Katie Vick – Behind WWE’s Most Shameful Storyline

In 2002, Katie Vick was introduced to the WWE audience. Many consider what followed one of the most tasteless segments in television history.

Controversial Storylines That Shaped Wrestling Before Katie Vick

In the world of professional wrestling, controversy has long been part of the allure. From surprising betrayals to jaw-dropping moments, pushing the envelope has often been the name of the game. Yet, when WWE introduced the Katie Vick storyline in 2002, it went far beyond what most fans were prepared to tolerate.

The storyline wasn’t just outrageous; it reached a level of tastelessness that left audiences questioning the company’s decision-making.

But before this infamous angle, other storylines shook the wrestling world and cemented themselves in history.

Let’s revisit some of those memorable moments.

Those who have been around for a while undoubtedly witnessed epic, impactful storylines in wrestling. The first one that immediately comes to mind is Larry Zbyszko turning on his mentor, Bruno Sammartino.

I’m also sure that anyone who watched Jimmy Snuka’s appearance on Piper’s Pit has that moment permanently etched in their memory.

Both incidents led to prolonged feuds that brought fans tremendous enjoyment and changed the financial landscape for the wrestlers and promoters involved.

There are countless other examples of wrestling angles that brought fans back week after week, month after month, and year after year.

A good storyline can make us devote a significant portion of our discretionary (and, in our youth, undoubtedly limited) income towards purchasing tickets, magazines, and even pay-per-views.

This story portrays none of the above.

Au contraire, this piece describes what is possibly the most distasteful angle in the annals of professional wrestling.

It was an angle that undoubtedly caused many parental hands to shield the eyes of their children.

It was a storyline that caused many to grab their remote and swiftly seek other sources of entertainment.

It was also so hideous that a thesaurus is required for all the synonyms of the word "ugly" (and they still fail to describe what you are about to read).

This, my friends, is the story of Katie Vick.

The Origins of WWE’s Katie Vick Controversy

It all began on the October 7th, 2002, episode of Monday Night RAW.

During the show, Triple H (who was being heavily pushed at the time) attacked Hurricane Helms in a backstage altercation.

Helms was co-holder of the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside "The Devil’s Favorite Demon" Kane. The duo, known as "Kane and Hurricane," held the titles for just 21 days, ironically losing them the following week to Christian and Chris Jericho.

With the temporary loss of his partner, Kane was forced to defend the titles alone, which he successfully did. However, once again, Triple H reared his villainous head.

At this point, Triple H accused Kane of being a murderer. While Kane had already been blamed for setting the fire that killed his parents, The Game was referring to someone else entirely—Katie Vick.

Triple H claimed that Kane had murdered Katie Vick ten years earlier, leaving the masked Kane visibly shaken as the show closed.

Kane’s Confession: The Tragic Accident of Katie Vick

The following Monday night took a courtroom-like turn, with Kane standing in the ring, pleading his case to the audience.

"Katie Vick was a friend of mine," Kane began. "And Katie Vick is dead. But I didn’t kill her. It was an accident! And I am NOT a murderer!

"See, Katie and I were friends about ten years ago, back when I first started wrestling. In fact, she came to my first match, and she was probably the only one who cared when I was getting beat up. I cared about her, too."

Kane continued, "One night, Katie and I went to a party, and Katie had too much to drink, so I decided that I should drive her home. I wasn’t that familiar with a stick shift, but Katie insisted we take her car.

"It was dark, the road was slick from the rain, and an animal jumped right in front of us. I swerved to avoid it, and the car spun out of control and went off the road.

"I broke my arm, but Katie was killed instantly. But it was an accident! It’s something I have to live with and something I’ve thought about every day since. So, the only thing I have left to say is what I said to Katie’s parents: ‘I’m sorry.’"

Triple H’s Rebuttal: More Than Just Friends?

After Kane had concluded his impassioned plea to the sold-out arena, Triple H strolled out to deliver his rebuttal.

"Oh, boo-hoo, Kane! Boo-hoo! You got me all choked up with your touching story, Kane. But since you’re out here baring your soul, why don’t you tell the world the whole truth? Why don’t you tell the world that when the people from that party were questioned, they all said you were drinking too, Kane.

