Peacockery Pick: WWE Scariest Moments

This is WWE’s Scariest Moments! This first appeared in 2020 on WWE Network and is now also on Peacock.

After a sea of the most generic horror imagery the WWE team could find flashes, we are greeted by our host… The Boogeyman. October is scary, he says, but not because of pumpkin spice lattes and flannel. That’s the international uniform of Swifties, so it might scare some. Anyway, it is scary because of the worms. Ah yes, the worms of October. Just like Charlie Brown talked about.

Boogey is here to take us through the best scary moments in WWE history, starting with the Undertaker. Shocker!

We hop to Raw 1996 and Diesel beating up Barry Horowitz in the ring. Scaaaary! We join right as Paul Bearer also joins, pushing a casket to the ring. Vince McMahon, on commentary, says the Undertaker MUST be in that casket! Then he says it about fifty more times, so it’s gotta be Taker in there! Diesel gets the win and grabs the timekeeper’s wrench before heading to the casket. Nobody ever accused Big Kev of not being smart. Diesel lifts up the casket lid to find… Diesel. To this day I’m a little confused if it was camera trickery or a really good fake mannequin.

Next we go to 2005 SmackDown and Randy Orton is packing his bags, only to be startled by his dad Bob. Randy says Undertaker is in his head, only to turn in shock back towards his dad who is covered in blood (in black and white for our audience). Then he looks back and there’s no blood.

SummerSlam 1991 is next and the reception of Macho Man and Elizabeth. We see the first dance and then the wedding cake cutting, narrated by Vince McMahon. Then they open gifts and disaster strikes as a snake pops out of a box. Taker arrives top knock down Savage with the urn while Jake Roberts taunts Liz with the snake. Yeah, this scared me for sure at the time.

SmackDown 2009 and we have Teddy Long in the ring. He says he is afraid of the Undertaker and he has surrounded himself with security in case he appears. He apologizes for making a choice that caused Taker to lose to CM Punk, especially apologizing to Taker. Security walk Teddy to the back, who successfully makes it to his limo without an attack. We get the famed “Buckle up, Teddy!” as limo driver Taker causes spooky lighting in the limo and drives off.

Raw 1999 and Taker is on his Ministry throne, giving one of the dramatic speeches he gave back then. He talks about slaying those he once saved and destroying all that we hold dear. And many more words. So many more. About three more minutes worth. Eventually he gets up and walks over to a body – Dennis Knight – laid out on a table, speaking in tongues and declaring him to be Mideon. This is entirely too long, even in clipped version. The Undertaker symbol catches on fire and the body of Mideon starts floating. Okay!

We’re back to the Boogeyman, who says there is nobody quite like Taker but many who have faced him. Here are two of his creepiest rivals, Kane and Mankind.

We flash back to the ending of Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker at Royal Rumble 1998, with Taker being attacked by multiple men. He really had problems with that at Rumbles. Kane and his pyro arrive to the excitement of Jim Ross, just knowing he is here to help his brother. Kane clears the ring, only to chokeslam Taker into the casket. Kane and Paul Bearer put padlocks on the casket and roll it to the entrance, where Kane beats the casket with an ax. They coat it in gasoline and start the fire in one of those visuals that always stuck out.

We go back a few years to Raw 1996 with Taker facing Justin Hawk Bradshaw, where the scariest thing is Uncle Zeb. Mankind runs in and attacks, beating Taker down on the outside and then doing his iconic elbow drop to the floor. Mankind puts the Mandible Claw onto Taker and the timekeeper rings the bell in a plea for help as Mankind choked Taker out. Not sure this is the scariest of Mankind moments, but I get it.

Boogeyman says he has a few scares up his sleeves, so guess we’re going to watch that as well as Jake Roberts, Papa Shango and the Brood. Boogeyman says he’s coming to get us.

It’s 2006 and Saturday Night’s Main Event, where Booker T is in a towel and celebrating getting out of a match with Sharmell. The Boogeyman music and lighting hits, and the duo find him hanging behind them. They run and scream hilariously, as they do.

About half a year later on SmackDown, we join a young Miz as well as Kristal who have a table with three cloche-covered plates. Miz is facing his fears here, you see. Under the first, pig’s tongue, which Miz takes a bite out of to the crowd’s displeasure. The second is monkey brains, which he eats with a lot less vomit than Rhett & Link would have. Final cloche comes up, and it’s a platter of worms. Miz can’t stomach it and throws them down, only for the Boogeyman’s head to pop up from underneath. Miz does a comedic run away and Boogey feasts. Miz committed to this as always, I’ll give him that.

Let’s go way back to 1992 and Superstars! Ultimate Warrior is facing Knobbs of the Nasty Boys. Warrior gets the pin and celebrates as Vince McMahon says the curse of Papa Shango had no effect. Shango reappears and does some convulsing ringside, causing the Warrior to suddenly grab his abdomen and collapse to the ringside area. Mr. Perfect declares it the curse of Papa Shango, though Vince says it could also be appendicitis. We cut ahead to Warrior in his dressing room, where he vomits a nice pea green shade all over the doctor.

A few months earlier, it’s November 1991 on Superstars. Jake Roberts, in ring, goads color commentator Randy Savage into the ring for an attack. Jake ties Randy up in the ropes and we all know what’s next. The cobra comes out and Jake lets the snake bite Macho, which we see in its full glory. Yeah, this still freaks me out. Macho was a madman. Vince declares Macho to be poisoned because he isn’t getting up quickly and says he must be hallucinating. We get a shot of a little kid crying at ringside.

December 1998 and here’s Tiger Ali Singh. Why not! The lights drop, the Brood music hits and we come back to Tiger taking a beating and then the infamous bloodbath. We’d see a lot more of those!

Boogeyman is back again, saying it’s time to wrap up the list with the scariest superstar of today, Bray Wyatt. Boogey says he likes his style and would like to meet him one day.

SmackDown 2019 and Miz is having a sit down interview with Renee Young at the Miz house. Bray appeared in a photo with Miz’s children, which is why Miz has stayed home. We hear Maryse yelling, as Miz sees Funhouse Bray appearing on the baby monitor. They run up to the child’s crib, where a Fiend plush has appeared.

Extreme Rules 2014 and John Cena is fighting the Wyatt Family off the steel cage during his match with Bray. Cena goes towards the cage door to escape, but we get the Wyatt graphic and a blackout. A child appears at the cage door, singing “He’s Got the Whole World” in a distorted voice. Bray hits the very distracted Cena with a Sister Abigail and leaves the cage and ring to the crowd singing, embracing the child.

Finally we go to SmackDown in 2019, with the future Tribal Chief going for a spear against Seth Rollins, who counters in into a pedigree. The lights go out, the Fiend music and lighting hit and the Fiend himself appears to drag Seth Rollins under the ring… or to hell, as Michael Cole states. Well, that was where Hornswoggle lived.

Boogeyman says that’s it for today, and that he’s the Boogeyman and he’s coming to get you.

Alright Doom Squad, what’s your scariest moment in the wrestling arena?