The Chris Benoit Tregedy: Between November 22nd, 1985 and June 20th, 2007, Chris Benoit built a Hall of Fame wrestling career. Throughout his twenty-two years in the business, he was a promising newcomer, a rising star, an international sensation, an admired hero, a consummate ring general, a respected locker-room leader, and champion of the World in every division. But the horrific events that happened on the final weekend of June 2007 would forever tarnish Benoit’s legacy and leave him remembered as the monster that killed his wife (Nancy) and 7-year old son (Daniel) before taking his own life.

The Death of Georgia Championship Wrestling: “Black Saturday” is the term given to the day (July 14, 1984) when WWF programming, out of nowhere, replaced Georgia Championship Wrestling on TBS, thus changing pro-wrestling forever. Imagine all the GCW fans sitting down in front of their Television sets on Saturday morning, looking forward to seeing Gordon Solie, Ric Flair and other wrestlers, but instead watching Gorilla Monsoon pop up on their screen! It was totally out of the blue and took the majority of fans by surprise.

The Murder of Bruiser Brody: In 1988, Bruiser Brody was a Superstar in the world of professional wrestling, and that was compounded by the fact that he did it without stepping into a ring owned by a McMahon or a Crockett. Brody’s star was much brighter in Japan & Puerto Rico than it was in America. While working in Puerto Rico in 1988, Frank “Bruiser” Brody was stabbed to death in the locker room by fellow wrestler Jose Huertez Gonzales, who was a fan-favorite known as Invader I. If Brody’s murder wasn’t tragic enough, Gonzales was never charged for the crime, despite several witnesses at the scene! Bruiser Brody was a true legend in wrestling and his career, and life, was cut short far too early.

Joe in Davie FL wrote in with these notes: He was actually my favorite wrestler growing up in Puerto Rico. I was 10 years old when this happened. The storyline if I remember correctly was that El Invader and Brody were in a very bloody feud all over the island with Brody always getting discualified for just beating the living shit out of El Invader with anything he could find. Finally they had an all out everything’s legal brawl and El Invader beat him. A couple weeks later Brody turns and becomes a huge fan favorite as Invader’s partner. Then it happened. The whole freaking island was shaken. Even my parents (who hate wrestling) were talking about it with the neighbors. It was a big deal. The most fucked up part though is that El Invader was back on TV about 10 months later with everyone cheering for him. It really hurt the interest of many (myself included) just for the fact that this guy wasn’t in jail but also because there were no more Funks, Barry Windham, Flair, Scott Hall ETC… who made trips to the island about once a year.

The Owen Hart Tragedy: By far the most tragic story in the history of wrestling. It’s been covered a million times on a million websites, but the bottom line is that someone screwed up. Owen Hart was looking forward to years of blissful retirement with his wife and children in a freshly built house in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Literally weeks before Owen’s family was scheduled to move into their new house, Owen was asked to perform a stunt on a live pay per view which went horribly wrong. He was to be lowered from the ceiling in superhero fashion, something he had done several times before. Owen was a reluctant participant in the stunt, but went along with it because he had nixed a few other ideas beforehand and feared his job would be in jeopardy. During a pre-taped interview by the “Blue Blazer”, Owen was preparing to be lowered when the equipment he was using malfunctioned and he was sent falling 40 feet to the floor, landing head first on the corner of the ring and flopping horrifically into the center of the ring. The pay per view audience was then informed that something had gone horribly wrong and it wasn’t a part of the show. For what seemed like a lifetime, paramedics worked on Owen’s body, but it was useless as he was soon declared deceased. Later in the pay per view, which continued with a sub-par performance rate, Jim Ross made the following shocking statement “Ladies & gentleman, uh, earlier tonight, here at Kansas City, uh, tragedy befell the World Westling Federation, and all of us, Owen Hart was set to make an entrance from the ceiling, and he fell from the ceiling, and I have the unfortunate responsibility to let everybody know that Owen Hart has died, Owen Hart has tragically died from that accident here tonight”.

