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'''The Kliq''' (sometimes spelled as '''Clique''') was a backstage group in the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF) during the mid-1990s, which some claim held virtually all [[List of professional wrestling terms#B|booking power]] and were accused of refusing to be fair to anyone outside of the group. |
'''The Kliq''' (sometimes spelled as '''Clique''') was a backstage group in the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF) during the mid-1990s, which some claim held virtually all [[List of professional wrestling terms#B|booking power]] and were accused of refusing to be fair to anyone outside of the group. |
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The group was composed of [[Shawn Michaels]], [[Kevin Nash]], [[Scott Hall]], [[Sean Waltman]], and [[Paul Levesque]]. In 1996, The Kliq broke character at a [[house show]] at [[Madison Square Garden]] in an incident referred to as the "Curtain Call: The MSG Incident", an event which affected the WWF's subsequent storylines and development. |
The group was composed of [[Shawn Michaels]], [[Kevin Nash]], [[Scott Hall]], [[Sean Waltman]], and [[Triple H|Paul Levesque]]. In 1996, The Kliq broke character at a [[house show]] at [[Madison Square Garden]] in an incident referred to as the "Curtain Call: The MSG Incident", an event which affected the WWF's subsequent storylines and development. |
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The Kliq was also the primary catalyst for the two most controversial stables in wrestling history: [[D-Generation X]] in the WWF and the [[New World Order (professional wrestling)|New World Order]] in [[World Championship Wrestling]] (WCW). |
The Kliq was also the primary catalyst for the two most controversial stables in wrestling history: [[D-Generation X]] in the WWF and the [[New World Order (professional wrestling)|New World Order]] in [[World Championship Wrestling]] (WCW). |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===Formation and early history=== |
===Formation and early history=== |
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The Kliq was formed from real-life friends Shawn Michaels (real name Michael Hickenbottom), Kevin Nash (who wrestled as "Diesel"), Scott Hall (then known as "Razor Ramon"), Sean Waltman (who performed as "The 1-2-3 Kid"), and Paul Levesque (known then as [[Triple H|Hunter Hearst Helmsley]]). |
The Kliq was formed from real-life friends Shawn Michaels (real name Michael Hickenbottom), Kevin Nash (who wrestled as "Diesel"), Scott Hall (then known as "Razor Ramon"), Sean Waltman (who performed as "The 1-2-3 Kid"), and Paul Levesque (known then as [[Triple H|Hunter Hearst Helmsley]]). By 1995, they had a heavy influence on the [[List of professional wrestling terms#B|booking]] power—the power to schedule and decide who wins matches—in the WWF.<ref name=sd>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/faq/?style=dark&article=shanedouglas|title=FAQ: Shane Douglas|publisher=WrestleView.com|accessdate=2008-08-15}}</ref> [[Justin Credible]] was also close friends with the group and is sometimes referred to as a member.<ref name=vince/> Michaels claims that the name "The Kliq" was originally coined by [[Lex Luger]], due to the closeness of the five friends backstage.<ref name=hbk-p206>{{cite book|title=Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story|first=Shawn|last=Michaels|authorlink=Shawn Michaels|coauthors=Feigenbaum, Aaron|isbn=1-4165-2645-5|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=November|origyear=2006|page=206}}</ref> At the suggestion of [[Vince Russo]], Michaels began referring to his fans as his "Kliq".<ref name=hbk-p230>{{cite book|title=Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story|first=Shawn|last=Michaels|authorlink=Shawn Michaels|coauthors=Feigenbaum, Aaron|isbn=1-4165-2645-5|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=November|origyear=2006|page=230}}</ref> Michaels disliked the idea, and claimed that it "was not a huge hit" with the fans.<ref name=hbk-p230/> |
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In October 1995, The Kliq complained about a decision to let [[Shane Douglas]] (wrestling as Dean Douglas) win the [[WWE Intercontinental Championship|WWF Intercontinental Championship]] from Michaels at [[In Your House#In Your House 4: Great White North|In Your House 4: Great White North]].<ref name=sd/> They finally decided, however, that Michaels would lose the title to Douglas by forfeit because he did not want it to seem like he legitimately lost it.<ref name=sd/> At the pay-per-view event, Douglas won the title by forfeit, but later in the night lost it to fellow Kliq member Scott Hall (Razor Ramon).<ref name=sd/> Douglas was so enraged by the events that he threatened to sue the company and went to work for rival [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]].<ref name=sd/> |
