The Rise Of Triple H | Wrestling Timelines

May 19, 1996 - The First “Demotion”

Curtain Call
WWE

In the main event of a Madison Square Garden house show, Shawn Michaels (babyface) defeats Diesel (heel) in a Steel Cage match. After the bell rings, their real-life buddies Helmsley (heel) and Razor Ramon (babyface) enter the ring. All four men share an embrace - the Curtain Call - to wave goodbye to Diesel and Razor, who are leaving for World Championship Wrestling.

While no grown adult believes wrestling is real, the WWF still presents the facade, and has yet to play with the idea that it is a work within the narrative.

This flagrant disregard for “kayfabe” infuriates certain old school heads backstage. Vince McMahon is unmoved, but softly “punishes” Helmsley for his role in it to appease them. He can’t reprimand Shawn, who is World champion.

Helmsley, pencilled in to win the King of the Ring tournament, is not crowned. This doesn’t matter; the title was an optimistic attempt to get him over, not something he had really earned.

In reality, this is barely a demotion. The Curtain Call transpires on May 19. Helmsley captures his first WWE title, the Intercontinental belt, on October 21 - just 155 days later.

That doesn’t get him over, either.

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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!