5 things you did not know about The Kliq

The Kliq is one of the greatest factions in wrestling historyWhen you look back at the past couple of decades in the professional wrestling industry, and try to put your finger on the most dominant faction, in reality, there can only be one. Back in the mid 90s, five superstars got together due to their passion for the business, and they havent looked back since. While they believed that they were taking what was rightfully theirs, the rest of the locker room felt that they were outsiders.With Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman riding together, and later Triple H joining them, the five superstars became a closely knit faction. While the early 90s saw WWE controlling the wrestling scene in North America, with WCWs eventual rise, the superstars in the back started fretting about their positions. It was at this time that everyone thought these superstars, now referred to as The Kliq were looking out for themselves, and were being a bad influence on Vince McMahon.While different people have different opinions about the faction, in this article, we take a look at five things you might not have known about one of the greatest factions in professional wrestling history.

#5 Sean Waltmans battle with his demons

Waltman’s history with drug and alcohol abuse resulted in his release from WCW

While Scott Hall’s history with drugs and alcohol has been well documented, very few people know the reality behind The Kliq’s traveling escapades. There have been stories about Shawn, Scott, Nash and Waltman getting wasted on the road, while Triple H was the designated driver. There was also a funny story about the faction encountering the cops while high, and Shawn, who happened to have taken a lot of somas, had to be taken to a hospital to avoid being sent to prison.

With the living-on-the-edge lifestyle of the group, it came as no surprise when Sean Waltman’s addiction spiraled out of control. Apparently, there were many days when the members of the group thought Sean wouldn’t wake up the next day, but Waltman ended up feeling fine. This went on for a few years before Sean was released from his WCW contract due to his drug and alcohol addiction.

#4 The MSG incident led to the change in WWE\'s landscape

The Kliq were involved in the infamous “Curtain call” incident at MSG

While WWE exposed the truth behind the legitimacy of the industry, during the mid 90s, they still cared about protecting kayfabe, as the internet’s explosion began at the end of the millennium. The superstars were expected to be in character while they were in front of the fans; however, one of the biggest talking points happened at the Madison Square Garden in 1996.

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall had signed with WWE’s direct competition, WCW, and a live event in Madison Square Garden was their last show. While Scott faced Triple H, Nash took on Shawn in the main event inside a steel cage. At the end of the show however, all the four superstars were involved in one of the most infamous incidents in wrestling history, which is now known as the “Curtain call”.

All the four superstars assembled in the ring after the match, and began embracing each other. While some of the fans knew about “The Kliq”, as well as Nash and Hall possibly leaving for WCW, it was the first time superstars broke character in front of the fans. While the locker room was enraged, the incident changed the landscape of the industry, as well as the storylines in the company. Many also consider this as the faction showing their disregard to the norms, and what people considered to be the ethos of the industry.

#3 The Kliqs dominance led to superstars leaving WWE

Shane Douglas was one of the stars who left WWE because of the faction

While the feelings of the superstars in the locker room about the faction have been well documented, there have been instances when it led to superstars walking out of the company. There was animosity growing between the group and the rest of the talent, with many believing that Shawn, along with his friends was dictating terms on the show, thanks to his close relationship with Vince McMahon.

One of the superstars to leave the company was “The Franchise” Shane Douglas. Shane, who came to WWE from ECW, was one of the young upcoming talents. However, he had a falling out with Shawn Micahels; Shawn was supposed to drop the Intercontinental title to Shane. However, Shawn forfeited the title after being attacked by a group of US Marines, and Shane became the champion.

However, Shane was immediately made to defend and drop the title to Razor Ramon – one of the members of the group. This led to Shane’s decision to leave the company, and he headed back to ECW.

#2 The truth behind the hand gesture of the faction

Sean Waltman came up with the hand gesture of The Kliq

One of the most iconic gestures in professional wrestling is the now famous “the wolf” hand gesture of the Kliq. The gesture, made famous by the New World Order during their run in WCW, signifies the strong bond between the members of the faction. In a rather subtle way, it was also an acknowledgement between the five members, who were split during the Monday Night Wars.

While everyone knew about the gesture and what it meant, very few people know how the gesture came about. It was Sean Waltman who once saw a few people signaling each other with the gesture, and learnt that it was the “Turkish wolf” – a gesture between those involved in the mafia. He then started doing it with the other members of the Kliq, leading it to becoming their signature gesture.

#1 Davey Boy Smith came up with The Kliqs name

Davey Boy Smith came up with the faction’s name

While it is true that most of the superstars backstage got unnerved due to the close association of certain members in the locker room, it wasn’t until the superstars started referring to the group as “The Kliq” that the name really stuck.

Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman used to ride together, and didn’t usually associate themselves with the rest of the locker room. When Triple H arrived in WWE, he then began riding with the faction; but the person who gave the group the name was Davey Boy Smith, although initially it was thought that it was Lex Luger who came up with it.

Davey began joking in the locker room, and started calling the group “The Kliq” due to their close association. With the superstars backstage believing that the faction had a siege mentality, the group, in an attempt to toy with the superstars started playing up those beliefs.