Most Important Backstage Incidents In WWE History

For almost 100 years, most wrestling fans believed that everything that happened in a WWE ring was one-hundred percent real. That left plenty of what was happening behind the scenes staying behind-the-scenes. But once kayfabe meant nothing, fans started to care more about the backstage news and gossip than ever before.

Over the years, there have been plenty of these backstage incidents that have happened. Moments that fans have dissected for heads. Not only have these incidents altered immediate booking plans, they also altered the culture of the entire company. Sometimes the entire wrestling industry.

The War Of Ribs Between The Rougeaus And The British Bulldogs

Dynamite Vs. Jacques Led To The Downfall Of Tom Billington

• Both the Bulldogs and Rougeaus come from big Canadian wrestling dynasties.
• The rib in question was reportedly Mr. Perfect’s fault.
• Vince McMahon paid for Dynamite Kid’s dental work.

The backstage spats between The British Bulldogs and The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers wouldn’t mean much to the grand scheme of WWE. It’s not like ribbing ever stopped after Jacques cracked Dynamite with a sock full of quarters as retaliation for how Dynamite treated him. But what became an emphatic fact is that Vince McMahon was the be all and end all. Once he got wind of the ribs, he put a stop to them, and that was simply that.

Everyone Is Familiar With The Montreal Screwjob

The Wrestling World’s Equivalent Of The JFK Assassination

• The events of Montreal started at the very first MSG Raw.
• At that show, McMahon told Bret he could not honor the 20 year contract that they recently signed.
• Due to a lack of respect for Bret, The Hitman refused to drop the title to Shawn Michaels.

There is perhaps no other incident that completely changed the landscape of WWE more than the events of The Montreal Screwjob. Before Montreal, Vince was just a commentator. But afterward, the entire world and not just the smart fans knew full well he was the owner.

He took that real life heat and put it to good use for the next decade or so as the evil promoter bending all of the superstars to his whims. Anyone who crossed him would incur his wrath.

Owen Hart’s Horrific Death At Over The Edge 1999

A Tragedy That Could Have Been Avoided

• Owen Hart died of complications from a stunt gone horribly wrong.
• His widow, Martha, fought hard for justice for The Rocket.
• The Owen Hart Foundation was at up in Owen’s name to help set up scholarships for needy children.

In a lot of ways, the day Owen Hart tragically died, thanks to faulty rigging equipment, was also the day wrestling fans’ collective innocence had died too. Wrestlers could do anything, they could be anything. Obviously, Owen’s fall was a bridge too far on the wild, needless stunts. It also helped to launch WWE’s Don’t Try This At Home video campaign.

The Impact Of The Curtain Call Was Massive

Changed The Trajectory Of All Of WWE

• Neither Scott Hall or Kevin Nash wanted to leave WWE; the better pay and work schedule were too much to pass up.
• Shawn Michaels asked for permission to say goodbye to his friends in the ring.
• Permission was granted, but no one thought it would happen the way it did.

The Madison Square Garden house show on May 19, 1996 was the very last WWE appearance for Razor Ramon and Diesel. Then-WWE champion Shawn Michaels asked for (and was granted) to be able to say goodbye to his friends in the ring. He was granted that opportunity, but the results wound up getting Triple H in trouble as he was the only one not leaving and not champion. All plans for Hunter were put on hold for several months and a certain Ringmaster was tapped to win the King Of The Ring instead.

Vince Takes The Night Off, Shawn Gets Attitude

“We’re Not Going To Insult Your Intelligence Anymore”

• Vince McMahon seldom takes a day off; he attended a funeral.
• Jim Ross and Bruce Prichard were left in charge that night.
• Despite being angry at HBK, Vince also told his confidants “we need this Attitude.”

During the latter days of The New Generation Era, not only was Shawn Michaels a bitter pill for the boys to deal with. He was also a nightmare for the office as well. But he was just that good that everyone grunted, groaned, and looked the other way. It was hard for JR to look away when HBK kept jumping into his face with his sock-filled groin. It happened during a Raw where Vince took a rare day off. While he was completely annoyed at Shawn’s level of disrespect, he also declared to his lieutenants that this was the attitude they were missing.

