10 REAL Backstage Wrestling Fights You Didn't Know About
3. Rob Van Dam Vs. Taz
It's wild how this one isn't up there as one of the most discussed and infamous backstage fights because, while no scissors were used and nobody in a position of authority was punched in the eye, it was by all accounts a cinematic experience.
More cinematic than watching Jey Uso and his face wrestle with inner conflict, anyway.
For context, it was said that Taz, pushed heavily as a legit shooter, had begun to take himself very seriously, drawing the ire of certain members of the roster - one of whom was Rob Van Dam.
The story goes that Taz was unhappy with the main event of November To Remember 1998, which reflected the thoughts of everybody else. Taz. Rob Van Dam and Sabu Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, Chris Candido and Shane Douglas was one of the worst headline attractions in the history of the promotion. The lingering tension between the faces may have had something to do with the flat, awkward match. According to Van Dam, when Taz marched up to him backstage, Southpaw Jones Over Here said "Pick a hand", which is funny enough in itself but more funny when you consider that Van Dam was so called because he was a dead ringer for Jean-Claude. The scene reads as something from an awesomely terrible late '80s Van Damme martial arts flick.
Van Dam won just as Van Damme always did, striking Taz twice across the face.