The von Erich Deaths/Suicides: The Dallas/Ft Worth territory was always a hot spot for wrestling. Fritz von Erich set up camp there and promoted shows under the NWA banner using the name “World Class Championship Wrestling”. Many stars went through the World Class area but it wasn’t until Fritz’s own sons started wrestling did it really heat up. Mike & David were the first two sons to wrestle, and spent some of their early years in surrounding territories like Kansas City honing their skills. Kerry von Erich did the same thing a few years later when he debuted. When Mike von Erich started wrestling, the von Erich dynasty was already full effect, with the weight of the promotion square on the shoulders of all FOUR von Erich brothers.. The pressures of performing in front of thousands of fans, as well as performing to their father’s expectations took its tool on all of them. The first tragedy occurred when David was found dead in Japan as a result of acute enteritis, a severe inflammation of the intestines.. Each one felt pressured to be as good as their older siblings. Mike von Erich suddenly felt like it was his responsibility to step into David’s shoes and be as good as him. At the age of 23, Mike von Erich committed suicide by overdosing on a tranquilizer placidyl.. In 1991, the youngest von Erich brother, Chris, was only a rookie in the world of professional wrestling. Unfortunately he took his own life at the age of 21. In 1992, Kerry von Erich was coming off a successful run in the World Wrestling Federation but was suffering from some serious drug problems. So bad, in fact, he was sentenced on 6 felony counts of prescription forgery.. The night before he was to be put in jail, Kerry took his own life, just like two of his brothers did in the past. Kevin von Erich is the only surviving member of the von Erich dynasty and attributes that to his marriage and direction in life..

Vince McMahon Raids Regional Territories: When Vince McMahon acquired the WWF from his father, the wheels were set in motion and Vince surrounded himself with people who would share his vision of taking over the wrestling world. Vince McMahon started recruiting the most loyal wrestlers and office staff to create the first National brand of wrestling, or as he would later called it “Sports Entertainment”.. Vince McMahon started buying up territories around the world, and moving in and taking their television spots across the country. He lured top stars from rival territories with the promise of money, fame and exposure.. He took Andre The Giant (AWA and elsewhere), Hulk Hogan (AWA), Roddy Piper (JCP), Ricky Steamboat (JCP), Gene Okerland (AWA), Bobby Heenan (AWA), Greg Valentine (JCP), Junk Yard Dog (Mid-South), Hillbilly Jim (Memphis), The Hart Foundation & The Bulldogs (Stampede), Jimmy Hart (Memphis), Randy Savage & Lanny Poffo (Memphis), The Missing Link (WCCW), The Briscos (GCW), Brian Blair (Florida), Jim Brunzel (AWA), Terry Funk (Texas), David Schultz (???), Tito Santana, Jimmy Snuka, Paul Orndorff (Mid-South), Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff and the list goes on and on..

The Death of Eddie Guerrero: The loss of a hero, a friend, a co-worker, a brother, a man who had seemingly turned his life around completely for the better – and then taken away from us as a reminder of a cruel harsh reality. Eddie Guerrero was loved by everybody, and that is the true tragedy here. Yes, his life was shortened by his own actions – using and abusing drugs and alcohol for most of his life and paid the ultimate price. However, it still doesn’t seem fair. Guerrero’s death would be a major wake-up call for professional wrestlers all over the world. Many of whom shared the Guerrero lifestyle at some point or another. Lots of wrestlers probably changed their outlook on the personal and professional lives. Eddie Guerrero may not have been a solid main event wrestler, but he sure as hell made an impact on the world of professional wrestling while he was alive.

The Montreal Screwjob: Everyone knows about the infamous Screwjob. Anybody who has watched WWE in the last 7 years has been reminded of it over and over. It was really shocking night and will be remember by all who were involved until they day they die. The struggle between Boss & Employee was in the spotlight, and it was a well=known fact that Bret Hart was on his way out of the company. The only problem was that he had the WWF Championship. Bret’s contract was set to expire the night of Survivor Series in 1997, and he was legally available to appear on the rival WCW Nitro program the following night. Eric Bischoff was notorious for offering a ton of money to bring a guy in if it meant humiliating the WWF and/or Vince McMahon. Vince couldn’t risk having his champion show up on a rival promotions show with the title belt! Bret Hart’s issue was that he didn’t want to drop the title in Canada, which to many is a ridiculous excuse. He later claimed he was more than willing to drop the title the following night. Vince, increasingly frustrated with Bret’s lack of co-operation agreed to let Bret get disqualified in the match and keep his championship. However, there was a plan hatched that only Vince, Gerald Brisco, referee Earl Hebner, and Shawn Michaels would be privy to. (Continued.)