"Why don’t you tell everybody how, when the police came to the accident scene, there were empty beer cans in the car and all around the crime scene? And, more importantly, Kane, why don’t you explain to the world how, when doctors did the autopsy on Katie Vick’s body, they found your semen?"

Triple H paused for dramatic effect.

"That’s right, Kane! Katie Vick was a whole lot more to you than just a friend, wasn’t she?

"The fact is you loved Katie Vick. You were madly in love with her. But the problem was, Katie didn’t love you back. She didn’t share those special feelings you had. And c’mon, Kane, who could blame her? Look at you! Who could realistically love a burnt-up freak like you?"

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Triple H Continues to Taunt Kane Over Katie Vick

The Connecticut Blue Blood continued his reproach.

"Now, Kane, I know you weren’t charged with murder."

Chants of the ‘a’ word began emanating from the crowd in the background.

"I know you weren’t even charged with manslaughter. But, Kane, facts are facts! And the fact is, Kane… the fact is that all of this points to you! You know it… I know it… The whole world knows it. YOU killed Katie Vick!

"Kane, the question I have is, on that night, did you [force yourself on Katie Vick] while she was alive? Or did you wait and do it to her when she was dead?"

During Triple H’s fervid argument, the camera repeatedly focused on the tortured, broken visage of the Big Red Machine. Triple H had reduced the once fearless and feared monster to a quivering wreck.

The following week, Triple H appeared backstage with Jonathan Coachman. When asked by Coach, "Why are you doing this?" Triple H replied, "Why am I doing this? ’Cause I want to show the world what kind of a man Kane is!"

Triple H continued, "I called him a murderer, but he’s a whole lot worse than that. He’s some kind of twisted psychopath, some kind of sick freak. Believe me, only a man like Kane could do the type of thing I’m gonna show you on this videotape. Now I’ve got to warn you; this is not for the squeamish. Roll the footage."

The viewer was then shown the WWE disclaimer: WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SCENE CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT MAY OFFEND SOME VIEWERS. DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

What may have been more appropriate was a short clip of Dorothy pleading, "Run, Toto, Run!"

What follows is one of the most tasteless, reprehensible, and despicable segments in television history—let alone WWE.

The Funeral Parlor Scene: WWE’s Most Tasteless Moment?

The viewer is taken to a funeral parlor, with the camera first focusing on a casket. It then pans to the entrance, where "Kane" (played by Triple H) appears, dressed in a red "Big Freak’n Machine" shirt.

"Kane" walks over to Katie Vick’s casket.

What begins as a scolding directed at Katie quickly evolves into a bizarre and animated exchange.

The ‘conversation’ starts confrontational but soon turns disturbingly intimate. The viewer then witnesses "Kane" grab Katie Vick’s chest (with the camera blurring at this moment), and the scene spirals downhill from there.

The dialogue grows more unsettling, with "Kane" delivering lines like, "You know, Katie, you feel kind of stiff. And speaking of stiff…" and, "I love the smell of formaldehyde in the morning" (while sniffing the undergarments he had just removed).

Finally, when all was said and done, "Kane" (now fully unclothed) delivered the unforgettable and grotesque line, "I screwed your brains out," while throwing a handful of gelatinous cranial matter directly at the camera.

Triple H Mocks Kane and Laughs at the Katie Vick Storyline

The viewer is then taken back to Triple H, who is laughing so uncontrollably that he has to lean on The Coach for support.

I’ve attached the video below, but I urge you to watch it at your own risk!

The angle, thankfully, concluded the following week.

During an in-ring promo, Triple H walked over to a casket positioned at ringside and pulled out the ‘corpse’ of Katie Vick, dressed in her blue cheerleader outfit. Triple H then brought “Katie” into the ring and proceeded to perform a ventriloquist act with her.

Fortunately, this fiasco was interrupted by Hurricane Helms, who directed everyone’s attention to the Titantron.

What followed was a video of Triple H receiving a surgical enema, where items such as a sledgehammer were pulled from his rectum.

That’s right—a ventriloquist act with a ‘corpse’ was immediately followed by a scene where construction tools were extracted from someone’s backside.