JJ Dillion Quits, JR Ascends To Head Of Talent

The Greatest Roster Ever Assembled

• James J. Dillon was head WWE Talent Relations in the early nineties.
• He had quit due to being asked to take a pay cut and went right back to WCW.
• Bruce Prichard was tasked with filling the position first, but JR was the one who really wanted it.

For several years, JJ Dillion was WWE’s Head Of Talent Relations. But just as he started to put down roots in Connecticut (Vince even loaned him money to buy his home), the company decided to downsize in order to save money. JJ was asked to take a pay cut. He quit over it and headed back to WCW. It wound up being a blessing in disguise. Not long after, Jim Ross took over and treated the roster like a massive epic sports team. He would go on to create the greatest roster of all time.

CM Punk Quits & WrestleMania 30 Is Altered

The Yes Moment Surged Ahead

• CM Punk quit WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble.
• The entire WrestleMania 30 card was cnhanged seemingly because of it.
• In the decade he was gone, Punk tried his hand at MMA and, of course, AEW.

For a long time, all CM Punk wanted to do was affect changes in the wrestling business. Seldom did things change with him on the roster, however. It was when he quit the company in 2014 that the entire WrestleMania card shifted gears.

Before Punk left, he was penciled in to face Triple H. Meanwhile, Daniel Bryan was going to take on Sheamus for a third time at WrestleMania (they had a dark match at ‘Mania 27). Once he left, it threw the whole card into upheaval and the entire WWE fanbase kept chanting Daniel Bryan in protest of anything and everything that wasn’t The American Dragon.

Ultimate Warrior Holds SummerSlam 1991 Hostage

Warrior Thought He Was Worth More

• Warrior is one of few people who famously “held up” WWE for money.
• He felt he was worth as much as Hulk Hogan was.
• This is the first of three times Warrior was fired by WWE – 1992 and 1996 were the others.

Get the match in the ring is every promoter’s mantras. No matter what happens, make sure what you advertise is what gets in the ring. Then you have the case of guys like The Ultimate Warrior who get too big for their britches. Heading into The Match Made In Hell at SummerSlam 1991, Warrior wanted more money and was willing to balk on the match in protest. McMahon did what any promoter would do, he coughed up the money and immediately fired Warrior after the match.

WWE Creates The Wellness Program After A Couple Of Tragedies

Sad And Nightmarish Tragedies Changed The WWE Wellness And Concussion Protocols

• Eddie Guerrero struggled with addiction for much of his adult life.
• Michael Benoit agreed to donate his son’s brain to science in hopes of understanding what could have happened.
• It was revealed that he had what is now referred to as CTE.

Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero were two of the greatest wrestlers who ever lived and literally suffered for their craft. Due to Eddie’s death and the heinous final three days of Benoit’s life, all sorts of changes were made to the WWE’s Wellness Program.

They have a (supposedly) strict three and out policy for drug use suspensions. They also offer rehab to anyone who has ever worked with them – then, now, and forever. As for concussions – the moment a wrestler gets his bell rung, the refs stop the match – no matter how much a wrestler or the fans protest.

Lost Smile Changes WrestleMania 13 Card

Shawn Michaels Gives Up The Gold And Feigns Retirement

• The infamous speech was only supposed to cover Shawn’s knee injury.
• The planned Michaels vs. Hart rematch for WrestleMania 13 was immediately scrapped.
• This paved the way for Sid to main event WrestleMania against The Undertaker.

For the first time in WrestleMania history, there was nearly a year-long build to a big rematch between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. The Hitman left WrestleMania 12 in a huff after losing while HBK defended the title and carved his own path. Depending on whose accounts, thoughts and feelings you believe, on the precipice of announcing the actual match and making it official for WrestleMania 13, Shawn Michaels came up lame due to a knee injury and was forced to relinquish the WWE Championship. His promo seemed more like he was just too sad to keep wrestling. However, with Shawn out of ‘Mania, that allowed Bret Hart and Stone Cold to make chicken salad out of… well, you know, and have the show-stealing, and promotion-altering match they went on to have.