Late in the match, Vince McMahon made his way down to ringside, despite confusion as to exactly WHY he was there (storyline wise).. A few minutes later, Shawn Michaels was attempting to lock Bret into the Sharpshooter, Hebner made a half-ass attempt at pretending to ask Bret if he submitted, then quickly motioned for the bell to ring. A confused Mark Yeaton wasn’t sure what was going on, so Vince McMahon aggressively ordered him to RING THE BELL, and he did so. Bret Hart was slithering out of the submission as the bell was rung, and Earl Hebner bolted from the ring and left the arena completely. Shawn Michaels pretended to look confused, and then was ordered to take his title belt and go backstage. The reality of the situation set in as Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith ran to the ring to console Bret, who confronted Vince with a wad of spit to the forehead to express his disgust! The Pay Per View was quickly taken off the air, but the night wasn’t close to being over. Bret briefly confronted Shawn Michaels, who claimed he had no idea what was going on! Bret decided to go straight to the source and confronted Vince McMahon backstage and managed to punch him in the face, breaking his hand, but obviously making himself feel better.. This set off a 4-year stint of bitterness in Bret and an endless amount of storyline opportunities within the WWF/E which continue to this day. The debate wages on as to who was right and who was wrong, with opinions pretty much split down the middle. Some believe Vince had no right to change the pre-determined outcome of the match, and some believe Bret had no right to make such demands as an employee. Who was right? It’s your prerogative…

The Plane Crash that Changed Wrestling: In 1975, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was a hotbed of wrestling. Some of the top wrestling talent in the United States worked for the Crocketts and it seemed nothing could sidetrack their success. On October 4, 1975, the Mid-Atlantic took a hit when a Cessna 310 plane, carrying promoter Dave Crockett and four wrestlers, took off from Charlotte for Wilmington, NC en route to a show that evening at Legion Stadium. While approaching the runway the plane ran out of gas and started cropping treetops and ended up crashing to the ground! Inside the plane with David Crockett was the legendary Tim Woods (Mr. Wrestling), equally legendary Johnny Valentine, Bob Bruggers, and a young rookie named Ric Flair. Bob Bruggers broke his back and never wrestled again. Johnny Valentine also broke his back and never wrestled again due to a bone fracture wedging itself into his spinal column, forcing his back to be re-attached with a clamp. Ric Flair broke his back and was told he’d never wrestle again, but he miraculously returned a year later and continues to wrestle today over 25 years later! Tim Woods also recovered and enjoyed many more years inside the ring as an active wrestler. The pilot (Joseph Michael Farkas) was not as lucky as his passengers, as he passed away after several weeks of battling for his life.

Hulk Hogan tells the fans “Screw You!”: One of the rare “scripted” moments of pro-wrestling past to make this list. Hulk Hogan’s WCW heel-turn sent shock waves throughout the industry and catapulted WCW into a strong dominance over the WWF. Vince McMahon would go into panic mode as his federation would be overtaken by WCW in the ratings with “Hollywood” Hogan in the drivers seat.

Vince McMahon Buys WCW: This was reminiscent of “Black Saturday” when Vince McMahon snuck in and scooped up a territory over night without anybody really knowing it.. Vince McMahon came on his own show and announced that he had “purchased the competition” and gloated enthusiastically as he watched “Nitro” on a monitor and publicly fired Jeff Jarrett & Buff Bagwell. Over the broadcast, Vince made it clear that several WCW wrestlers had no chance of gaining employment, such as Lex Luger, Sting & Goldberg.. Midway through RAW, Vince went out to the ring and ordered Ted Turner to come out personally and “beg” him to sign the papers to finalize the deal.. Vince was also making history because his speech was being broadcast live on Monday Nitro on TNT as well! Shane McMahon shocked the World and walked down a WCW isle and stepped foot inside a WCW ring, making history of his own.. Shane McMahon went on to explain that he had signed his name and purchased WCW out from under Vince’s nose! This of course led to the whole Alliance Invasion angle which was a complete and total flop..

The AWA’s Final Run: For some strange reason, when Vince McMahon’s WWF was sky rocketing into space, Verne Gagne just lost all interest in his own promotion, the American Wrestling Association. Easily known as the 3rd best promotion in the USA, behind WWF and JCP, Verne could have pooled his resources and made a run at competing with Vince McMahon. Unfortunately, AWA started to fumble, wrestlers defected, and storylines went WAY downhill.. Week by week, things just got worse.. It was so apparent that management just didn’t care any more and had basically thrown in the towel, trying new things that were just horrible..