In October 1995, The Kliq complained about a decision to let [[Shane Douglas]] (wrestling as Dean Douglas) win the [[WWE Intercontinental Championship|WWF Intercontinental Championship]] from Michaels at [[In Your House#In Your House 4: Great White North|In Your House 4: Great White North]].<ref name=sd/> They finally decided, however, that Michaels would lose the title to Douglas by forfeit because he did not want it to seem like he legitimately lost it.<ref name=sd/> At the pay-per-view event, Douglas won the title by forfeit, but later in the night lost it to fellow Kliq member Scott Hall (Razor Ramon).<ref name=sd/> Douglas was so enraged by the events that he threatened to sue the company and went to work for the rival promotion [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]].<ref name=sd/> |
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Another incident occurred shortly after at a [[house show]] in [[Montreal]] involving [[Carl Ouellet]], who was working under the name Jean-Pierre Lafitte. Lafitte was booked to win a match against then-[[ |
Another incident occurred shortly after at a [[house show|live event]] in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]] involving [[Carl Ouellet]], who was working under the name Jean-Pierre Lafitte. Lafitte was booked to win a match against then-[[WWE Championship|WWF Champion]] Kevin Nash, as Montreal was Lafitte's hometown. Shortly before the match, however, Lafitte was involved in a backstage argument with Michaels as Lafitte did not want to make Nash look good by losing to him.<ref name="SLAM! Interview 2008">{{cite web|first=Jason|last=Clevett|title=Ouellet wants another run with WWE|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2008/07/28/6288341.html|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|work=Slam! Sports|date=2008-08-06|accessdate=2008-08-06}}</ref> The match between the two ended in a [[Professional wrestling#Countout|double-countout]].<ref name=ouelett-slamsports>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestling/ouellet.html|title=Pierre Carl Ouellet Profile|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|work=Slam! Sports|accessdate=2008-08-06}}</ref> In his book, Michaels said that "we <nowiki>[</nowiki>The Kliq<nowiki>]</nowiki> [[Burial (professional wrestling)|buried]] him <nowiki>[</nowiki>Ouellet<nowiki>]</nowiki>" as he did not want to put Nash over. Lafitte was released soon after. Contrary to rumors, Michaels also stated that WWF Chairman [[Vince McMahon]] did not fire Lafitte.<ref name=hbk-p206/> |
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[[Bret Hart]] claims in his autobiography, ''Hitman'', that he was actually asked if he wanted to be part of the group, as his relationship with Michaels was far less adversarial back then: "The thing I remember most about that tour was Shawn, Razor, and Nash talking to me in [[Hamburg]] about the idea of forming a clique of top guys who strictly took care of their own." Hart declined the offer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brethart.com/bio/columns/trip-down-memory-lane-saskatoon-regina|title=A trip down memory lane (Saskatoon & Regina)|first=Bret|last=Hart|authorlink=Bret Hart|year=2007|publisher=BretHart.com|accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref> |
[[Bret Hart]] claims in his autobiography, ''Hitman'', that he was actually asked if he wanted to be part of the group, as his relationship with Michaels was far less adversarial back then: "The thing I remember most about that tour was Shawn, Razor, and Nash talking to me in [[Hamburg]] about the idea of forming a clique of top guys who strictly took care of their own." Hart declined the offer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brethart.com/bio/columns/trip-down-memory-lane-saskatoon-regina|title=A trip down memory lane (Saskatoon & Regina)|first=Bret|last=Hart|authorlink=Bret Hart|year=2007|publisher=BretHart.com|accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref> |
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===Curtain Call: The MSG Incident=== |
===Curtain Call: The MSG Incident=== |
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[[Image:Hug MSG Incident.jpg|thumb|right|The MSG Incident]] |
[[Image:Hug MSG Incident.jpg|thumb|right|The MSG Incident]] |
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One of the more talked-about actions involving The Kliq was the "Curtain Call: The MSG Incident", which took place on May 19, 1996 at [[Madison Square Garden]] and involved all of The Kliq except for Waltman.<ref name=moon156>{{cite book|title=Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment|first=Shaun|last=Assael|coauthors=Mooneyham, Mike|publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]]|date=2002|isbn=1400051436|page=156}}</ref> At the time of the incident, Hall and Nash were about to leave the WWF for rival [[World Championship Wrestling]].<ref name=hbk-p226>{{cite book|title=Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story|first=Shawn|last=Michaels|authorlink = Shawn Michaels|coauthors=Feigenbaum, Aaron|isbn=1-4165-2645-5|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=November|origyear=2006|pages=226–228}}</ref> At a major WWF [[house show]], Michaels and Levesque (as Helmsley) worked separate singles matches with Hall and Nash.<ref name=moon156/> Earlier in the [[Card (professional wrestling)|card]], Levesque worked a match, as a [[Heel (professional wrestling)| |
