In the spring of 1996, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall accepted big money offers from Eric Bischoff and WCW to jump ship from Vince McMahon's company. Considering the Monday Night War that WWE found itself in at that point, losing two stars the stature of Hall and Nash was a huge blow to the promotion. It was even a more emotional blow for both Shawn Michaels and Triple H, who were part of the storied "Kliq" with the departing stars. Best friends, they traveled the world together, chasing greatness between the ropes. On May 19, the four Superstars would partake in a moment that shattered kayfabe and drastically changed the course of history forever. When Triple H and Michaels embraced Ramon and Diesel in the center of Madison Square Garden, they pulled back the curtain and revealed to the world that even though two of them were "good guys" and two were "bad guys," they were all friends behind the scenes. While Vince McMahon had personally okayed a goodbye of some sort, he had no idea it would take on the scale that it did and infuriate the boys in the back. With Nash and Hall departing, and Michaels the bulletproof WWE champion, Triple H was left to take the punishment for the ordeal. His King of the Ring push was scrapped, awarded instead to Steve Austin. And you know how that went.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
