10 Most Shocking Moments

With that pathetic excuse of an intro out of the way, let’s get down to it. This week’s column is a shocker. Now, I know you’re used to getting shocking columns from me, but this one counts down, in my view, the 10 biggest shocks (and/or groundbreaking moments) in wrestling.

Two things to take note before reading on and violently disagreeing : 1. Any and all wrestler’s deaths are not included in this - anyone’s death is a horrible event, and I’m not really into evaluating one person’s death as more shocking than another. 2. This is from about 1989-90 onwards - when I started taking a REAL interest in the wrestling world rather than just watching it with wide eyes and no memory!

OK - in reverse order (natch) :

Yes, I’m picking this as one of the ground breaking moments in the history of the WWE. The ladder match had been done a few times before in Canada and on a house show, but it had never been unleashed in such a dramatic fashion as at WrestleMania X. I would consider this to be Scott Hall’s crowning in ring achievement from his career, as well as the launching pad for Shawn Michaels later greatness.

The match just about blew the roof off Madison Square Garden and raised the bar for the next generation of wannabes - were it not for this match, the Hardys and Edge & Christian probably wouldn’t have been the same, and the world would’ve been a poorer place. Yes.

In 1991, a disgruntled Ric Flair left the NWA (either of his own volition or forced, depending on which version is currently in vogue) and took the title belt with him. He’d owned it for a few years, and when he left, it left with him. In October of 1991, the limousine ridin’, jet flyin’, wheeler dealin’, kiss stealin’ son of a gun appeared on WWF shows with the NWA belt, proclaiming himself the “REAL World’s Champion”

I’m sure you realise just how big a deal this was - and not even the belt being digitally distorted, then eventually replaced (but still distorted) ruined the effect. It was such a great angle and a huge moment. I think I actually appreciate it more now, knowing the career that Flair had, and the history behind the belt, but even then it was a “WHOA!” moment.

Not an onscreen moment as such but still momentous. The World Wide Wrestling Federation formed in 1963 - changing it’s name to World Wrestling Federation in 1979. And it was as the WWF that it would have it’s greatest ever success - the Hulk Hogan Rock n Wrestling era in the 80’s and the Attitude era in the 90’s standing out for WWF buffs in particular.

But in May 2002 that legacy would be gone - thanks to the World Wildlife Fund and their lawyers. An agreement between the two WWF’s was reached in the 80’s, but the Nature Boys (not Flair) claimed this didn’t include the Internet and website trademarks... and as such, won a court case, forcing the WWF to literally “Get The F Out” and become World Wrestling Entertainment. NO effect really, but changed the WWE forever. And after the WWF were so kind to dumb animals - well, they gave the Big Show the world title!

May 1996 : Diesel (Kevin Nash) and Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) are on their way out of the WWF, heading ‘down south’ to join WCW. A houseshow at Madison Square garden is to be their last show, Razor facing Triple H, Diesel taking on HBK for the title in a Steel Cage. Nash & Hall were to do the job, and leave town quietly. Only, with the four good friends (known as The Clique, along with Sean ‘X-Pac’ Waltman) involved, nothing quiet was ever going to happen.

In 1996, wrestling was still in the midst of kayfabe - good guys were not friends with bad guys. After the title match finished, Razor and Triple H made their way to the cage - MSG expected a brawl. Instead, they got a hug, and a final wave goodbye to the crowd. Pat Patterson is said to be the one that was furious about the whole deal and pushed Vince to punish someone for it.

Couldn’t punish Hall and Nash - they were WCW property now. Couldn’t punish HBK - he was world champion. Triple H absorbed the brunt of it - his big push was aborted, including a planned King Of The Ring 1996 victory and Trips was made to suffer. Meanwhile, KotR 1996 went to Steve Austin - and as he was crowned, “Austin 3:16” was born, and the attitude era kicked into high gear. Would the WWF have flourished so much had Trips been King Of The Ring that year? We’ll never know - and that is why this moment was momentous in the history of the WWF.

In early 1997, a cult promotion out of Philadelphia were gathering steam - they were preparing for Barely Legal, their first PPV. One easy way to promote said PPV would be to make your name known on a national level - and an easy way to do that would be to invade the WWF. February 24th 1997 was the night the deed was done. Responding to jibes and a challenge to invade from Raw commentator Jerry Lawler, ECW held some matches on Raw.

Seeing Stevie Richards, Little Guido, Taz, Mikey Whipwreck, Tommy Dreamer, D-Von and of course Paul Heyman on Raw was a huge shock to the wrestling world - ECW and WWF in cahoots! Plus the moment that nearly everyone will remember - Sabu’s infamous dive... only one word fits - shocking!

King Of The Ring 1998 - I’m sure every wrestling fan has seen it, and nobody that has will ever forget it. October of 1997 had debuted the Hell In The Cell match - and a brutal bout with Undertaker and Shawn Michaels which still stands up as one of the best matches ever. With the Undertaker and Mankind feud seemingly out of control, the Cell was called into play once more.

Mankind would start the match on top of the cell - Undertaker duly followed, and moments later, a true moment in wrestling occurred. Grabbing Foley by the waist and shirt, Undertaker hurled him over the side, and through the announce table at ringside - a legit drop of what looked to be 20 feet at least. The announce table was obliterated, and poor old Mick Foley wasn’t much better. Amazingly, he continued the match, climbed the cell once more, and was backdropped through the Cell roof.