One of the more talked-about actions involving The Kliq was the "Curtain Call: The MSG Incident", which took place on May 19, 1996 at [[Madison Square Garden]] and involved all of The Kliq except for Waltman.<ref name=moon156>{{cite book|title=Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment|first=Shaun|last=Assael|coauthors=Mooneyham, Mike|publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]]|date=2002|isbn=1400051436|page=156}}</ref> At the time of the incident, Hall and Nash were about to leave the WWF for rival [[World Championship Wrestling]].<ref name=hbk-p226>{{cite book|title=Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story|first=Shawn|last=Michaels|authorlink = Shawn Michaels|coauthors=Feigenbaum, Aaron|isbn=1-4165-2645-5|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=November|origyear=2006|pages=226–228}}</ref> At a major WWF [[house show|live event]], Michaels and Levesque (as Helmsley) worked separate singles matches with Hall and Nash.<ref name=moon156/> Earlier in the [[Card (professional wrestling)|card]], Levesque worked a match, as a [[Heel (professional wrestling)|villain]], with Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon).<ref name=moon156/> Later, in the main event, Michaels, as a [[Face (professional wrestling)|fan favorite]], worked a [[Professional wrestling match types#Cages|steel cage match]] with Nash (as the villain Diesel).<ref name=moon156/> Immediately after the match, Hall hugged Michaels, and this was not seen as a problem, since both Hall and Michaels were fan favorites in the storylines.<ref name=moon156/> But after Hall and Michaels hugged, Levesque joined the hug, despite working a match earlier in which he was a villain.<ref name=moon156/><ref name=hbk-p226/> |
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[[Image:Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1996 (2).jpg|thumb|left|150px|Paul Levesque was the sole member of The Kliq punished for the MSG incident.]] |
[[Image:Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1996 (2).jpg|thumb|left|150px|Paul Levesque was the sole member of The Kliq punished for the MSG incident.]] |
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Their actions in the "Curtain Call" scandalized WWF management, who at the time wanted to maintain the illusion that the supposed antipathy between |
Their actions in the "Curtain Call" scandalized WWF management, who at the time wanted to maintain the illusion that the supposed antipathy between fan favorites and villains was real and that they were not friends outside the ring.<ref name=moon157>{{cite book|title=Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment|first=Shaun|last=Assael|coauthors=Mooneyham, Mike|publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]]|date=2002|isbn=1400051436|page=157}}</ref> WWF Chairman, [[Vince McMahon]] was reported to be initially okay with the incident, but did not expect them to take it so far.<ref name=hbk-p226/> McMahon also did not expect a fan in the audience to sneak a [[camcorder]] into the event and capture the entire incident on tape, which was later procured by the WWF and aired on the October 6, 1997 episode of ''[[WWE Raw|Raw is War]]'' by Michaels and Levesque who, in storyline, used the footage to irritate McMahon.<ref name=toa-oct6-97>{{cite web|first=John|last=Petrie|title=Monday Night Raw: October 6, 1997|publisher=The Other Arena|url=http://otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1997/raw100697|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20030610164804/http://otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1997/raw100697|archivedate=2003-06-10|accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref> Because Michaels was the [[WWE Championship|WWF Champion]] at the time and was one of the promotion's biggest drawing cards, he could not be punished.<ref name=hbk-p226/> Hall and Nash were soon to leave for WCW, so they also escaped punishment.<ref name=moon157/> The punishment fell solely on Levesque, who was demoted from championship contender to a [[Jobber (professional wrestling)|jobber]];<ref name=time/> Levesque went from main event matches to opening matches, wrestling inexperienced or lesser experienced wrestlers.