50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
30. Koko B. Ware Was Fired For Brawling With A WWF Executive
If WWF chiefs thought they'd have a quiet end to the decade, then they were dead wrong. During a European tour in late-1989, normally upbeat midcard babyface Koko B. Ware wound up brawling with an executive in public. Things threatened to get right out of hand, and Ware was fired during a tear-filled phone call with Vince the following day. Executive Jim Troy got the same treatment for his part in things.
Koko was playing piano in a restaurant lounge when he heard Shawn Michaels arguing with Troy in another room. Intervening, the 'Birdman' took over from Michaels and began fighting with Jim. Things calmed, then got messy all over again back at the hotel. Once B. Ware was gone, his pal Hulk Hogan convinced McMahon to give him another shot just six weeks later.
That led to another run (albeit as more of a jobber to the stars who had no chance of becoming champion) and, eventually, a WWE Hall Of Fame induction.
Troy left the wrestling business and went off to do other things. It's said some were slightly shocked that Vince fired Troy - he'd been a popular executive, and looked to have a bright future as part of the company. Again though, McMahon had to flex his boss muscles and try to make sure nothing of the sort ever happened again.
This wouldn't be the last backstage fight in the WWF/WWE by any means, but it was one of the messiest from a PR perspective. A wrestler brawling with a corporate suit in front of the general public was never going to be a good look for the promotion.