The MSG Curtain Call incident from 1996 maybe three decades old but it is still remembered as one of the most infamous incidents in professional wrestling history. It was a kayfabe breaking moment but nowadays, it is discussed openly, even by the wrestlers who were involved in it.
There had been a backstage group in WWE named The Kliq. Triple H, Shawn Michales, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and X-Pac were the members of this group. In May 1996, Triple H and Kevin Nash teamed up as heels to take on the babyface team of Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall in a Steel Cage match. After this match, they broke characters and celebrated together in front of the crowd as Nash and Hall were leaving WWE for WCW.
JBL Remembers The Infamous "MSG Curtain Call Incident" From 1996 and Shares Insight
Instantly it sparked major controversies as WWE and WCW were bitter rivals during the time. It also angered the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. It had been three decades but the incident is still fresh in the memories of the wrestlers and the fans in attendance. WWE Hall of Famer JBL who was a member of the WWE roster back then recently remembered this infamous incident. Speaking on Something to Wrestle, he said;
JBL was active in WWE during the MSG Curtain Call
“It was a big deal and I had real hesitation about it, but I don’t think I was mad about it. I know that a lot of guys were, I mean furious. Davey Boy was going to fight over it, there were a lot of guys that were really upset about it.”
JBL had been a former WWE World Champion
“I was more waiting to see, and if we went to the Garden the next time and the crowd was in half, we’d know that was a bad decision. And it was not the case. I didn’t think anybody was wrong… there wasn’t an answer for it. It hadn’t been done before.” concluded JBL.
Wrestlers that were involved in this incident had nowhere to go but to face the consequences. But Hall and Nash already left the promotion for WCW, and Shawn Michaels was the face of the promotion back then. Triple H was the only new face of the promotion during the time and only he had to face the punishment. He was supposed to win the King of the Ring tournament of 1996 but it was taken away from him as a punishment.
H/T to Inside The Ropes