<ref name=time>{{cite video|title=It's Our Time|people=[[Triple H|Levesque, Paul]]; [[Chyna|Laurer, Joanie]]|date2=1999-11-23|medium=[[VHS]]|url=http://www.amazon.com/WWE-Its-Time-Beau-Billingslea/dp/B00002EPGA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1218479701&sr=1-1|accessdate=2008-08-11|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]]}}</ref> He, however, did win the WWF Intercontinental Championship five months later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322528|title=Hunter Hearst Helmsley's first Intercontinental title reign|accessdate=2008-08-07|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref> [[The Undertaker]] stated in ''HHH: The Game'' DVD that when Levesque first arrived in the WWF, he saw him as an arrogant person who only looked out for himself, but when Levesque took his punishment and did not complain, he earned his respect. This punishment turned out to have a major impact on the WWF's future. Before the "MSG Incident", Levesque had been booked into the finals of the [[King of the Ring#1996|1996 King of the Ring]] tournament during the following summer, but his place would instead go to [[Stone Cold Steve Austin|Steve Austin]]. The winner of this title traditionally received a large [[Push (professional wrestling)|push]] toward stardom. Austin's win (and subsequent "[[Stone Cold Steve Austin#Austin 3:16 and rise to superstardom (1996−1997)|Austin 3:16]]" speech) started his rise toward mainstream superstardom and helped the WWF defeat WCW in the [[Monday Night Wars]].<ref name=hbk-p226/><ref name=moon157/> Levesque's punishment only delayed his rise to prominence in the business, as he would go on to win the following year's [[King of the Ring#1997|King of the Ring]] tournament and later went on to become a thirteen time [[World Heavyweight Championship (professional wrestling)|world champion]], beginning with his WWF Championship victory over [[Mick Foley]] the night after [[SummerSlam (1999)|SummerSlam]] in 1999.<ref name=hhh-slamsports>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/helmsley.html|title=Hunter Hearst Helmsley - Slam! Sports profile|first=John|last=Milner|coauthors= Clevett, Jason; Kamchen, Richard|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|work=Slam! Sports|accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref> |
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===The nWo and D-Generation X=== |
===The nWo and D-Generation X=== |
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{{main|D-Generation X|New World Order (professional wrestling)|l2=nWo}} |
{{main|D-Generation X|New World Order (professional wrestling)|l2=nWo}} |
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Because WWF officials disliked the Kliq and their influence in booking matches, Hall and Nash's contracts were allowed to expire to break up the group.<ref name=vince>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_1_3/ai_74010845|title=When Vince McMahon Wasn't a Genius - management of the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling|publisher=Wrestling Digest|date=June 2001|accessdate=2008-08-15}}</ref> When Hall and Nash went to WCW, they formed the New World Order (nWo) stable, along with [[Hulk Hogan]].<ref name=bischoff-pg210>{{cite book|title=Controversy Creates Cash|first=Eric|last=Bischoff|authorlink=Eric Bischoff|coauthors=Roberts, Jeremy|isbn= 1-4165-2729-X|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=October|origyear=2006|pages=210–219}}</ref> When Waltman later jumped to WCW, he also joined the nWo. Many fans criticized Kevin Nash for his booking tenure in WCW since it displayed the same self-promoting behavior associated with The Kliq on an even larger scale. Fans often pointed to Nash booking for himself to win the WCW Championship from the then-undefeated [[Bill Goldberg|Goldberg]] and the subsequent [[Fingerpoke of Doom]] as the most grievous of his "offenses |
Because WWF officials disliked the Kliq and their influence in booking matches, Hall and Nash's contracts were allowed to expire to break up the group.<ref name=vince>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_1_3/ai_74010845|title=When Vince McMahon Wasn't a Genius - management of the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling|publisher=Wrestling Digest|date=June 2001|accessdate=2008-08-15}}</ref> When Hall and Nash went to WCW, they formed the New World Order (nWo) stable, along with [[Hulk Hogan]].<ref name=bischoff-pg210>{{cite book|title=Controversy Creates Cash|first=Eric|last=Bischoff|authorlink=Eric Bischoff|coauthors=Roberts, Jeremy|isbn= 1-4165-2729-X|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=October|origyear=2006|pages=210–219}}</ref> When Waltman later jumped to WCW, he also joined the nWo. Many fans criticized Kevin Nash for his booking tenure in WCW since it displayed the same self-promoting behavior associated with The Kliq on an even larger scale. Fans often pointed to Nash booking for himself to win the [[WCW World Heavyweight Championship]] from the then-undefeated [[Bill Goldberg|Goldberg]] and the subsequent "[[Fingerpoke of Doom]]" as the most grievous of his "offenses". Nash, however, claims that he did not have booking power at the time of the incident.<ref>{{cite video|title=Shoot with Kevin Nash|url=http://www.rfvideo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3342|people=[[Kevin Nash|Nash, Kevin]]|medium=[[DVD]]|accessdate=2008-08-18|publisher=[[Rob Feinstein|RF Video]]}}</ref> |
