10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 1995

2. The Weird Long-Term Jean-Pierre Lafitte Story

Kane Undertaker 1995
WWE

You may recall, from a Kevin Owens 365 Network special that premiered a few years back, a deeply awkward gut-punch of a scene in which Owens sought the approval of Vince McMahon following an ill-fated match with Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 33.

Vince looked to be in a foul mood. It was a nothing match - WWE had hardly helped in giving it some real juice - and Owens looked humiliated when Vince told him that, rudely and in no uncertain terms.

Vince was similarly callous to Jean-Pierre Lafitte (PCO) when the man who had one of the best matches of 1995 (Vs. Bret Hart, In Your House 3: Triple Header) worked a tryout (?) in 2008. After the match, PCO waited around for Vince McMahon to personally thank Vince for the opportunity. Vince's response?

According to PCO, Vince shoved him against a wall "like I was a piece of cr*p".

While this happened in 2008, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. PCO had ran afoul of the WWF in, yes, 1995. PCO, when talking to The Sporting News in 2019, revealed that he'd often speak up against the tyranny of the Kliq, who he felt messed with the livelihood of the boys by taking the good spots for themselves. The Lafitte/WWE relationship was destroyed when he refused to do a job for Diesel in his home city of Montreal, which he thought was senseless, since the idea was for him to do more shows there as an attraction.

Perhaps those events lingered on Vince's mind 13 years later.

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!