WWE received severe criticism from fans after the May 8 episode of WWE SmackDown because of how the show handled a tribute to Ted Turner alongside a comedy funeral segment for a fictional Gingerbread Man character.
Before SmackDown started, WWE aired an “In Memory Of” graphic for Ted Turner, who passed away on May 6, 2026, at the age of 87.
Turner played a huge role in wrestling history. As the man behind WCW, he gave the company the money, TV platform, and support needed to compete directly with WWE during the famous Monday Night Wars. Under his leadership, WCW launched Monday Nitro and famously beat WWE RAW in the ratings for many weeks straight during the late ’90s.
Because of that history, WWE is paying respect to Turner despite WCW once being WWE’s biggest rival. However, things became awkward for some viewers because WWE moved almost immediately from the tribute into promotion for the “Gingerbread Man funeral” storyline later in the show.
Some fans felt the timing of WWE’s SmackDown promotion was awkward
The storyline itself has been one of the weirdest angles currently happening on SmackDown. Trick Williams and Lil Yachty introduced The Gingerbread Man character during a segment mocking Sami Zayn.
On the May 1 episode, Zayn attacked the mascot, ripped off its arm, and hit it with a Helluva Kick. WWE then announced that the May 8 show would feature a full funeral segment for the fictional character.
Several fans felt the comedy segment clashed tonally with the serious Ted Turner tribute shown earlier. Many viewers shared their frustration online.
One fan wrote that WWE’s tribute to Turner was “classy”, but following it up with a fake Gingerbread Man funeral felt “tacky” after Turner’s passing.
Another fan said the two segments happening on the same night “just didn’t sit right.”
Others called the decision “insensitive” and said the emotional tone of SmackDown felt all over the place.
Most fans were not criticizing the Ted Turner tribute itself. Instead, they felt the problem was how quickly WWE switched from honoring one of wrestling’s most important figures to a comedy storyline about a fictional cookie mascot.
It was even more noticeable since AEW Dynamite earlier in the week featured a more serious, dedicated tribute segment to Turner that included Sting talking about Turner’s importance. On the other hand, WWE just showed a graphic.
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