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[[Image:X-Pac 111007.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sean Waltman was a member of both D-Generation X and the nWo.]] |
[[Image:X-Pac 111007.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sean Waltman was a member of both D-Generation X and the nWo.]] |
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Meanwhile, Levesque and Michaels began to persuade WWF management to let them pair up on screen, but management was hesitant and wanted to keep The Kliq separated on-screen.<ref name=time/> They, however, eventually aligned together in the faction [[D-Generation X]] (DX), alongside [[Chyna]] and [[Rick Rude]].<ref name=time/> DX eventually became as influential to the Monday Night Wars as the nWo. DX's antics also went on to help spark |
Meanwhile, Levesque and Michaels began to persuade WWF management to let them pair up on screen, but management was hesitant and wanted to keep The Kliq separated on-screen.<ref name=time/> They, however, eventually aligned together in the faction [[D-Generation X]] (DX), alongside [[Chyna]] and [[Rick Rude]].<ref name=time/> DX eventually became as influential to the Monday Night Wars as the nWo. DX's antics also went on to help spark [[The Attitude Era]] in the WWF.<ref name=hbk-p252>{{cite book|title=Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story|first=Shawn|last=Michaels|authorlink=Shawn Michaels|coauthors=Feigenbaum, Aaron|isbn=1-4165-2645-5|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=November|origyear=2006|pages=252–257}}</ref> After Sean Waltman was fired from WCW, he was hired by WWF and joined DX.<ref name=time/> |
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The nWo's hand sign, often referred to as the "Wolf Head", was originally used by the Kliq members in the WWF.<ref name=circus>{{cite book|title=Wrestling's One Ring Circus|first=Scott|last=Keith|isbn=080652619X|publisher=[[Citadel Press]]|origyear=2004|page=31}}</ref> In the nWo, Hall and Nash brought the hand sign with them, and it became widely used by the nWo members and fans worldwide.<ref name=circus/> |
The nWo's hand sign, often referred to as the "Wolf Head", was originally used by the Kliq members in the WWF.<ref name=circus>{{cite book|title=Wrestling's One Ring Circus|first=Scott|last=Keith|isbn=080652619X|publisher=[[Citadel Press]]|origyear=2004|page=31}}</ref> In the nWo, Hall and Nash brought the hand sign with them, and it became widely used by the nWo members and fans worldwide.<ref name=circus/> |
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During a brief period in 1998, after Waltman's return to the WWF as X-Pac, D-Generation X made numerous references to their friends in the WCW (though mostly not referencing WCW itself by name) in their non-match and pre-match appearances and speeches. They even went so far as to stage a protest/paramilitary take-over of the [[Norfolk Scope]], where an episode of Monday Nitro was taking place (on that same night, Monday Night Raw was emanating from nearby [[Hampton, Virginia]]). |
During a brief period in 1998, after Waltman's return to the WWF as X-Pac, D-Generation X made numerous references to their friends in the WCW (though mostly not referencing WCW itself by name) in their non-match and pre-match appearances and speeches. They even went so far as to stage a protest/paramilitary take-over of the [[Norfolk Scope]], where an episode of ''[[WCW Monday Nitro]]'' was taking place (on that same night, ''[[WWE Raw|Monday Night Raw]]'' was emanating from nearby [[Hampton, Virginia]]). Triple H, riding in a Humvee, chanted "[[Moses|Let our people go!]]" through a megaphone during the incident. Sean Waltman also called out "we just wanted to say hey to our buddies Hall and Nash" during the WCW invasion segment. But any hope of Nash and Hall jumping ship to the WWF did not materialize until WCW eventually folded. |
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In 2002, after WCW had gone out of business, the nWo was reformed in the WWF with Hall, Nash, and Hollywood Hogan (formerly Hulk Hogan), the group's initial members. Hogan soon left the group after being attacked by Nash and Hall as a result of his turning |