Wrestlemania I through III: Vince McMahon and his staff was slowly but surely bringing together a very dominant roster of SuperStars. A lot of money was spent, and a lot of time was put into planning the next few years and making sure there was a steady progression of success.. The brainchild of the WWF was one event, a MEGA-event, and it would be called WrestleMania, a blend of wrestling, sports, entertainment and celebrity. It was a make-or-break master plan and Vince went into it full steam. The first Wrestlemania was not on Pay Per View, it was shown on free television, but that was just the beginning. The event was such a success that they immediately began planning WrestleMania II, and decided that it would take place in three different locations; Los Angeles, Chicago & New York, with 1/3 of the card taking place at each venue. This time it was shown on Pay Per View and was also a tremendous success, but the year that followed would be the most successful ever. WrestleMania III was the BIGGEST WrestleMania ever, taking place in the Pontiac Silver Dome. The huge main event for that show was Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant and some of the greatest wrestlers ever appeared on the card. WrestleMania III was the result of three years or hard work for WWF management and definitely proved that the WWF was on its way to becoming the BEST show in town..

Magnum TA’s Car Wreck: Terry Allen (or Magnum TA) was a future World’s champion in the making. He had an appeal with the fans like very few wrestlers had during the mid-80s and was being groomed by the NWA to be “the next Ric Flair”. In October of 1986, Magnum TA left a bar in Charlotte, NC one night and got into a horrible car wreck.. Terry Allen was paralyzed on the left side of his body and never wrestled again. Magnum would eventually return to the NWA in a non-wrestling capacity. He was used in interview segments, but you could tell his passion was just not there.

The McMahon/WWF Steroid Trial: Vince McMahon was almost taken down in 1994.. Allegations of steroid use within the WWF brought Vince McMahon to his knees at the mercy of the Federal Government. Several wrestlers testified against McMahon in a Court of Law; including Kevin Wacholz and Hulk Hogan, whose testimony was highly publicized because for the first time Hogan, who was a roll model to kids, admitted to taking steroids.. Vince McMahon was later acquitted but the trial forced him to drastically change the way he did business. Muscle-bound wrestlers were demoted and a more “technical” product began to get pushed. This was most noticed with the “changing of the guard” when Bret Hart was crowned Champion of the WWF.. Over time, other “legal” substances have been invented and used to buff up wrestlers in the WWF, which has been labeled a playground for “Big Men” and a living hell for “Small Men”..

The Death of Bobby Shane (Plane Crash): On February 20, 1975, wrestler Buddy Colt was piloting a Cesna 182 from Miami to Tampa with passengers Bobby Shane, Gary Hart and Mike McCord (aka Austin Idol). There was some bad weather, so Colt was forced to land at the airport on the nearby Davis Island but missed the landing and the engine stalled and they ended up crashing nose-first into the water! Buddy Colt, Gary Hart & Mike McCord were all able to free themselves from the wreckage and swim to safety but Bobby Shane was not as lucky. He drowned and passed away at the age of 29.

Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson Defect to WWF, Thus Killing the Horsemen: In 1988, for whatever reason, Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard left Jim Crockett Promotions just as the company was collapsing and was going to be sold to Ted Turner. Anderson & Blanchard showed up in the WWF, calling themselves the Brain Busters and managed by Bobby The Brain Heenan. As a result of their defection, the Four Horsemen lost two of it’s original members and never regained the power it once held..

Wrestlemania IV – An Undisputed Champion: Wrestlemania III was a major turning point for the WWF in the 80s, but as far as the WWF Championship was concerned, it was truly contested at Wrestlemania IV.. There haven’t been that many legitimate 1-night 16-man tournaments in the history of wrestling but on that night there was (well technically it was a 14-man Tournament, because Hogan & Andre got byes into the second round). Randy Macho Man Savage defeated four men to capture the WWF “Undisputed” title and brought a new level of respect to it..

