50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
31. A 1987 Highway Arrest Caused Huge Problems
McMahon acknowledged the worked machinations of the pro wrestling industry to deftly avoid restrictive sports athletic commission rules he felt were holding him back. That horrified some within the grappling sphere, but Vince promoted his WWF as "Sports Entertainment" and felt it deserved to be separate from legitimate sporting events. Even so, the federation liked to keep up pretence of bad blood between heels and babyfaces on television.
That's why an incident involving Jim Duggan and The Iron Sheik was so troublesome. Both were riding in the same car when they were pulled over and busted for drug possession in May 1987. This was particularly awkward considering the pair had been feuding on WWF shows. Kayfabe, whilst definitely on the way out, was still a hot topic, so it was pretty embarrassing for Duggan and Sheik to pull the curtain back so suddenly.
Oops!
Vince responded by punishing both to varying degrees. Sheik left the promotion in October (he'd return the following year, take another sabbatical then come back again in 1991), and Duggan's babyface push stalled. It certainly wasn't a good look that two wrestlers who were supposed to be arch rivals within the context of the WWF product had been travelling together and carrying drugs.
Admittedly, 'Hacksaw' got back to top form within a few months. He was even included in a tournament for the vacant WWF Title at WrestleMania IV, but lost in the first round to Ted DiBiase. It's doubtful most other wrestlers blinked when they heard about the arrest, but the WWF had to show that Duggan and Sheik's incident wouldn't be tolerated again.