In 2002, after WCW had gone out of business, the nWo was reformed in the WWF with Hall, Nash, and Hollywood Hogan (formerly Hulk Hogan), the group's initial members. Hogan soon left the group after being attacked by Nash and Hall as a result of his turning into a fan favorite at [[WrestleMania X8]]. Other former members, including [[Paul Wight|Big Show]] and Waltman, joined the group. Later, Shawn Michaels—after years away from the ring—was introduced by Kevin Nash as the newest member of the nWo, and Michaels promised the rest of the group that he would soon deliver Triple H. Shortly thereafter, Nash suffered a torn quadriceps (after returning the same night after time off due to a biceps injury) during a ten-man tag-team match, and the following week Vince McMahon disbanded the nWo. [[Eric Bischoff]] (acting as the ''Raw'' brand General Manager) later tried to make Michaels Triple H's manager. This led to a short-lived reformation of DX, as Triple H turned on him the same night, setting off a long and heated [[Feud (professional wrestling)|feud]] that took approximately a year to resolve.<ref name=hbk-p317>{{cite book|title=Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story|first=Shawn|last=Michaels|authorlink=Shawn Michaels|coauthors=Feigenbaum, Aaron|isbn=1-4165-2645-5|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|origmonth=November|origyear=2006|pages=317–323}}</ref><!-- Reference only covers from where it says "This led to a......" --> The year after, Nash returned from injury as a fan favorite and sided with Michaels against [[Evolution (wrestling)|Evolution]] (Triple H, [[Ric Flair]], Batista and [[Randy Orton]]). |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 22:39, 11 August 2009
The Kliq (sometimes spelled as Clique) was a backstage group in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the mid-1990s, which some claim held virtually all booking power and were accused of refusing to be fair to anyone outside of the group.
The group was composed of Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, and Paul Levesque. In 1996, The Kliq broke character at a house show at Madison Square Garden in an incident referred to as the "Curtain Call: The MSG Incident", an event which affected the WWF's subsequent storylines and development.
The Kliq was also the primary catalyst for the two most controversial stables in wrestling history: D-Generation X in the WWF and the New World Order in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
History
Formation and early history
The Kliq was formed from real-life friends Shawn Michaels (real name Michael Hickenbottom), Kevin Nash (who wrestled as "Diesel"), Scott Hall (then known as "Razor Ramon"), Sean Waltman (who performed as "The 1-2-3 Kid"), and Paul Levesque (known then as Hunter Hearst Helmsley). By 1995, they had a heavy influence on the booking power—the power to schedule and decide who wins matches—in the WWF.[1] Justin Credible was also close friends with the group and is sometimes referred to as a member.[2] Michaels claims that the name "The Kliq" was originally coined by Lex Luger, due to the closeness of the five friends backstage.[3] At the suggestion of Vince Russo, Michaels began referring to his fans as his "Kliq".[4] Michaels disliked the idea, and claimed that it "was not a huge hit" with the fans.[4]
In October 1995, The Kliq complained about a decision to let Shane Douglas (wrestling as Dean Douglas) win the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Michaels at In Your House 4: Great White North.[1] They finally decided, however, that Michaels would lose the title to Douglas by forfeit because he did not want it to seem like he legitimately lost it.[1] At the pay-per-view event, Douglas won the title by forfeit, but later in the night lost it to fellow Kliq member Scott Hall (Razor Ramon).[1] Douglas was so enraged by the events that he threatened to sue the company and went to work for the rival promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling.[1]
Another incident occurred shortly after at a live event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada involving Carl Ouellet, who was working under the name Jean-Pierre Lafitte. Lafitte was booked to win a match against then-WWF Champion Kevin Nash, as Montreal was Lafitte's hometown. Shortly before the match, however, Lafitte was involved in a backstage argument with Michaels as Lafitte did not want to make Nash look good by losing to him.[5] The match between the two ended in a double-countout.[6] In his book, Michaels said that "we [The Kliq] buried him [Ouellet]" as he did not want to put Nash over. Lafitte was released soon after. Contrary to rumors, Michaels also stated that WWF Chairman Vince McMahon did not fire Lafitte.[3]
Bret Hart claims in his autobiography, Hitman, that he was actually asked if he wanted to be part of the group, as his relationship with Michaels was far less adversarial back then: "The thing I remember most about that tour was Shawn, Razor, and Nash talking to me in Hamburg about the idea of forming a clique of top guys who strictly took care of their own." Hart declined the offer.[7]
Curtain Call: The MSG Incident
One of the more talked-about actions involving The Kliq was the "Curtain Call: The MSG Incident", which took place on May 19, 1996 at Madison Square Garden and involved all of The Kliq except for Waltman.[8] At the time of the incident, Hall and Nash were about to leave the WWF for rival World Championship Wrestling.[9] At a major WWF live event, Michaels and Levesque (as Helmsley) worked separate singles matches with Hall and Nash.[8] Earlier in the card, Levesque worked a match, as a villain, with Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon).[8] Later, in the main event, Michaels, as a fan favorite, worked a steel cage match with Nash (as the villain Diesel).[8] Immediately after the match, Hall hugged Michaels, and this was not seen as a problem, since both Hall and Michaels were fan favorites in the storylines.[8] But after Hall and Michaels hugged, Levesque joined the hug, despite working a match earlier in which he was a villain.[8][9]
