10 Biggest Wrestling Scandals Of The 1980s

4. The Belzer Incident

Everything had to be perfect ahead of the first WrestleMania. This was WWE’s big gamble, the decision that would make or break the entire company. So, when its top star knocked somebody out on live TV just days before the event, more than a few alarm bells started to ring. 

Four days before the inaugural Showcase of the Immortals, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T appeared on Hot Properties. They were there to promote their upcoming tag team main event, but ended up in a battle of a different kind. 

One of the hosts, Richard Belzer, kept taunting Hogan about doing a move on him. Eventually, Hogan relented and got Belzer in a front chin lock. A real front chin lock. The previously cocky Belzer passed out while in the hold. Unconscious, he fell to the floor and hit the back of his head on the ground, requiring nine stitches. 

Belzer would go on to sue Hogan for $5 million. That was only the tip of the iceberg. WWE were days out from their most important show ever and now had to deal with a major publicity crisis. The timing couldn’t have been worse.