Shelton Benjamin recently revisited a controversial 2004 WWE sketch during an appearance on Maven’s YouTube channel, where he looked back on standout moments from his wrestling career.
The segment in question parodied a provocative Monday Night Football commercial featuring former Philadelphia Eagles player Terrell Owens and Desperate Housewives actress Nicolette Sheridan, which stirred public backlash due to its suggestive content — Sheridan appeared wearing only a towel as she tried to distract Owens before a game.
WWE responded with a comedic spoof starring Trish Stratus, Shelton Benjamin, and Vince McMahon. In the skit, Stratus mimicked Sheridan’s towel-clad flirtation, with Benjamin and McMahon playing along in exaggerated fashion.
Looking back, Benjamin said he had no issues with the content or tone of the parody. He said,
“We did one rehearsal, and again, to me, it was TV. We kind of rehearsed it once, and I heard the lines — Vince changed it up a bit — but I thought it was funny too. We were holding up a mirror to American society, saying, ‘Do you see how ridiculous this outrage is? Who is this really hurting?’ I was already on board.”
Benjamin also clarified that Trish Stratus was not nude during the taping, debunking a common assumption about the scene. He said, “No, I think they had like a bikini under there or something. Definitely not naked.”
He added with a laugh that he was a bit envious when Stratus leaped into McMahon’s arms to end the segment.
Wrestlenomics is reporting that Tuesday night’s episode of WWE NXT drew 674,000 viewers, a slight decline from the 686,000 viewers the show attracted on April 22. Despite the dip in total viewership, the show posted a 0.15 rating in the key 18–49 demographic, an increase from the previous week’s 0.17 rating.
The episode aired opposite heavy competition, including the NBA Playoffs on TNT, the NHL Playoffs on ESPN and TBS, and an interview with Donald Trump on ABC.
At WWE Clash at the Castle 2022 in Cardiff, Wales, Drew McIntyre came close to defeating Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Just as victory seemed within reach, the debuting Solo Sikoa interfered, costing McIntyre the match in front of a hometown crowd of over 55,000 fans.
Speaking in a recent interview with High Performance, McIntyre opened up about how that loss continues to shape his current on-screen persona. He said,
“My reaction to The Bloodline suddenly getting cheered wasn’t, ‘We’re good now, let’s high-five.’ Five years ago, maybe. But now? No. These guys beat me up. Why are people cheering for them?” McIntyre said. “He made my life hell. He screwed me over in the UK, in front of 55,000 people, cost me the world title. And now people just say, ‘Drew, get over it.’ But I can’t. I’m traumatized. I have PTSD.”
He added, “We implement those real feelings into the storylines. That’s how I began evolving into this darker version of myself — and it’s the same with CM Punk. Real emotion sells. The more my character gets close to the finish line and then fails, the more interesting it gets. It gives me more to work with, more truth to speak, more reasons to lash out. And yeah, people might not like hearing the truth all the time — but that’s what keeps things compelling on TV.”
(h/t – Fightful)