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Their actions in the "Curtain Call" scandalized WWF management, who at the time wanted to maintain the illusion that the supposed antipathy between fan favorites and villains was real and that they were not friends outside the ring.[10] WWF Chairman, Vince McMahon was reported to be initially okay with the incident, but did not expect them to take it so far.[9] McMahon also did not expect a fan in the audience to sneak a camcorder into the event and capture the entire incident on tape, which was later procured by the WWF and aired on the October 6, 1997 episode of Raw is War by Michaels and Levesque who, in storyline, used the footage to irritate McMahon.[11] Because Michaels was the WWF Champion at the time and was one of the promotion's biggest drawing cards, he could not be punished.[9] Hall and Nash were soon to leave for WCW, so they also escaped punishment.[10] The punishment fell solely on Levesque, who was demoted from championship contender to a jobber;[12] Levesque went from main event matches to opening matches, wrestling inexperienced or lesser experienced wrestlers.[12] He, however, did win the WWF Intercontinental Championship five months later.[13] The Undertaker stated in HHH: The Game DVD that when Levesque first arrived in the WWF, he saw him as an arrogant person who only looked out for himself, but when Levesque took his punishment and did not complain, he earned his respect. This punishment turned out to have a major impact on the WWF's future. Before the "MSG Incident", Levesque had been booked into the finals of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament during the following summer, but his place would instead go to Steve Austin. The winner of this title traditionally received a large push toward stardom. Austin's win (and subsequent "Austin 3:16" speech) started his rise toward mainstream superstardom and helped the WWF defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars.[9][10] Levesque's punishment only delayed his rise to prominence in the business, as he would go on to win the following year's King of the Ring tournament and later went on to become a thirteen time world champion, beginning with his WWF Championship victory over Mick Foley the night after SummerSlam in 1999.[14]
The nWo and D-Generation X
Because WWF officials disliked the Kliq and their influence in booking matches, Hall and Nash's contracts were allowed to expire to break up the group.[2] When Hall and Nash went to WCW, they formed the New World Order (nWo) stable, along with Hulk Hogan.[15] When Waltman later jumped to WCW, he also joined the nWo. Many fans criticized Kevin Nash for his booking tenure in WCW since it displayed the same self-promoting behavior associated with The Kliq on an even larger scale. Fans often pointed to Nash booking for himself to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from the then-undefeated Goldberg and the subsequent "Fingerpoke of Doom" as the most grievous of his "offenses". Nash, however, claims that he did not have booking power at the time of the incident.[16]
Meanwhile, Levesque and Michaels began to persuade WWF management to let them pair up on screen, but management was hesitant and wanted to keep The Kliq separated on-screen.[12] They, however, eventually aligned together in the faction D-Generation X (DX), alongside Chyna and Rick Rude.[12] DX eventually became as influential to the Monday Night Wars as the nWo. DX's antics also went on to help spark The Attitude Era in the WWF.[17] After Sean Waltman was fired from WCW, he was hired by WWF and joined DX.[12]
The nWo's hand sign, often referred to as the "Wolf Head", was originally used by the Kliq members in the WWF.[18] In the nWo, Hall and Nash brought the hand sign with them, and it became widely used by the nWo members and fans worldwide.[18]
During a brief period in 1998, after Waltman's return to the WWF as X-Pac, D-Generation X made numerous references to their friends in the WCW (though mostly not referencing WCW itself by name) in their non-match and pre-match appearances and speeches. They even went so far as to stage a protest/paramilitary take-over of the Norfolk Scope, where an episode of WCW Monday Nitro was taking place (on that same night, Monday Night Raw was emanating from nearby Hampton, Virginia). Triple H, riding in a Humvee, chanted "Let our people go!" through a megaphone during the incident. Sean Waltman also called out "we just wanted to say hey to our buddies Hall and Nash" during the WCW invasion segment. But any hope of Nash and Hall jumping ship to the WWF did not materialize until WCW eventually folded.
