10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 1997
6. The Truth Behind The Commission
Despite being given what was theoretically a golden egg of an idea in 1997, The Truth Commission were a rule-proving exception when WWE went faction daft.
After The Nation Of Domination had helped Faarooq briefly reach top-line status in mid-1997, Savio Vega and Crush were given their own splinter groups with Los Boricuas and The Disciples Of Apocalypse respectively. The year ended with D-Generation X “ruling the wrestling world”, taking credit for running a Hart Foundation stable out of the company that had, up until November, helped elevate babyface rivals up and down the card.
Coincidentally, it was Bret Hart that opened the door for the ill-fated Truth Commission. ‘The Hitman’ met actor Robin Smith during a South Africa tour, and helped him get a role as “The Commandant” - a caricature heel leading a rebadged USWA outfit featuring Recon and Kurrgan alongside Sniper as a supposedly dangerous new force.
Though Kurrgan’s size and menacing expression ensured that Vince McMahon would at least give him a few tries, the same couldn’t be said for a faction failing to inspire. The former Mantaur was briefly installed as the masked Tank, and the Commandant was replaced by a fast-talking Don Callis in his breakthrough role as The Jackyl, but the die had been cast.
Jackyl and Kurrgan were destined to be the best of the bad situation, and the group were done and dusted in early 1998.