Danny Hodge’s Car Wreck: Danny Hodge was a multi-time NWA World’s Junior Heavyweight champion when fate took an ugly turn and pre-maturely ended his career on March 17th, 1976.. Hodge reportedly fell asleep at the wheel near Monroe, Louisiana, hit a bridge and suffered a broken neck.. Just over two weeks before the accident, Hodge had defeated Hiro Matsuda to win his sixth NWA World Jr. Heavyweight title in St. Petersburg, FL.. Danny Hodge was one of the most well respected grapplers in the history of wrestling and was known for being one of the toughest ever. Before entering a professional ring, Hodge made a name for himself in the amateur ranks, winning numerous championships include the NCAA Championship in 1956.. Hodge was 43 at the time of his wreck, but was still considered to be at the top of his game.. Danny Hodge and his wife, Delores, have been married for over 50 years and live quietly in Perry, Oklahoma..

by Brad Dykens


Shawn Taylor wrote:
This piece is a superb account of individual moments that changed the course of wrestling’s history.


Andrew Seisser wrote:
I like this list a lot, but I have several worthy moments to add.
I think Andre winning the belt from hogan in 88 should be there: Who would have ever thought the Hulkster would EVER lose the title, especially under such ridiculous circumstances?
The Ultimate Warrior’s return at Wrestlemania XVIII shocked the heck out of me when I was 6. I was crushed when my then hero left the company, but when he raced out to the ring to help Hogan, it was like Christmas morning in March for me.
Finally, the moment that gave birth to the next generation of the WWF, Brutus Beefcake invites the Rockers to appear on the Barber shop. The share their differences, then just as it looks like the “tag team specialists” are ready for another run, BAM! SWEET CHIN MUSIC THROUGH THE SHOP WINDOW! It was an outrage, but little did we know that that one kick would lead to one of the most prolific runs in WWF history, as “the blond rocker” would go on to the wwf title and becoming the first “grand slam” champion in the company’s history.


Angel Martinez wrote:
That’s a great column, specially th Brody’s death, since I was in Puerto Rico at that time. It’s a digrace that Invader #1 never get his fair punishment even though everybody knows who did it. You also forgot the ECW death, the hundreds of Pay per View that WWE use to pollute the air ways and horribles gimmicks Vince and Co. are using to kill what is good about wrestling.


Eric (BluePhoenix) wrote::
A very briliantly done article. I would also have to agree with the reader who stated that The Rockers on the Barber Shop and The Ultimate Warrior returning at WrestleMania VIII was awesome, but there are three major topics that I would have put in (1) Hulk Hogan quits wrestling, (2) Hulk Hogan joins WCW/nWo (as the same topic, Hogan joins WCW, then the unthinkable, he turns Heel) (3) The death of Andre the Giant. Those were all shocking moments to me that could also be added to this collum. Keep up the good work, I look forward to the next Nostalga Pop.


Brian Bertrand wrote::
I agree the column was great but there are a very few missing. Like the culmination of the nWo, whoever though Hogan would even agree with a heel turn? Speaking of Hogan what about WCW’s acquisition of the Hulkster? And I think the new twist of the WCW/ECW angle was when ECW actually joined in on the fight. Many, many people completely forgot about AOL/Time Warner and showing Paul Heyman introduce each and every member of Team ECW was a great sell for the wrestling community because it felt very nastolgic and everyone thought that it was about damn time.


Brad Dykens wrote::
Thanks for the great feedback guys, I tried to shy ‘away’ from shocking moments within storylines for this column and concentrated on ‘real life’ moments. However that is a great idea for my next column “Shocking Storyline Moments in Wrestlings Past” which would certainly include some of your suggestions. Stay tuned for that one!


Cubsfan005 wrote::
1. Ric Flair joining the WWF the first time and carring with him the wcw worlds title
2. Hulk Hogan joining WCW
3. Hall and Nash joining WCW and declairing war
4. Hogan turning heel and starting the nwo
5. Steve Austin walking out of the WWF
6. Eric Bischoff joining WWE as Raw GM and he and vince hugging and shaking hands
7. Ric Flair rejoining WWE as a co-owner
8. The deaths of Andre the Giant, Hawk, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman,Curt Henning and any others i may have left out
9. Andre the Giant turnning Heel and defeating Hogan
10. Arn Anderson having to retire due to a neck injury
note these are not listed in a paticular order


JYD_100 wrote::
I agree with how tragic the Owen Hart situation was. Heck, I even got the rare book written by Owen’s wife, Martha, which talked about Owen’s life, death, and post-death, and it is very sad.


Kenny Warren wrote::
How could you guys forget the ravishing one appearing on Nitro and Raw in the same night, that was a great move on the part of Rick Rood. One of my favorites (and probably least know) is when then WWF women champion Alundra Blaze brought the title to Nitro and put Vince’s belt in the garbage. A true slap in the face.