In 2002, after WCW had gone out of business, the nWo was reformed in the WWF with Hall, Nash, and Hollywood Hogan (formerly Hulk Hogan), the group's initial members. Hogan soon left the group after being attacked by Nash and Hall as a result of his turning into a fan favorite at WrestleMania X8. Other former members, including Big Show and Waltman, joined the group. Later, Shawn Michaels—after years away from the ring—was introduced by Kevin Nash as the newest member of the nWo, and Michaels promised the rest of the group that he would soon deliver Triple H. Shortly thereafter, Nash suffered a torn quadriceps (after returning the same night after time off due to a biceps injury) during a ten-man tag-team match, and the following week Vince McMahon disbanded the nWo. Eric Bischoff (acting as the Raw brand General Manager) later tried to make Michaels Triple H's manager. This led to a short-lived reformation of DX, as Triple H turned on him the same night, setting off a long and heated feud that took approximately a year to resolve.[19] The year after, Nash returned from injury as a fan favorite and sided with Michaels against Evolution (Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista and Randy Orton).
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "FAQ: Shane Douglas". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b "When Vince McMahon Wasn't a Genius - management of the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling". Wrestling Digest. June 2001. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b Michaels, Shawn. Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story. Simon & Schuster. p. 206. ISBN 1-4165-2645-5.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|origmonth=ignored (help) - ^ a b Michaels, Shawn. Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story. Simon & Schuster. p. 230. ISBN 1-4165-2645-5.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|origmonth=ignored (help) - ^ Clevett, Jason (2008-08-06). "Ouellet wants another run with WWE". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ "Pierre Carl Ouellet Profile". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ Hart, Bret (2007). "A trip down memory lane (Saskatoon & Regina)". BretHart.com. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ a b c d e f Assael, Shaun (2002). Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. Crown. p. 156. ISBN 1400051436.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e Michaels, Shawn. Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story. Simon & Schuster. pp. 226–228. ISBN 1-4165-2645-5.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|origmonth=ignored (help) - ^ a b c Assael, Shaun (2002). Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. Crown. p. 157. ISBN 1400051436.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Petrie, John. "Monday Night Raw: October 6, 1997". The Other Arena. Archived from the original on 2003-06-10. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ a b c d e Levesque, Paul; Laurer, Joanie. It's Our Time (VHS). World Wrestling Federation. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
{{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter|date2=ignored (help) - ^ "Hunter Hearst Helmsley's first Intercontinental title reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ Milner, John. "Hunter Hearst Helmsley - Slam! Sports profile". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Bischoff, Eric. Controversy Creates Cash. Simon & Schuster. pp. 210–219. ISBN 1-4165-2729-X.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|origmonth=ignored (help) - ^ Nash, Kevin. Shoot with Kevin Nash (DVD). RF Video. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ Michaels, Shawn. Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story. Simon & Schuster. pp. 252–257. ISBN 1-4165-2645-5.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|origmonth=ignored (help) - ^ a b Keith, Scott. Wrestling's One Ring Circus. Citadel Press. p. 31. ISBN 080652619X.
- ^ Michaels, Shawn. Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story. Simon & Schuster. pp. 317–323. ISBN 1-4165-2645-5.
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