10 Things That Happened BEFORE Wrestling Matches WWE Won't Tell You

8. Vince McMahon Okays The Curtain Call

Undertaker Shawn Michaels
WWE

Vince McMahon approved the 1996 'Curtain Call', which incidentally was nowhere near as a major a deal as its legacy suggests.

It was important to Shawn Michaels, and Shawn Michaels was very important to Vince McMahon. He "let that sh*t slip by," Jim Ross revealed on his podcast. Vince Russo reckoned that he saved Hunter Hearst Helmsley's job, which is more likely than not b*llocks, since he only grew in influence in March 1997. HHH was the fall guy. Shawn Michaels was the WWF Champion, and Kevin Nash and Scott Hall couldn't be punished because their departure informed the hubristic bullsh*t in the first place. But the extent to which Triple H was scapegoated has since been blown totally out of proportion.

He didn't win the King of the Ring as originally mooted. Since the incident happened in May, he naturally wasn't buried for it when the Ultimate Warrior squashed him at WrestleMania XII in March.

He ate more pins than he normally did during the summer months, but - despite not being over at all, no less - captured the Intercontinental Title in October. There was never a serious intent to bury him. Vince did so, half-arsed, in an attempt to placate his old school high-ranking officials.

They won't tell you this because it makes Triple H's incredibly tedious early years a bit more interesting when curating his legacy in retrospect.

 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!