The storylines of WWE have captivated fans across decades. They’ve ranged from the classic teacher-student rivalry between Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko, to Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage exploding out of partnership into a blood feud. Fans have seen Stone Cold Steve Austin wage war with Mr. McMahon, and a clash of values between John Cena and Edge.
RELATED: The First 10 Money In The Bank Cash-Ins, Ranked
The stories continue to the present day Bloodline angle that has captivated fans. Particularly in an era when tell-all books, podcasts, and documentaries have shed so much light on behind-the-scenes happenings, fans have found that what happens in the locker room is often no less riveting than what goes on in the ring.
10 Vince McMahon Wanted Bruce, Not Owen Hart As Bret Hart’s Rival
In his book, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, Bret Hart recalled the beginnings of his memorable mid-1990s feud with his brother Owen. To hear Bret tell the tale, Vince McMahon envisioned the angle with a different brother, Bruce, challenging The Hitman.
Bruce was an experienced wrestler, but did not have a WWE track record and, according to Bret, had a track record of hogging the spotlight. The Excellence of Execution championed Owen’s cause instead, and reported that The King of Harts was disgusted when he heard the angle might have gone to Bruce.
9 There Wasn’t A Plan For How Edge Would Cash-In Money In The Bank
The story of Edge cashing in Money in the Bank on a beaten-down John Cena felt like it all had to have been part of a master plan. After all, it played out more or less to perfection, vaulting Edge at last to true main event status, not to mention setting a template for how Money in the Bank would be used for decades to come.
According to Edge, though, there was actually no plan for how his cash-in would go, beyond him probably using it for a PPV match and probably losing. He claimed credit, though, for the idea of cashing in after the champ was in a compromised position, and Vince McMahon rewarded him for the idea with his first world title reign.
8 Hulk Hogan Didn’t Know What Would Happen At WrestleMania 3
The biggest reason why WrestleMania 3 drew such an enormous live crowd and became such a legendary event was the iconic main event that saw Hulk Hogan body slam and pin Andre the Giant. This was a fairly obvious story to tell, but also a deeply satisfying one for Hogan, around the peak of his popularity, to overcome the most formidable monster heel possible.
While Hogan has been caught fibbing or exaggerating his share of times over the years, he and Vince McMahon has maintained in a number of interviews that The Hulkster actually wasn’t sure what would happen that night. First and foremost, he was scared Andre might not want to put him over, and if The Giant didn’t cooperate, there was only so much Hogan would be able to do. Additionally, Hogan has claimed that Andre called the match in the ring, including telling Hogan when he would slam him, and cooperating to help ensure the spot came off correctly—all to Hogan’s purported surprise.
7 Razor Ramon Hated His Angle With Goldust Enough To Shake Up WrestleMania 12
Roddy Piper battling Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl became a memorably offbeat piece of WrestleMania history in 1996, but by most accounts the original plan was for Razor Ramon, rather than Hot Rod, to be working the eccentric heel.
The story goes that Ramon was uncomfortable with the gay overtones of Goldust’s character, and particularly a pitched angle that Goldust would be attracted to and try to take advantage of The Bad Guy. In hindsight, it’s a blurry line whether the angle were in poor taste or Ramon was being homophobic, but in either case he rejected the match and WWE ran with the Piper angle instead.
6 Perry Saturn Committed To His Mop Gimmick Away From The Ring
Perry Saturn was a talented worker, and many of his fans lamented that he got saddled with the gimmick of carrying around a mop that became infatuated with. Some went so far as to speculate the angle was a punishment for him being too rough with an enhancement worker.
RELATED: Perry Saturn's Love Affair With "Moppy" In WWE, ExplainedThose in the know have agreed in their account, though, that while the idea was offbeat, it was far from a punishment, and all the more so, Saturn wholeheartedly embraced it. He went so far as to travel with the mop through airports and hotels to advance the story of how attached his character was to the inanimate object.
5 The Rock And Steve Austin Had Bets Around Selling Stunners
The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the most iconic rivalries in pro wrestling history. A memorable aspect of the feud was the theatrical way in which The Brahma Bull would sell the Stunner, including leaping out of it or flipping himself over to sell the move's awesome impact.
Austin has since revealed that he and Rock actually placed bets about how dramatically The People’s Champion could sell the move. If Rock delivered at or above the level he promised, Austin would buy him beer after the show, and if he failed to, then The Great One was responsible for their refreshments.
4 Chris Jericho’s Early Gimmick Of Disrespecting Legends Got Him Real Heat Backstage
In Chris Jericho’s second book, he chronicled the beginnings of his time in WWE. That included his initial promos interrupting and insulting The Rock and The Undertaker, two of the biggest names in the company. On the surface, this booking meant a huge push for Y2J as he was made to look like he could compete with the two of them.
However, Jericho revealed that Rock and all the more so The Dead Man were not on board with his comments. Though Jericho thought he was just following orders of what he’d been told to do, The Undertaker, for example, was offended at Jericho making fun of his ring style, and before he knew it, Y2J had some serious heat to overcome.
3 Pillman’s Got A Gun Was Filmed In The Loose Cannon’s Real Home
One of the most iconic moments of Brian Pillman’s career happened well away from a ring or even a wrestling arena, in the infamous scene of Stone Cold Steve Austin invading his home, and The Loose Cannon waiting on him with a gun.
Most fans would assume that the set for this angle was a soundstage somewhere, or a carefully selected house to fit the scene that played out. In reality, it was actually the Pillman home, adding an extra dose of realism to what transpired.
2 Rick Rude Put The Ultimate Warrior In His Place
Rick Rude was one of The Ultimate Warrior’s most formidable rivals. They clashed first over the Intercontinental, then the WWE Championship, with Rude’s physique, talent, and manager Bobby Heenan making him a credible threat at every turn.
RELATED: The Real Story Of Rick Rude Beating Up The Ultimate WarriorLittle did fans at the time know that, in addition to what happened on screen, these two actually clashed off-screen as well. After Warrior was stiff and reckless with him, a scene played out where Rude hit him behind the scenes to snap his babyface opponent into focus and warn him against ever putting Rude at risk again.
1 Tensions Between Sable And Luna Vachon
Sable was one of the most memorable talents of the Attitude Era, enjoying a brief period when she was arguably among the hottest acts in the company alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and D-Generation X. Sex appeal was a big part of what got her over, but fans also bought into an angle of her overcoming the abusive Marc Mero, as well as Goldust and Luna Vachon when the heels threatened her. It all culminated in a star-making performance at WrestleMania 14.
Accounts vary regarding how much pride Vachon took in making the largely untrained Sable look good, versus how much Vachon (and others) resented Sable for her easy road to a such a prominent spot. A mix of the two dynamics probably existed, but regardless, a number of accounts had Vachon livid that her opponent refused to take bumps or focus more on learning her craft—failing to make the most of what Vachon and WWE alike were doing for her.
