5 Times WWE Superstars were told to deliberately hurt other wrestlers
In scripted WWE matches, superstars entertain fans around the world by inflicting physical damage on their rivals. In reality, the men and women of WWE also have the responsibility of protecting their opponents every time they step inside the squared circle.
When Roman Reigns lands a Superman Punch on Brock Lesnar, it may look like The Beast Incarnate’s jaw has almost been taken clean off. However, thanks to years of training, Reigns knows exactly how to execute the move safely without hurting his opponents.
While most WWE matches and segments go as planned, there have been instances over the years when in-ring safety was not treated as a priority. In rare cases, some superstars have even been encouraged to legitimately do damage to another wrestler in front of a WWE crowd.
In this article, let’s take a look at five times when superstars were told to deliberately hurt other wrestlers.
#5 The Harris Brothers were told to hurt The Legion of Doom in WWE
On this day in 2000, The Harris Brothers(Ron and Don Harris) won the WCW World Tag Team Championship #WCW #WCWTagTeamTitles https://t.co/Oy6C1roMTV
The Harris Brothers were fired from WWE after they allegedly refused to beat up The Legion of Doom in a match.
Ron and Don Harris performed under various names in WWE between 1995 and 1999, including 8-Ball (Ron) and Skull (Don). Toward the end of their time with the company, Vince Russo worked as the head writer of RAW.
In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dr. Chris Featherstone, Russo explained why The Harris Brothers suddenly received their release.
“Chris, do you know why The Harris Brothers were fired from the WWE and why they lost their job? They were told to F-up Legion of Doom. The marching orders were to go in the ring and hurt them, and Ronny and Donny Harris were like, ‘No, they’re our friends, we’re not going to do that. No.’ And they were fired,” Russo said.
#TBT Alumni of the Week: @WWE Hall of Famers The Road Warriors aka Legion of Doom! Tell us your favorite #LODMoments! http://t.co/weJSi0DwSG
Russo added that 90 percent of the WWE roster would likely have done exactly as they were told. However, The Harris Brothers did not want to legitimately beat up their friends in what was supposed to be a scripted match.
Ron and Don Harris ended up joining WCW, where they became three-time WCW World Tag Team Champions.
#4 Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were told to beat up Billy Gunn and Road Dogg in WWE
#OnThisDay in 2014, The New Age Outlaws defeated Cody and Goldust to capture the #WWE Tag Team Championships. https://t.co/Ja2Kim6yHV
Triple H once instructed Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch to attack Billy Gunn and Road Dogg if they invaded a WWE live event.
Although Triple H is now friends with his fellow D-Generation X members, he fell out with the two men in the mid-2000s. The real-life animosity led to rumors that The New Age Outlaws were going to interfere in one of The Game’s matches.
Murdoch told Cultaholic’s Tom Campbell that the NXT founder requested that he and Cade take out Billy Gunn and Road Dogg if needed.
“He goes, ‘I want you guys at the curtain and I want you watching my whole match. The minute you see those guys, you hit that f***ing ring, and you proceed to start kicking their f***ing a**.’ This was very serious. He was very adamant, and we know this is coming from the very top,” Murdoch said.
Rumors of Billy Gunn and Road Dogg’s possible interference began when it emerged that they were signing autographs at a nearby event. The WWE legends did not work for the company at the time, hence why their appearance would have been such a major surprise.
In the end, The New Age Outlaws stayed away from the event. They later reconciled with Triple H and rejoined WWE.
#3 The Headbangers were told to beat up Insane Clown Posse in WWE
The Headbangers were told by WWE officials to deliberately hurt Insane Clown Posse (ICP) after they requested more money from Vince McMahon.
ICP members Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J thought they made a good impression during a segment with The Oddities. The next day, they asked the WWE Chairman for a pay raise.
Speaking to WSI’s James Romero, Headbanger Mosh explained how both he and Headbanger Thrasher agreed to beat the duo up.
“We had an agent come to us and say, ‘You guys go out there and beat the s*** out of them. Beat the s*** out of them because they’re not coming back tomorrow. And if you don’t beat the s*** out of them, then you guys won’t be in the building tomorrow either.’ So we went, ‘Okay,’ so that’s what we did,” Mosh said.
Over a decade later, Insane Clown Posse asked The Headbangers to attend their annual festival, Gathering of the Juggalos. Mosh thought ICP wanted to “beat the s***” out of them, so he asked for “astronomical” money to put their former opponents off.
The plan backfired, however, as ICP agreed to his request. Fortunately, the two tag teams did not get involved in a real fight at the event. In fact, Mosh went on to reveal that ICP “loved” their WWE match, and they were happy that The Headbangers accepted the festival invites.
#2 Vince McMahon told Kurt Angle to beat up opponents in WWE
Vince McMahon ordered Kurt Angle to legitimately act as a bully when he faced enhancement talents in WWE.
Between November 2004 and July 2005, the Olympic gold medallist competed in 16 Kurt Angle Invitational matches on RAW and SmackDown. He won 15 of the 16 matches, with only Eugene defeating him.
Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, the Hall of Famer recalled how McMahon wanted him to deliberately hurt his opponents.
“Vince McMahon wanted me to be really stiff. He wanted me to lay in… I laid into these guys. It was a bully technique, and Vince McMahon wanted me to bully everybody in the Invitationals, and I did that. But that was the only time I laid into talent,” Angle said.
Angle defeated three Tough Enough contestants (Dean Visk, Cody Steele, and Sebastian) during the early days of The Kurt Angle Invitational. He went on to pick up victories over future WWE Superstars, including Matt Striker and Roderick Strong.
One of the former WWE Champion’s most notable Invitational matches came against Shawn Michaels’ former tag team partner, Marty Jannetty. Unlike the other matches, which rarely lasted longer than two minutes, Angle’s win over Jannetty lasted 17 minutes.
#1 The Iron Sheik was told to beat up Hulk Hogan in WWE
In January 1984, AWA promoter Verne Gagne offered The Iron Sheik $100,000 to break Hulk Hogan’s leg during their WWE match at Madison Square Garden.
Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik at the famous event to begin his legendary 1,474-day reign as WWE Champion. Heading into the show, Gagne was upset that Hogan had left the AWA to work for Vince McMahon.
Bruce Prichard spoke about Gagne’s request on his Something to Wrestle With podcast in 2020. The WWE Executive Director confirmed that The Iron Sheik told Vince McMahon about the offer he received to injure his top star.
“Sheik just told him, ‘I just want you to know before I go in the ring, yes, I was approached. And yes, I was offered money, but I’m not gonna do it. I’m gonna go out and do my job, and I’m gonna put Hogan over,’” Prichard said. [H/T 411mania]
Hulk Hogan’s win over The Iron Sheik was considered to be the birth of WWE’s Hulkamania era. The Hulkster went on to dominate WWE for the next decade, main-eventing eight of the first nine WrestleManias in the process.