigued when a giant egg was shown on WWE television. Could it be the debut of the next hottest act or the beginning of an exciting angle?

At Survivor Series 1990, everyone in the wrestling community found out the answer. The egg cracked, and out came a human being dressed in a hilariously large turkey costume. The Gobbledy Gooker proceeded to talk in (what else?) gobbles and decided that Mean Gene Okerlund would make for a great dance partner. The bewilderment of the live crowd makes one wonder why Vince McMahon and his creative team loved the idea of a cartoonish turkey taking up air time on a major PPV.

9 1991: The Ultimate Warrior Forces Vince McMahon's Hand

An invincible owner faces a stiff ultimatum

Vince McMahon, the most powerful man in pro wrestling since the '80s, never wants to have egg on his face. However, shortly before SummerSlam 1991, McMahon and his company were apparently at the behest of one wrestler. At that time, The Ultimate Warrior had decided that his star power commanded more compensation than he was getting. Warrior thus decided to write McMahon a letter detailing some pretty outrageous demands.

McMahon would actually express his agreement to Warrior's demands, but not before secretly hatching a plan to fire Warrior right after SummerSlam. The thought of the almighty Vince McMahon resorting to desperate measures—just to avert the scenario of a wrestler no-showing the SummerSlam main event—is a pretty embarrassing picture.

8 1992: A Botch In The Main Event Of WrestleMania

Papa Shango and his less-than-magical moment

If there's one event in which miscues are absolutely not welcome, it's The Grandest Stage of Them All. At WrestleMania VIII, the worst case scenario happened. That night, a big-time botch occurred in, of all places, the main event.

RELATED: 5 Matches That Didn't Deserve To Main Event WrestleMania (& 5 That Were More Deserving)

In the final act of the Hulk Hogan-Sid Justice match, the Hulkster hit his patented leg drop and everyone expected the referee to count to three. To the shock of wrestling fans around the world, Sid kicked out at two. By all accounts, this was not a planned spot. Apparently, Sid had to improvise as Papa Shango (who was supposed to break up the pin) was nowhere in sight. It was a botched finish to a sluggish match that barely belonged in the WrestleMania finale.

7 1993: The Undertaker Vs. Giant Gonzalez Eyesore

Not all matches in the legendary Streak were, well, legendary

In 1993, Undertaker wasn't quite the impeccable performer whose matches blew everyone out of the water. During this period of refinement, 'Taker had the daunting task of working a WrestleMania bout with a wrestler who had no polish at all.

There's a reason why this match against Giant Gonzalez at WrestleMania IX is hardly used in video montages of Undertaker's career. Between all the poorly executed moves, Gonzalez's ridiculous body suit, and the bamboozling chloroform finish, this match was a definite low point of WWE that year.

6 1994: The Steroid Trial

It was literally the United States vs. Vince McMahon

For years, there were whispers among fans about wrestlers supposedly abusing steroids to enhance their look. Those low voices finally gained a reason to shout in 1994, when WWE head honcho Vince McMahon was tried on the suspicion of distributing anabolic steroids to his wrestlers.

The trial lasted for 18 days, and in the end, the judge dismissed the case against McMahon due to insufficient evidence. Though McMahon came out on top in this situation, the image of his company was irrevocably drugged in the mud.

5 1995: Diesel Vs. King Mabel At SummerSlam

A certified classic, this was not

1995 was not a particularly good year for the WWE in terms of in-ring performances. Although Diesel—who reigned as WWE Champion for much of this year—was not entirely to blame for this, he didn't exactly chip in many five-star matches.

At SummerSlam that year, Diesel defended his WWE Title against King Mabel. It was a terrible combination of a babyface champion with questionable popularity and a villain who wasn't an exciting worker by any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps the only good thing about this match was that it was under 10 minutes.

4 1996: Beware Of Blackouts

Mother Nature is an undefeated foe

At the end of the day, a wrestling PPV is just like any TV production. If the logistics don't pan out, the quality of the content takes a huge hit. At the Beware of Dog PPV in May 1996, the toughest opponent on deck was not British Bulldog, Vader, or Yokozuna. Rather, it was the thunderstorm raging through South Carolina and threatening to cut the power supply in the middle of the PPV.

RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Didn't Realize Wrestled For WWE In 1996

Unfortunately for the WWE, that's exactly what happened. The power went out at the Florence Civic Center, which meant that only two advertised matches were shown on PPV. In a bizarre but perhaps necessary move, WWE actually did a "take two" of some Beware of Dog matches two days later.

3 1997: The Boot Camp Match That No One Asked For

Neither competitor looked good in this one

Both Triple H and Sgt. Slaughter have had Hall of Fame careers, but their combined efforts could not make a difference in the debacle that was the Boot Camp Match. In a period when D-Generation X was among the hottest things in pro wrestling, this specialty match did not add one iota to the star power of the rebellious faction.

Wrestling fans were none too pleased that this match moved at an excruciatingly slow pace. It was also baffling that Triple H, an active competitor on the brink of his prime, needed interference from Chyna to overcome a retired 49-year-old Commissioner.

2 1998: DX Takes It A Step Too Far

This comedy was simply in poor taste

The whole schtick of D-Generation X is pushing the envelope, but on more than one instance, they made decisions that severely tarnished their legacy. Case in point: On the July 6, 1998 episode of Raw, the group suited up as the members of rival faction Nation of Domination. To supposedly heighten the humor, certain members of the group work blackface.

Fans can only speculate about the firestorm that would have ensured if that skit had occurred in today's WWE programming. To the surprise of no one, Peacock removed this segment from the WWE Network.

1 1999: The Kennel From Hell

This match was all bark and no bite

The Kennel from Hell match is a prime example of ideas that would have been best left on the cutting room floor. To begin with, this match came about because Al Snow wanted to avenge his dog that had been killed (and cooked!) by the Big Boss Man.

These two would go on to compete inside a steel cage, which itself was surrounded by the Hell in a Cell structure. As if this wasn't overkill, there were rottweilers surrounding the ringside area, perhaps meant to evoke the spirit of Snow's dog. As the two competitors fought, the rottweilers left a huge mess on the floor and got too intimate with one another. Any time a match is overshadowed by background details like this, it's a dreadful embarrassment.