10 Controversial WWE Moments From 20 Years Ago
7. Mean Streets
The 1997 Gang Wars were an indelicate look at race wars and terse faction conflict through a wrestling lens, as Vince McMahon re-assembled half of his midcard into cliched militant armies fighting one another for no adequately explained reason.
Whilst the matches featuring The Nation Of Domination, Los Boricuas and Disciples of Apocalypse (with the Truth Commission and the Hart Foundation occasionally dragged in) were usually poor, the constant threat of war breaking out between the groups brought further chaos to a Monday Night Raw show becoming high on drama and spontaneous action.
The Ahmed Johnson/Faarooq rivalry that had spanned nearly two years was entrenched in the turmoil, with the pair's struggle leading the Nation leader to fire original members Crush and Savio Vega in favour of Johnson himself and the returning Kama Mustafa.
Typical of Ahmed's luck (and his already deteriorating body), he was injured during his first promo as a Nation member, leading to his prompt dismissal from the group shortly after his return.
That it made space for Rocky Maivia's career-defining heel turn was an added bonus, but it also threw Johnson back into the fray on the side of good alongside Ken Shamrock, the Legion of Doom and even Stone Cold Steve Austin. The endless tension was deliciously palpable.