10 Hushed Scandals That Rocked Wrestling

6. Duggan And Sheik Arrested

Vince McMahon effectively killed off kayfabe himself forever in front of the New Jersey State Senate when he admitted that wrestling was pre-determined in 1989. But for many, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and The Iron Sheik had already done it themselves in 1987.

The two were heated rivals, with Duggan as the incredibly-enthusiastic American supporter, and The Iron Sheik as the America-hating Iranian. Thousands of fans across the country watched them battle it out in sold-out arenas, but those two would sometimes get to those shows by travelling together. One of those trips blew the lid off their secret bromance, and got them both kicked out of the company.

They were pulled over during a traffic spot, and cops found them with marijuana and cocaine. This in itself wouldn’t have been a big deal if they weren’t together. But seeing the hated rivals hanging out in their free time blew things up. Vince was furious as the story hit papers across the country and fired them both. Many fans suspected that wrestling wasn't on the up and up at the time, but it became almost impossible to believe after the incident.

In Bret Hart’s book, he noted that Vince talked with the entire roster about what happened, and for the “the absolute necessity of kayfabe”. That didn't last too long, as two years later Vince did away with the entire concept himself.

Years later, in a somewhat similar situation, Rob Van Dam and Sabu were arrested on drug charges after being pulled over. And while it certainly hurt both their careers, it didn’t cause ripples throughout the entire industry like Duggan and Sheik did.