WWE Wrestling Legends React to the Katie Vick Segment

Certainly, many within the professional wrestling fraternity had an opinion after the Katie Vick storyline played out. Here’s what a few had to say:

Wayne Ferris (AKA Honky Tonk Man): "It was horrible, sick nonsense."

JJ Dillon: "Boy, whatever they were drinking or smoking when they thought of giving birth to the hand, it had to be on the same day, when they were on the same high, is the only explanation I can give. Again, I’m glad it wasn’t me."

Wrestling historian Bill Apter: "That got me to the point where I wasn’t sure if I was going to watch it anymore."

Joe Laurinaitis (AKA Road Warrior Animal): "Hmmm, I must have missed that one. There’s a lot of stuff during that dark era that I missed."

Honky Tonk Man (encore): "I’m surprised they were even able to be a publicly traded company after doing [stuff] like that."

Danny Doring: "Everybody sat around and wrote that one and said, ‘Yeah, I think, you know, the Attitude Era is wearing down, so what can we do to really push the envelope?’ I get it, we’ll F a dead person!"

Bill Eadie (AKA Masked Superstar and Demolition Ax): "It was disgusting. I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have done it if they forced me to do it. I would have resigned quick, walked out. I don’t think there’s a place for it. It’s BS."

Years later, even Stephanie McMahon had something to say. Before Kane’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in March 2021, she apologized to Kane for the 2002 Katie Vick storyline with Triple H.

On Twitter, she wrote: "Congratulations to one of the most unique characters and individuals I have ever known, Kane. A man with unparalleled intellect, whose heart is as big as his body. Welcome to the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021! You deserve it! (Don’t worry, we all know you had nothing to do with Katie Vick!)"

Behind the Scenes of the Katie Vick Storyline Creation

Bruce Prichard, who was on the WWE creative team at the time,

discusses the direction of the Katie Vick storyline, a segment that would go down as one of wrestling’s most infamous moments. Photo Credit: WWE.

On episode 74 of the Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard podcast, Bruce Prichard provided a detailed explanation of the infamous Katie Vick storyline.

"You ever have those moments in your life where there are things so traumatic that you block them out entirely? [This] really and truly is one of them on so many different counts.

"The original idea behind Katie Vick was to introduce Scott Vick, who was part of our developmental system. We were going to bring Scott in, and he was supposed to work with Kane or Triple H—I forget which at this point.

"Scott just had some really, really horrible dark matches on TV and on the road. When he got the nod to come up to the show, from that point forward, all of his matches just— the bottom fell out. Vince was like, ‘What are we doing?’

"So, he changed it, and we had already teased the name, Katie Vick. So it was like, ‘Okay, let’s change this and move it over to Kane. She can be his girlfriend.’"

Vince McMahon’s Push for Soap Opera Drama in WWE

Bruce Prichard continued, "It was during a time when Vince was big into ‘We need more soap opera, we need more stories behind the characters.’ So, we started creating stories, and it eventually came to, ‘What if Kane didn’t actually murder her but was driving, and oh my god, then there was drinking involved,’ and it just grew from there.

"It’s another glowing example of ‘Don’t suggest or say things in jest that you don’t want to actually end up on the show.’

"It was literally a group effort. You can direct (hate tweets) towards me, Vince, Brian Gewirtz, Michael Hayes— we were all responsible. This was a group effort. There’s no finger-pointing here; we can all turn the fingers back on ourselves.

“Like with everything, Vince was the ultimate decision-maker, the one who said, ‘I love it,’ so this is the direction we were going to take.

"We were in Nashville, I believe. That’s where we were going to shoot this vignette."

Backstage Battles Over the Controversial Airing of the Katie Vick Footage

"The idea behind the vignette was that Hunter was going to do a spoof—emphasis on the word *spoof*—of Katie Vick’s funeral,” Bruce Prichard explained. “The idea was that Kane, being the sick person Triple H was portraying him to be, would attempt to have perceived fornication with the corpse.

"Yet, when we laid it all out, you weren’t going to see all that graphic stuff. It was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, over the top, and ridiculous, almost like a *Pink Panther* parody of sorts.

"We arrive at the funeral home to shoot. It’s myself, Vince, Triple H, Kane, and a crew. I lost a couple of crew members that day because they were highly offended by the subject matter.

