Jacksonville, FL – A tribute to WCW founder Ted Turner went awry on Friday after WWE accidentally aired “Billionaire Ted” skits from the Attitude Era.
During last week’s Smackdown, the company held a moment of silence for their former rival, followed by a video tribute. While most expected clips from Ted Turner’s days with the rival wrestling company, fans were shocked the showed old parody clips from the late 90’s.
Wrestlers and officials stood awkwardly on stage as parody clips of the media mogul played behind them. The parody videos blared lines about his “Wrasslin’ War Room’” in a cartoonish Southern drawl were poorly received by the audience, followed by boos.
Despite a small smattering of “Thank you, Ted”, most fans looked around awkwardly or furiously typed out their confusion on their phones to various social media websites. A frustrated Triple H was seen shaking his head while walking back to the Gorilla position.
WWE officials have said that the airing of the skits with a technical error and not a petty grudge from almost thirty years ago.