Jacquista Taylor wrote::
I must admit this is a great column. It’s full of things I had no clue
about. But let’s not forget the death of Brian Pillman.


TwistedArachnid wrote:
I liked your article, however, I feel you missed some stuff on the Montreal Screwjob. I heard Brett’s contract ran out the night or week after Survivor’s Series. Also, he refused to drop in it Canada for two reasons. Shawn Michaels said he’d never drop it to Brett Hart, and in a shoot (unscripted) interview, Michaels made some comments about Brett’s family. Also Brett wanted to stay in the WWF, but, Vince said he couldn’t afford it, so they parted ways. However in Brett’s last 30 days he had creative control, so Vince stated some dilemas, however, Brett said ‘He told me he won’t drop to me, and I refuse to drop it to a guy who wont drop it to me.” I’ll lose it to anyone but him. But Vince stay stubborn and then decided to screw him over. Other than that, I loved your article.


Hardrock wrote:
Wow, very good column, I really ennjoyed it. There were many MANY more moments you forgot but lets be serious here.. if we were going to write out each shocking moment in wrestling in chron. order, we’d need an entire website for it!

Pillman’s death, Owen’s death, Brody’s death, Rick Rude’s death, Davey Boy, Ray Taylor(Bossman), Henning, even Yokozuna’s death. Within the past eight years of watching wrestling there are so many deaths occuring with usually a rare outlook. The biggest three were probably Owen Hart, Andre the Giant, and Brody. Lets not forget the deaths of companies. ECW, WCW, and WWF(it’s now called WWE for those of you not caught up with the times) just to name a few. Yes, a lot has indeed happened in the obituaries of wrestling.

However, what should be mentioned here is what I call “Stone Cold Fever.” It may not have been a huge shock, but if you looked at the number of fans before Stone Cold, during Stone Cold, and after Stone Cold, you’d see the numbers rise to the tops of which have never been reached before, then dropping down. When I first saw those numbers I was shocked at how someone like Austin could influence people.

Finally(for now) I have to mention the 2004 WrestleMania. This night was a shocker, maybe not to the fans, but look at how Eddie Gurerro and Chris Benoit celebrated after their victories. That wasn’t some cheesey “we are the champions” smile and hugging. It wasn’t some stupid push for the fans to get behind them. Both were very proud, very excited, very.. shocked! Chris Benoit wrestled for about eighteen years, lost a tooth, gained it, lost it again, broke his neck on I think two occaisions, went through injuries due to his style of wrestling and finally made it to the top, at WM no less! Yes, that night was a night of success for Benoit and ever sense he tasted that gold, he wants it again. I hope he gets it too…. with better SLs and different opponents of course(a Benoit vs. Batista ladder match would be awesome for a Summerslam event.)

As for Eddie, yes his win was huge too. I’ve yet to read anything about Eddie so I’m not sure what was going on with his personal life(due to being an ever-loving uncle, I usually let my niece beat me up on Thursdays) but I’m sure that his victory was just as big(if not bigger) than Chris Benoit’s. I may not be a huge Eddie fan, but dammit, he deserved it!


Bill Yankowy wrote:
I agree with a lot on this list, but one I’m surprised that wasn’t on this list is Ken Patera getting arrested. He was going to be one of if not THE top heel in the WWF in 1985. If he never was arrested, maybe he would’ve been champion down the line, that’s a shocking moment.


bbalking37 wrote:
Your list of the most shocking moments in wrestling was very well constructed and all of these moments deserved to make the list. I would like to bring some moments in wrestling to your attention that I believe deserve consideration for the list. The first one was probably the most disgusting moment in wrestling but it was the first time the WWF had scripted nudity on its show, albeit an 80-year old lady. It was when Mae Young flashed those wrinkly, saggy breasts at a WWF PPV. It certainly was shocking. The next moment was when Kane lit the security guard on fire at Raw. It did not have a very large impact but watching it live, it was very shocking. Another moment involving Kane is when he rid himself of his mask. It had been an ongoing storyline, and it was a mystery to me how the WWE would portray Kane unmasked. When the day came I was speechless. The last moment I would like to bring up is when Stone Cold jumped from the beer truck he drove into the ring and tackled Vince McMahon. The image of him being handcuffed and taken away is one that is forever linked to both parties.


