The Curtain Call

Things were run a little bit differently in WWE back in 1996. Kayfabe, the illusion that actions going on inside the ring were in fact real and unscripted, was held in the highest regard. If it was broken, those on the corporate side of things believed that it would expose the business, and shut it down for good. Anyone who broke kayfabe was severely punished, including future WWE COO Triple H.

At the end of a show in Madison Square Garden, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash were filmed celebrating together. To many today, this wouldn't be seen as a shock, given the public knowledge of the four men's friendship. However, in 1996, kayfabe still being maintained, this was a huge deal. You see, Michaels and Hall were babyfaces (good guys) at the time, while Triple H and Nash were heels (bad guys). They should not have been interacting with each other, so as to break kayfabe.

They did so as a farewell to Hall and Nash, who were on their way out of the company. The repercussions for this were huge for one person in particular. You see, everyone but Triple H had caveats as to how they could avoid punishment. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were leaving the company. Shawn Michaels was WWE Champion at the time. They meant that all the blame fell solely on Triple H, who lost his planned King of the Ring victory to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin's win, and subsequent "Austin 3:16" promo launched him into superstardom, a role that was supposed to go to Triple H. Now, Triple H did eventuially make it to the main event scene, but one wonders if it would have happened sooner had the "Curtain Call" never occurred.


Credit for photo to Wrestling News and World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.