10 HUGE Backstage Fights That Happened After Wrestling Matches

4. Bret Hart Vs. Vince McMahon - 1997

Jericho Goldberg Angry
WWE.com

Not enough rehashing of the famed Montreal Screwjob, right? While the Screwjob has been discussed and debated for over 20 years by this point, that still doesn’t mean Bret vs. Vince isn’t one the most notorious backstage fights to have ever taken place.

It was the conclusion of Bret's match against Shawn Michaels, of course, that led to the fight between Hart and Vince McMahon. Well, we say “fight”; in reality it was The Hitman getting to unload on the man who made the decision to pull a double-cross on him.

By all accounts, Vince went into Hart’s dressing room fully prepared to let the five-time WWE Champion punch him. According to those involved in the WWE at the time, Hart informed Vince that he was going to take a shower, and if McMahon was still there when he was done cleaning up, Bret would punch him out. The Excellence of Execution showered, McMahon stayed, and Bret knocked Vince loopy.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.