KirstLF wrote:
I’m still in shock over the sudden death of the late great Eddie Guerrero. I think this should be mentioned as many WWE fans are still saddened by the terrible loss. I want to wish the best for the family of Eddie Guerrero as well as those of Owen Hart’s. These are both terrible tradgedies in Pro Wrestling History.


k.D.b wrote:
Well, i wanted to toss in some more, including some from Japan. So here is my top ten: 10: Hayabusa nearly dies in the ring — 09: The Rebirth of ECW-McMahon style — 08: JBL goossteps in Germany — 07: The Death of Shinya Hashimoto — 06: Kanyon comes out — 05: The Return of Matt Hardy (why is that shocking? WWE fired him, he turned up unannounced and jumped Edge) — 04: Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling born (why shocking? How many explodin Barbedwire matches are in WWE, TNA, ROH et al?) — 03: Kobashi diagnosed with Cancer — 02: Rob Feinstein busted — 01: The Death of Eddie Guerrerro ———— God bless you all. Pray for me as much as I pray for you.


Matt S. (Phila, PA) wrote:
Great Article (Shocking Moments) — How about Jim Dugan and The Iron Sheik (Mortal Enimies) getting pulled over together with drugs in the car? At the time wrestling was still “In the closet”, trying to convince everyone that it was “real” and you have two bitter rivals hanging out doing drugs together. It kind of exposed the business. Keep up the great work!


Juan Pablo Alves (Puerto Rico) wrote:
I want to Congratulate the website for writing the article of the most shocking moments in world wrestling history. But let’s forget The Eddiesploitation:The use of Eddie Guerrero’s death of sale and for profanity scripts, Chyna‘s adult porno movie with X-pac in China, The Katie Vick Incident that Triple H used a dead body for a wrestling sex script, Torrie Wilson‘s father’s real death used for a script, The Steve Austin-Brian Pillman gun incident the made Kevin Kelly piss in his pants. Please don’t forget these incidents. Are they shocking also? Thanks Alot.


Shane Simpson wrote:
I think some of the worst tragedies in Wrestling history have either mad us sad or just pure angry. I think the death of wrestling happend when silly story lines like “Vince McMahon is Dead”, “Vince and Shane McMahon vs Shawn Michaels and God?” or at the present time “The Prodigal Son of Vince McMahon”. I’m only 17 and I believe the true wrestling times were great, just wrestling not too much acting and silly story lines that we have these days. I couldn’t agree more on some of these topics like the Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart, Big Bossman and most recents “Kona” Crush a.k.a Brian Adams and Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit was a very talented wrestler and everyone who watched him or wrestled with him knew that. I remember my dad telling me first thing in the morning that he had saw on television that Chris Benoit was dead. Yet another great wrestling talent gone to waste.”The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior?” The next would have to be the Ultimate Warrior.. if you have watched the “Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior” dvd you get an intake of the guy from the WWE’s point of view but you have to actually speak to this guy for yourself to get his side of the story. He and still today remains one of my all time favourite wrestlers next to Hulk Hogan and to see him in this day and age completely not wrestling makes me wonder what if? he was still wrestling today.

WCW being bought by WWF(WWE)I couldn’t agree more about the death of WCW. A great company that was built with pride and history. I remember when I was 9 years old back in 1999 being a huge WCW fan. But then the WCW started dying down and I thought that was truely sad seeing a company that had so many great talents die out and be purchsed by the WWE. Definitley a sad era for the world of professional wrestling.

Mr. Perfect Curt Henning the death of one of my also favourite wrestlers growing up as a kid was truely sad. I liked watching Curt perform weither it was in the WWF or the WCW he was entertaining to watch and I remember the last time I watched him perform was in a tag team match with the Big Bossman vs the Hardy Boys on a Raw show. Learning of his death in 2003 was a sad day not just for the wrestling business but for many fans of Curt Henning. R.I.P Curt..

“Macho Man” Randy Savage I understand that Randy left the WWF without notice. But when you look at the facts you couldn’t blame this guy with the way he was treated. Being treated as a “Semi-Retired” wrestler doing commentary and one off matches on Raw on an occassion. I’m sure he got his big break in the WCW and since then we have not seen the Macho Man perform. I hope one of these days Vince McMahon can put his difference aside and bring back Macho Man. Perhaps in a storyline with the “Legend Killer” Randy Orton.

There’s been heaps more tragedies in the world of professional wrestling…