10 Backstage Fights Between Wrestling Headliners
When they work themselves into a shoot, brother...
8. Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels (1997)
Maybe you haven't heard, but for a while there, "The Hitman" and "The Heartbreak Kid" just didn't care for one another. Montreal may have been the mushroom cloud, but the chain of events leading to that final explosion were already in motion the previous June. One night after the 1997 King of the Ring, the tension between the two was thicker than mud. Hart was still seething over a pointed remark Michaels had made weeks earlier on Raw, openly alluding to Hart having an affair with Sunny.
Hart and Michaels found themselves cursing and shouting at each other hours before that night's Raw in Hartford went on air, and it wasn't long before the mutual hatred degenerated into violence. Reportedly, Michaels missed a punch, Hart (who was still ailing from knee surgery six weeks earlier) clocked him in the chin, and began swinging Michaels by his hair. Michaels then attempted to go after Hart's bad leg, to which Hart took him down and began raining down strikes. After the two were separated, a battered Michaels stormed into Vince's office, announced he was quitting, and apparently made threats about showing up on WCW Nitro, a mere 2 hours drive away in Boston.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
