As we have seen from previous installments, sometimes the biggest stories in WWF/E happen off screen rather than on screen. Last time, in 1996, we learned that Razor Ramon was originally supposed to face Goldust at Wrestlemania XII, Edge made his WWF debut at a house show, and Triple Hs punishment for the Kliq MSG Curtain Call was seriously overblown. In 1997, and the landscape of the WWF changed dramatically. The top babyfaces in the company in January, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, were heels by the time the year ended. One of the biggest heels in the company, Stone Cold Steve Austin, would end the year as one of the hottest babyfaces in the industry, and the most shocking night in WWF history would occur this year. With so much happening behind the scenes with the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels feud, youd think you would know everything that went on backstage in the WWF, but youd be wrong. There are plenty of little nuggets of trivia that came from this year. Some of these you may have also known about, but simply forgot.
10. The Headbangers Wrestled As The Flying Nuns/Sisters Of LoveFor One Week
In the beginning of the year, the WWF wanted to create a live late-night show that emanated from nightclubs around the country. They called it Shotgun Saturday Night. The first episode was notorious for Marlena flashing The Sultan during a match. But what many people forgot was that the first episode was also known for the debut of The Flying Nuns, who would later be known as The Headbangers. Mosh and Thrasher had a small debut as The Headbangers on WWF television in late 1996. They debuted on WWF Superstars in November, and lost a match to Doug Furnas and Philip Lafon in December. On that first episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, they were repackaged as The Flying Nuns and wrestled The Godwinns. During the match, the New York City crowd chanted Holy sh*t and Go to Hell at them. Brother Love made his return after a year absence and interfered, causing the Nuns to win the match. After the match, Brother Love rechristened the team as the Sisters of Love. The very next week on Shotgun, the Sisters of Love had a vignette where they were arrested for solicitation outside of the Disney Store on 42nd Street in Times Square, Manhattan. Later that night, the Headbangers re-debuted and lost to Furnas and Lafon in the main event (which ended after the show went off the air). So for those keeping track, in the span of a week, Chaz Warrington and Glenn Ruth went from the Headbangers to the Flying Nuns to the Sisters of Love and back to the Headbangers. And you thought Dustin Runnells had his share of gimmicks.