"After the shoot, they quit. I don’t think we ever saw them again. I’d also like to point out that we were in a real funeral home, and there was a real wake happening in the next room.

"You know how they have accordion dividers that separate rooms? There was one dividing the room where we were shooting and the room where they were holding a wake for a gentleman.

"Hunter and I are talking, laying out the scene, and we’re laughing, trying to make it way over the top, a total goof—something that no one in their right mind could take seriously. No one should have been able to watch this and think, ‘Oh, this is a tasteless necrophilia skit.’ It was just a couple of guys having fun.

"But then Vince got real serious on us and said, ‘God, that’ll never work. You’ve got to do this straight. That’s where the humor is.’

"We were thinking, ‘Okay, but if someone tunes in, you always tell us to look at the show as if every single week someone is seeing it for the first time. You want everyone to understand it. If we do this straight, I don’t know how to do that. How do you shoot a straight necrophilia scene on television?’” Prichard reflected.

"So we got into a heated argument. Triple H and I saw it one way, and Vince saw it completely differently. We finally decided on a compromise.

"Vince said, ‘We’ll shoot it both ways, and after we see both versions, we’ll decide which one works best.’

"He says, ‘Let’s do it my way first, and then we’ll do it your way.’

"And that’s another important lesson here, kids. So we do it, and Hunter delivers the scene as straight as possible. Over-the-top straight, serious. We finish shooting, and Vince goes, ‘I love it! That’s perfect!’

"Hunter and I look at each other like, ‘Okay, now let’s show him how much better the over-the-top version will be when done tongue-in-cheek.’

"But Vince says, ‘Alright, let’s move on, guys.’

"I said, ‘Wait a minute, we’ve got to shoot the other version.’

"And Vince just goes, ‘Bruce, we don’t have time. You’re not going to get better than that.’ Hunter looks at me like, ‘Save me. We can’t air that. There’s no way we can air that.’"

Airing the Katie Vick Footage, Anyway

"Vince told the crew to wrap. ‘We’ve got to get back. We’re going live.’ And we wrapped,” Bruce Prichard later explained.

"We went back to the building, delivered the tape, and I remember going in and grabbing Kevin Dunn, telling him, ‘Hey man, you need to take a look at this because I think we kind of crossed the line.’

"Hunter comes into the truck and says, ‘Man, you’ve got to see this. I don’t know. Vince loves it. He wants to air it.’

"Kevin watches it, then makes that long walk down to Vince’s office and says, ‘Vince, I don’t think we can air this.’

"Now Vince is [angry] because I’ve already told him it’s not good, Hunter’s told him it’s not good, and now he feels like we’ve ganged up on him by getting Kevin involved to tell him that his idea is no good. He’s determined to prove us wrong [no matter what]. And it aired.

"We felt a little betrayed because Vince had said we could do both versions. But we knew the other way was the only way to do it, in my opinion.”

Katie Vick: The Fallout and Aftermath of WWE’s Darkest Storyline

Bruce Prichard added, "Obviously, there are two ways to look at it. Not only that but Vince was determined this was going to air. We were going to do it.

"There was a live interview coming out of it with Hunter in the back. I’m standing there producing the interview. We’re looking at each other, watching it again, and our mouths are hanging open. Hunter says, ‘What do I say?’

"I didn’t know. I really did not know what to say to that.

"This was an attempt at ‘soap opera.’ It came from people who constantly told us, ‘You need more soap operas; you need more stories.’

"And while yes, we probably did need more story, I’m not sure this was the best way to go about it. It was rough, man. It’s one of those moments where I stand up and say, ‘I did that,’ just because I did. I produced it. But at the same time, you kind of shake your head and think, ‘Oh my god, I produced that.’

"We thought it would get people talking, but trust me, it wasn’t done to get the reaction that it did."

And it certainly did get people talking!

These stories may also interest you:

• Kane and Christian: Wrestling’s Most Dysfunctional Friendship
• Ric Flair, Triple H, and the Greatest One-Night WWE Storyline
• Mr. McMahon’s Masterplan: Hogan, MTV, and WWE’s Rise in the ’80s

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