WWE has had its fair share of bizarre wedding angles in the non-PG era. In the past, drama used to entertain the audience a lot, but now it has become a subject of scrutiny.
The case we are going to discuss today happened exactly two decades ago. On the January 2, 2003 episode of SmackDown, Al Wilson and Dawn Marie celebrated a kayfabe wedding in their underwear in front of the WWE Universe.
Marie made her wrestling debut in 1998 in ECW as Lance Storm’s valet. She rose to fame due to her managerial role but joined the Blue brand in 2002 as a solo act. Following a storyline with Vince McMahon, the New Jersey-based superstar began his controversial feud with Torrie Wilson.
Al Wilson is Torrie’s real life father. Featuring Vince McMahon’s views, he thought it would be a good decision to include him in the rivalry. WWE introduced Al as Dawn Marie’s love interest in October 2002, and after some romantic/controversial segments, the two married. You can watch the video by clicking here.
For fans questioning the bride’s motive, Torrie had to be humiliated to her breaking point. Mary also introduced the idea of ‘married in her undergarments’ as part of her elaborate plotline. If the wedding wasn’t crazy enough, their honeymoon segment featured the kayfabe death of Al Wilson after an overly physical night.
Following this, Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie fought at the Royal Rumble on January 19, 2003, in what was dubbed a ‘Stepmother vs. Stepdaughter’ match. Torrie won the bout, but their storyline continued until May 2004, when the babyface scored several victories against power-hungry heels.
What was the original ending for Dawn Marie and Al Wilson’s wedding in WWE?
After his death on the honeymoon, Al Wilson was dropped from the storyline involving Tori and Marie. This would not have happened if the original plans for the Dawn Marie-Al Wilson angle had been implemented in WWE.
Former WWE writer Dave Lagana revealed the original ending of the saga in 2017 on an episode of the “Solomonster Sounds of ‘podcast’. Apparently, Al Wilson may have faked his own death to apologize to his daughter. The scene that followed would have been a scene straight out of the comic books or a Final Destination movie, whichever way you look at it.
“He would have walked past the funeral home and then he would have been hit by a bus and died.”, Dave said. “Vince loved it, but sadly we never got to do it. I’ve never told that story, and probably for good reason because it’s terrible.” (h/t Wrestling Rumors)
Dawn Marie, who has been married to Matthew Damatta since 2005, retired from wrestling in 2012. She was last seen in-ring on the August 23, 2008 episode of Women Superstars Uncensored, where she wrestled Trixie Lynn to a no contest.