1996 was an interesting and notable year for wrestling. It was the first full year of the Monday Night Wars, it witnessed the birth of Austin 3:16, Hulk Hogan turning heel, the formation of the nWo, the infamous Brian Pillman gun angle, the Curtain Call, the defection of top stars between WCW and the WWF, Vince McMahon offering guaranteed contracts to his roster for the first time, and monthly pay-per-view events from both of the big two. So much happened in such a short space of time, but what was the real story behind some of those events? What are the misconceptions that are commonly parroted and what are the real facts? And what are those bits and pieces of information that have not been widely reported? From grandstand matches that never happened, defections that didn't pan out, significant changes to booking, and originally proposed gimmick ideas, we have it all covered.
20. Vince McMahon Did Not Want To Do The Iron Man Match
One of the most talked about and polarising matches of the year saw Shawn Michaels dethrone Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XII and achieve his much-vaunted boyhood dream. Some love the match, considering it a mat clinic and a classic for the ages. Others feel it was a self-indulgent bore that lacked drama. The latter was Vince McMahons concern prior to booking the match. The bout was originally proposed by Pat Patterson, who was a big fan of both grapplers and was excited at the prospect of seeing them wrestle each other for a solid hour. But the concept was initially rejected by McMahon, who thought it would be too long for a pay-per-view main event and would struggle to retain his audiences interest. While he eventually changed his mind and decided to go with the bout, he still had his reservations. They were proven correct in part by a significant percentage of the audience filing out of the Anaheim Pond before the match reached its conclusion, with the majority of the audience only there to see the return of The Ultimate Warrior. It would be four years before the WWF presented another Iron Man match, a rip-roaring affair pitting Triple H against The Rock at Judgment Day 2000.
The author of the highly acclaimed 'Titan' book series, James Dixon has been involved in the wrestling business for 25 years as a fan, wrestler, promoter, agent, and writer. James spent several years wrestling on the British independent circuit, but now prefers to write about the bumps and bruises rather than take any of them. His past in-ring experience does however give a uniquely more "insider" perspective on things, though he readily admits to still being a "mark" at heart.
James is the Chief Editor and writer at historyofwrestling.co.uk and is responsible for the best-selling titles Titan Sinking, Titan Shattered, and Titan Screwed, as well as the Complete WWF Video Guide series, and the Raw Files series.
