Former WWE Superstar Brian Christopher had one of the worst returns in WWE history, dancing down the ring as the crowd sat it subdued silence, praying for the segment to end. The man formerly known as Grand Master Sexay entered WWE Raw in 2011 to deafening silence, with his father sat at ringside, embarrassed like the rest.
Of course, this segment from the January 6, 2011, episode of Monday Night Raw has gone down in infamy as one of the most awkward and embarrassing moments in WWE history. Brian Christopher’s return came amidst the feud between Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole, which would culminate in the worst match in WWE history, at WrestleMania 27. Even Steve Austin as referee couldn’t save that match, and it was so much worse than expected.
Yet that bout paled in comparison to the cringeworthy display of Brian Christopher’s return, even though the idea of the angle was not a bad one! It made perfect sense for Michael Cole, then the most hated man in the WWE and locked in a rivalry with Jerry “The King” Lawler, to bring out Lawler’s son to goad and taunt him with.
However, Vince McMahon clearly didn’t bank on two things;
- Nobody knew him as “Brian Christopher”.
- Nobody cared about Brian Christopher in 2011
Had this segment happened a decade earlier, the roof would have blown off the arena. Alongside Scotty 2 Hotty and Rikishi, Brian Christopher was part of the iconic “Too Cool” faction. The trio would dance their way down to the ring, before a synchronized dance routine in the ring garnered huge cheers from the crowd. They were one of the most popular teams in WWE history, and helped define the Attitude Era.
During this time, Brian Christopher (who revealed in this segment that his real name was “Brian Lawler”, and was the son of Jerry Lawler) was known by another name – Grand Master Sexay. Yes, the name is ridiculous, but the people came to love his wacky dancing and “Hip Hop Drop” finishing move.
That was in the 1990s. WWE had since fired Brian Christopher for failing a drugs test, and he spent his time mainly wrestling on the independent scene, as well as a spell in TNA in 2002. It had been seven years since he last appeared in the WWE (a spell in 2004 that lasted only a month), so fans had plenty of time to forget about the former WWE Tag Team Champion.
And forget they did. As soon as his music hit, and the young WWE fan base saw a middle-age match dancing his way awkwardly down to the ring, they could do nothing but silently cringe. You could hear a pin drop as Brian Christopher’s embarrassing dancing forced thousands to look away from their TV sets, while every person in that arena wished they were anywhere else.
It made it so much worse that he wasn’t in his usual wrestling attire, which was the sort of clothes you’d expect breakdancers to wear. Instead, he’s in a bedazzled shirt and jeans, which couldn’t be further away from the ridiculous dancing he conciously did in front of people.
The fans didn’t care at all about this feud. It was an open secret that the pair were father and son, and the crowd were more preoccupied by being incredibly bored by Michael Cole than focusing on the heartbreaking family dynamic that was going on in front of them.
Jerry Lawler claimed he was happy that Brian Christopher never used his last name in wrestling (implying he was just bad at wrestling), while Christopher claimed that he felt like he never really had a dad. If this had led to a father vs son match at WrestleMania, then I’d be all for it. But it was literally never mentioned again, and Brian Christopher wouldn’t appear n the WWE for another four years.
Too Cool reunited twice after this segment, with no mention of the family dispute between Lawler and Christopher. As “Grand Master Sexay”, he teamed with Scotty 2 Hotty and Rikishi during the “Old School Raw” show, beating 3MB in a fun match. Hotty and Sexay also teamed together one last time at NXT Takeover: Arrival, being the surprise opponents for NXT Tag Team Champions, The Ascension. They lost the match, but vowed to return to NXT again.
Too Cool did not return to NXT. Well, Scotty 2 Hotty did, being signed to NXT as a trainer in 2016. Brian Christopher’s drug issues meant that Vince McMahon did not want to re-sign him, and he soon spiraled out of control. Christopher’s last match ever was on November 11, 2017, where he defeated Donnie Primetime for Georgia Premier Wrestling in Canton, Georgia.
Less than one year later, Brian Christopher was arrested from driving under the influence (DUI), before being found hanging in his cell. His death was ruled as suspicious, and is currently being investigated.
Can you name a worse WWE return? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.