Debate rages to this day whether the Cell was meant to give way - for my money, it wasn’t - but either way, Foley’s insane bumps made this match something that really sticks out. While not as good a match as the HBK - Taker brawl, this is the Hell In The Cell match that people remember - that people still flinch at when you mention - that put Mick Foley on the map, and redefined “high spot”.

Eric Bischoff was the public enemy number one as far as Vince McMahon was concerned. The man that put together an 84 week run of ratings victories, the man that gave out the results of taped Raw live on Nitro before Raw started, the man that never hid his hatred for Vince McMahon and the WWE. To WWF fans, Bischoff was WCW, he was the anti-Christ (obviously Vince Russo would prove them wrong later, but that’s another story) and was a figure of ridicule.

Until 15th July 2002 - Needing a General Manager to kickstart Raw and turn it round, Vince McMahon did the unthinkable. Booker T summed up the wrestling world’s feelings after he saw the Bisch walk by backstage : “Tell me... I did not just see that”. But see it he did, and even more shocking - Vince introduced Eric Bischoff to the world as the new GM and the two men hugged each other and shook hands on the Raw stage! Incomprehensible is probably the closest to describing the impact of this... and in the end, it’s all worked out - Bischoff has quietly become one of the most enjoyable people on WWE programming since his shock debut.

Following on from his part in the Clique Curtain Call, the month of May 1996 would carry on delivering controversy. May 27th, mere days after his WWF contract expired, Hall would make his WCW return. Interrupting a Steve Doll vs. Mauler match, Hall grabbed a mic. “You know who I am” were the words that started probably the biggest angle in WCW history - Hall told WCW “you want a war? You got one” and the battle begun.

Kevin Nash would show up after Hall, and it wasn’t long until all hell broke loose - Eric Bischoff took a powerbomb from Nash in a memorable spot, and everything steamrollered it’s way through to Bash At The Beach ‘96 in July, where Hulk Hogan turned his back on the fans and the New World Order (or Organisation according to Hogan) was born. The turn itself was shocking (apart from Bobby Heenan nearly blowing it with his “but who’s side is he on?” comment as Hogan ran in) but the angle as a whole turned the world upside down.

One word has never held so much meaning and history to it before. Quite simply, the biggest screwjob ever perpetrated in wrestling on one of wrestling’s greatest ambassadors. Bret Hart was WWF World Champion, but was leaving for WCW - eager to protect his championship, WWF owner Vince McMahon engineered the screwjob that was heard all over the world.

At Survivor Series 1997, in Montreal, Canada - Canadian Hero Bret Hart faced Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title : late in the match, Michaels had Hart in a Sharpshooter (Bret’s own move to add insult to injury) but Bret was not for giving up... or so he thought. As Bret reversed the move as planned, the bell rang - referee Earl Hebner signalled that Bret had submitted, the timekeeper rang the bell, and HBK was champion.

I can’t even begin to describe the eruptions that this caused amongst the fans, let alone the other wrestlers. Vince McMahon would be punched out by Bret Hart backstage after the show, Shawn Michaels reputation would be forever tarnished, despite his claims he never knew about it - claims he finally admitted were false in 2002 on the WWE show Confidential.

Not only was it a horrendous way to treat a legend like Bret, but it also ended Vince McMahon’s charade of being just an announcer forever. EVIL Mr. McMahon was born that fateful night in Montreal, and that side of him would be used to fuel the Austin vs. McMahon feud that carried the WWF into the next millennium. Still the most shocking finish to a match in my eyes. Check out http://www.brethart.com/montreal/ for the story behind Montreal

What else could it be? For years the WWF and WCW battled at the top of the wrestling world like two giant boxers slugging it out in a never ending fight. Until 2001, that is. Financially troubled, without a direction, and eventually a TV deal, WCW was up for sale. Rumours had always flown that Vince would buy WCW out, but nobody really took it seriously.

Eric Bischoff and The Fusient Media Group looked like the eventual buyers, and everything was agreed - until the deal fell apart at the last minute, leaving WCW on the brink of extinction. Here’s where the WCW story ends in the eyes of many of the NWA/WCW die hard fans - Vince McMahon stepped in and essentially bought out his only competition - ECW had already fallen by the wayside in 2001.

Seeing Vince on Raw declaring that he owned WCW, and seeing Vince on the last ever Nitro doing the same - it’s an image that nobody thought they would ever see. Of course, Vince being Vince, couldn’t resist turning the whole thing into a giant McMahon circus, and onscreen, it was Shane McMahon that bought WCW, and we had Shane vs. Vince instead of WCW vs. WWF.

The WCW invasion was bolstered by ECW reviving in July 2001 on Raw, led by Paul Heyman (incidentally, my favourite Raw moment ever, peeps) and Shane’s WCW became Shane & Stephanie’s WCW/ECW Alliance... and from there on in, the end was nigh. The WCW title finally died in December 2001, when Chris Jericho unified it with the WWF title to create the Undisputed Championship, although the Big Gold Belt lives on, even if it is just passed around the clique like a beer at a party right now....

The dream “invasion” angle may have been badly handled, and eventually petered out into nothing, but at the end of the day, I don’t think that anything takes away the sheer shock value of seeing Vince McMahon on WCW Nitro, and a final end to the WWF/WCW war - and that’s why, this is my #1 shocking moment.

Feel free to email and let me know your shocking moments, or even just let me know how wrong I am, let’s face it, it’s nothing I haven’t been told before anyway!

Until next time, have fun, go mad.

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