On the 19th May 1996, one of the most significant events in wrestling history took place, completely changing the rules on how wrestlers behaved both in the ring and on the streets. The event has since become known as the Madison Square Garden Incident, or the MSG Curtain Call.
The incident was the rule of four men, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, and Paul Levesque, otherwise known as Triple H. There was also a fifth member of The Kliq, Sean Waltman the 1-2-3 Kid, however he was not present during the MSG Incident due to a stint in rehab at the time. These men were members of a highly influential yet unofficial group known as "The Kliq", which came about as the members begun to note their immense popularity with the fans, and being the close friends backstage that they were, they decided to obtain leverage within the company by utilising their combined fan populairty, looking out for one another and ensuring high-profile, lucrative work would always be filtered through them first. Though all of the members were known for being huge names at the time, the anomaly was Triple H, who had only just recently moved to then-WWF from WCW. Allegedly he made his way into The Kliq due to a swift friendship being formed with the members, and the fact they needed someone who didn't drink or take drugs to be their designated driver.
The Kliq was only around for two years, however in that time the men proved pretty abrasive to other talent in the WWF, with many feeling these men were taking work away from other talent trying to make a name for themselves, and in some cases, The Kliq was deemed responsible for the termination of some talents' contracts with the WWF. 1996 saw the end of The Kliq however when Nash and Hall signed new contracts with WCW, the WWF's bitter rivals. Rumours persist that the WWF let them mens' contracts simply run out with them in order to lessen the power of The Kliq, however both men refute this claim, stating that it was simply a case of WCW offering them better money.
Nash and Hall's final show would be on the 19th May at Madison Square Garden, which ended with Michaels and Nash in a steel cage match. Once the match was over, Hall entered the ring and hugged Michaels. This didn't really raise any eyebrows amongst the crowd, as Michaels and Hall were "faces", wrestlers who were deemed the good guys or the protagonists of wrestling story-lines, so their friendship was very public. What happened next though was absolutely bewildering to fans, as Triple H, a fellow "heel"/bad guy like Nash, also entered the ring to hug Hall, followed by Nash. The four men then had a group hug in the centre of the ring, before turning to the crowd and throwing their arms up, clearly wishing to celebrate the end of an era with their fans.
Today this kind've behaviour may not seem like such a big deal, but in the wrestling entertainment business in the 90s, this was a huge no-no. See this was back during a time when it was an enormous taboo for wrestlers to break kayfabe - the illusion generated by wrestling companies that everything fans saw was real. Imagine if you will the strict guidelines Disney staff have to adhere to when dressing as characters, ensuring they don't spoil the illusion for fans lest they be fired for their inability to keep the dream alive - that's the kind've thing wrestlers were having to do back then. The WWF, despite breaking many sacred unwritten rules of wrestling in the past, took kayfabe and its upkeep very seriously; the company even went as far as to ensure certain wrestlers were never seen together in public, especially feuding enemies, as they prided their company's commitment to make the action as real as possible for the fans. This event however, completely tarnished that and shattered the illusion.
Luckily for the guilty party however, the event this took place at was not a televised one, so no big deal, right? Well, not exactly - see despite this all transpiring in the mid-90s, two fans who had recorded the incident on camcorders were then able to upload the footage to the internet, where it begun making the rounds in wrestling forums before cropping up in magazines to reach a wider audience. As you can imagine, the WWF were furious, especially given the intense rivalries it was currently undergoing with other wrestling companies at the time, companies that could now distance themselves from the WWF as the real deal as opposed to their phoney scripted show.
So what was to be done with The Kliq? Well as we've just covered, Nash and Hall were already leaving, so there was no sense in pursuing punishment there. Waltman of course was never involved in the incident so no punishment was required where he was concerned, and as for Michaels, the WWF simply couldn't afford to punish him, as he was their heavyweight champion and one of the biggest drawers for the company, meaning anything they did ti hurt his career would only hurt them. That then left poor Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the newest talent with the least fan draw, who also happened to be the first of The Kliq to actually break the kayfabe.
For this, Triple H went from a strong contender for the championship to relegation to the most piss-poor matches imaginable, wrestling inexperienced and lesser known wrestlers, and often losing. For several months. This type of punishment is of course humiliating for wrestlers, but it is also incredibly dangerous for their career, as once a wrestler begins to lose the audiences' interest, that can prove a final nail in the coffin of their career. Despite this however, Triple H took his punishment with stride, taking every match given to him without so much as a complaint. Being so humbled by these matches actually paid off well for him too, as wrestlers who hated him for his arrogance and ties with The Kliq now had respect for him upon seeing him taking it on the chin with such maturity, and within five months he was able to win the intercontinental championship, and would of course go on to be the Triple H we know so well today - even taking some control of the company and marrying his boss' daughter. What a turn around!
So despite being perceived as a colossal fuck up for the company, the MSG Incident actually proved beneficial in the long-run, and not just for the impact it had on Triple H either. One of the other things taken from H as punishment was his '96 King of the Ring match, which instead went to a new and unknown talent named Steve Austin, which marked the beginning of his stardom. With the cat out of the bag the WWF was also forced to respond to the illusion breaking, which allowed for more meta-storylines to be implemented, which many have described as the basis for the Vince McMahon character, and also the re-branding of the company that would lead to The Attitude Era, which of course propelled the WWF far beyond what the competition could manage, allowing them to win the Monday Night Wars.
The Kliq would live on in spirit too with the formation of DX, which was fronted by ex-Kliq members Michaels and Triple H, though this time their group was all for show and featured no backstage meddling.
So there you have it, folks. The wrestling event that not only shattered everything that promoters had tried for so long to keep hidden from the audience, but acted as the basis for one of the biggest eras of wrestling since the Golden Age. Pretty neat, right?
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