10 Wrestling Matches With Backstories You’ll NEVER Believe
Drug overdoses, cruel WWE ribs gone wrong, suspected heart attacks and more.
There's an old saying in the wrestling biz: 'There's more drama behind the curtain than there is in front of it'. To explain, this suggests that what happens backstage is often far juicier than anything creative team members could script or shove in front of cameras. Often, fans immediately think of locker room fights that spill out into the ring when they hear this sort of thing, but...
...only one incident here fits that mould.
The others include such controversial topics as heavy drug use, cruel pranks (some of which went wrong but led to money-making schemes later on) and genuine health concerns just 24 hours before massive pay-per-view matches. All of it is wild, and you won't be able to believe some of what you're reading.
Such tales might even put a different spin on one of your favourite matches. That iconic 'Iron Man' between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar from an episode of SmackDown in 2003, for example? Yeah, the context behind it will tug at your heartstrings and blow your mind all at once.
Pro wrestling is wild. Sometimes, fans don't know the half of it!
10. Kane Vs. The Undertaker
When: WWF Unforgiven 1998
What Happened: Imagine being clad head-to-toe in a tight, figure hugging costume, wearing a mask, sweating half to death and being totally unprepared for the match you're working. That was Kane's plight back in 1998 when the WWF produced a dramatic, first ever 'Inferno Match'.
The company scheduled a run-through for everyone involved the night before. They were using fire, so everything had to be carefully laid out, but Kane’s limo driver went the wrong way and he arrived after the prep session had concluded. Basically, he went into the pay-per-view battle blind and had to wing it with the fire.
To hell with that!
Worse, the whole match was torture for both guys too - the flames were obviously red hot and heat inside the ring was unbearable. Oxygen was on short supply, and Kane was struggling to breathe underneath his mask. No prep + hellish conditions = an awful experience.